Charlie holds up his hands and nods, as if he’s thanking her for making his point.
“I haven’t decided for sure,” I say.
Olivia gives me a small frown, then gets up from the chair. “It’s Christmas and there are still cinnamon rolls in the kitchen. Let’s go eat.”
We’ve hit the food coma stage of the day. Papa and my uncles are sacked out in chairs while the game plays on the TV in front of them. Nonna and my aunts are still around the dining room table, visiting and drinking their weight in coffee to keep from falling asleep. The cousins have taken over the family room, since the little ones don’t want to stray too far from their gifts.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen the Evil Joes look happy,” I say to Olivia and Charlie. The three of us are squeezed together on one of the oversize chairs. Across from us, the Evil Joes are sitting on the couch next to their boyfriends, Aiden and Brent.
“There has to be something wrong with them. The guys,” Olivia adds.
The guys are exactly who I imagine Aunt Maggie Mae would expect her daughters to date. Tall, preppy, handsome. But they also seem normal, which is why we’re confused.
Charlie leans in close. “Maybe they’re like those pod people. Regular on the outside but some weird alien life-form on the inside.”
“Or maybe the Evil Joes are only evil to us. Or maybe we’re the evil ones for not seeing them the way their boyfriends do.”
Both Olivia and Charlie stare at me like I’ve grown an extra head.
“Do I need to remind you what happened at the beach?” Charlie says.
We need to tattooI’m never getting over iton his forehead.
“We all remember what happened at the beach,” Olivia says.
Charlie rolls his eyes. “It’s not just that. There are lots of moments like that. Remember the water park in Dallas? Field day in sixth grade? The Easter egg hunt at church when we were seven?” His voice gets louder with each incident he recalls. Olivia and I shush him.
“Evil Joes are evil,” he whispers.
I push up from the chair, leaving them to their speculations over Aiden and Brent, and head to the kitchen. Lunch is over and all of the food, except for the desserts, has been cleared away. I walk to the window and peer at Wes’s house. He told us last night that he’d be at his grandmother’s house for most of the day, but that doesn’t stop me from checking.
I hear movement behind me and spin around, but it’s only Aiden—Mary Jo’s boyfriend. He’s carrying a couple of empty glasses and a plate.
“Hey,” he says, then moves to the sink to deposit the dirty dishes.
“Hey,” I say back. I grab a cookie off the plate on the counter and slide into a chair at the kitchen table.
He starts to walk out of the kitchen, but then turns toward me. “MJ told me your sister had her baby early. Same thing happened to my sister a few months ago.”
I perk up. “Are they okay now?” I ask.
He moves closer to the table. “Yeah, they’re both good. Let me show you a picture of my nephew. He was so little when he was born, but in just a few months, he’s gained a ton of weight.”
Aides scrolls through the pictures on his phone with one hand while pulling out a chair with the other. Once he’s seated next to me, he shows me the screen and, sure enough, there is an adorable little boy with a double chin and fat, fluffy arms.
“Ohmygod he’s so cute!” I squeal.
Aiden leans forward to swipe through several shots of him.
“What’s his name?” I ask.
“John,” he says. “After my dad.”
“So how early was he?” I ask.
Aiden looks up at the ceiling. “Um, I think maybe four or five weeks? He was in the NICU for a week, but then he was okay to go home.”
It feels good to hear this. Good to see this chunky baby who started out the same way Anna has.
