I do as I’m told, flinging it over my shoulder as I follow the girls outside.
And they weren’t kidding about a party.
There are two kegs with a number of chairs surrounding them, a couple of guys I recognize from the farm sitting in a circle smoking weed with a few girls I don’t recognize—presumably friends or girlfriends. A number of picnic tables have been dragged out of the fields and set along the dirt road, and a fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs crackles as we walk by. Someone has set up a stereo system that plugs into an outlet on Eve’s front porch, which I see now has been stacked with bags of picked sunflower seeds and petals prepped for drying.
It seems like everyone showed up for Evie while she was sick in bed.
And now she walks through the party, greeting people as they meander by. Izzy plops a red solo cup in her hand and pushes her toward where Aiden, Tabby, and Rory laugh easily over their drinks. As I glance down the dirt road to seejust how many cars we’ve packed in, I see someone familiar ambling toward us on Vic’s arm.
“Gam,” I mumble, redirecting for her. I called to check in on her over the past few days and she didn’t mention being with Vic, but now I wonder if they didn’t do the same thing we did, hunker down together for the storm and emerge into the sunset once it’s all over.
“Nora! Vic!” Evie shouts, zipping by me to embrace them both.
I jog to keep up with her, giving my grandmother a hug after Evie and shaking Vic’s hand.
“I’m so happy you came!” Eve says, more to my grandmother than Vic. “And you too, of course, Vic, but you’re always here. Nora is a new addition,” she says, smiling at Gam and gesturing for them to join the party while Gam keeps one arm around her shoulders. “We have beer of course but also water and iced tea and whatever else you might like in the house. Feel free to take anything from the fridge.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” Gam says easily, leaving a kiss on Eve’s head. “We’re just going to hang out for a little and then head back. Mostly just wanted to say hello and make sure Ryder did his job taking care of you.”
She nods, glancing back at me. “He did a great job.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it.” Gam says as Vic grabs her hand. “Well, you kids enjoy yourselves. I think I might have half a beer!”
Eve snickers, gesturing for them to continue into the party.
“They’re so cute,” she comments as she watches them go, nudging me with her elbow.
“They are, aren’t they?” I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, and gesture toward the keg when Inotice her cup is near empty. “How about we get you a refill?”
She nods as I grab her hand, but just as we get there, one of the guys flags her down. The same one she sent over to clear up the land next door.
“Yo Eve!” he shouts, and her attention turns to him. “It looks like a log got stuck in the water wheel during the storm. It’s not moving,” he says.
I can feel the disappointment radiating from her as her shoulders slump. “What?”
He shakes his head. “I tried to pull it out but I can’t get the right angle without wading into the stream. Want me to grab one of the machines?”
She eyes him, surely stuck on the beer in his hand and the joint tucked behind his ear. “No,” she says. “That sounds like tomorrow’s problem.”
He nods, raising his cup to her. “Let me know if you need help.”
“Thanks Gus,” she says, but he’s already turned his attention elsewhere.
And Eve, apparently abandoning both me and the drink, takes off toward the barn in the distance.
“Eve!” I shout, grabbing her half full cup and running after her. “You’re not seriously about to try to move a log that a grown man can’t, are you?”
“I can at least get an idea of what’s going on,” she says, grabbing the cup and taking a quick sip.
“Don’t you think it would be fun to forget about working and enjoy the party for the night?” I ask, taking a few quick steps to catch up with the woman who only a few hours ago didn’t even want to get out of bed.
She gives me a look. “Ryder, I promise I will enjoy theparty. I just want to know what I have to deal with tomorrow so the unknown doesn’t take meoutof the party.”
The noise dies down the further we walk, and soon it feels like just the two of us again. Despite my apprehension about Eve jumping into the stream fully dressed to rid the water wheel of a log that’s probably twice the size of her, I like that we get another few moments like this, just us.
And when we round the barn to the peace and quiet of the secluded water wheel, I’m relieved that the log is definitely too large for Eve to remove herself, but a little worried whether it canbe moved at all. It’s not directly in the stream, but angled off of it so the other end rests on solid ground. The top of it is shoved right into one of the spokes of the water wheel, holding it in place.
“Fuck me,” Eve mumbles, and I resist the urge to make a dirty joke about something that must be anxiety-inducing for her.
