“Mm. Maybe. How long has it been?”
“Since the divorce was final? Three years and a bit. It didn’t take long. We rented so there was no house to fight over. No kids, pets, or antiques. I gave her the boat and she let me keep my truck and the Harley.”
“Shrewd.”
“Hey, I got what I wanted. The boat was a pain. And I love my truck.” He smiled when she chuckled. He took a deep breath; the air felt fresher than it had earlier, but he conceded that it might be because they had walked a good distance from the smokers. “You want to head back? Getting hungry?”
She nodded. “I’m building my plate as we speak.”
9
As it happened,they were the last ones to be seated at their table. Sullivan made introductions as they sat and when he came around to Ian and Sarah Bode, he stopped, grinned widely, and announced that he and Sarah had gone steady for three weeks in middle school.
“Whatever going steady meant back then,” he added. “Sarah Hawthorne. What a nice surprise. Ian, I assume you know your wife is a brainiac. I might have used her to pass earth and space science.”
“You did use me,” Sarah said without rancor. Her green eyes were bright with quiet laughter as she gave her blonde curls a toss. “But I used you too.”
“You did?”
“Uh-huh.” She jabbed her fork in his direction. “To get back at Judy Knowles. She was the queen of mean, and she wanted you in the worst way. Those three weeks I spent with you sucked the air from her lungs, and from then on I had status and she could only speak in a whisper in my presence.”
Everyone chuckled except Sullivan. “Jeez. I didn’t know. You should have said something. We could have gone steady longer. Judy Knowles terrified me.” He looked around quickly. “She’s not here, is she?”
“You’re safe,” Sarah said. She set her fork on the edge of her plate and used her hand to indicate her husband. “Ian’s a brainiac too.”
Ian said modestly, “We favor the more generic term ‘geek’.”
Sullivan liked him immediately. “Seems I recall Sarah went to MIT. Did you meet there?”
“We did. We’re up from Florida to see family. She’s with NASA. I’m with the DOD.”
Ramsey’s eyes widened. “That’s real geek work.” She scanned the rest of the table. “What about the rest of you? Do you speak geek?”
Mr. Packard shook his head. “Financial advisor.”
His wife, a stunning redhead with nary a freckle, leaned in as though revealing a confidence. “That means he is fluent in NASDAQ. My advice is don’t encourage him.”
Will said, “I teach at the alternative learning center. The language I know from there I can’t repeat.”
Yvonne nodded firmly. “He’s right. I’m home health so I speak medical jargon.”
“Cop talk,” said Sullivan.
Ramsey pointed to herself as they all looked expectantly in her direction. “Me? I work at the Ridge. I know five different ways of saying ‘It was a pleasure to help you and I hope you’ll visit us again.’ Really. It’s a gift.”
Sullivan saw that her self-deprecating humor helped ease the way for further conversation. Satisfied that she was comfortable among these strangers, he picked up his fork and applied himself to clearing the mound of food on his plate.
There was recorded music playing quietly in the background all through dinner, but the volume ratcheted up as more and more guests began to sit back from the tables, many with their hands folded on their bellies. The plates and utensils were cleared and drinks appeared. Then it was quiet again and the toasts began. Champagne flutes clinked and there were several calls to kiss the bride. The band assembled on the edge of the clearing with their acoustic instruments: two fiddles, a five-string banjo, a string bass, guitar, and a mandolin. It took them no time at all to set up and sweet bluegrass filled the holler.
Sullivan leaned toward Ramsey. “Aunt Kay must be dying a little inside. I don’t think she clogs.”
“Shh. I want to hear.”
The melody was lilting, rising and falling beautifully, carried by the gentle breeze. Linda and Tug danced, holding each other close, turning slowly, and then reaching out to their parents, Linda to her father, Tug to his mother. When the traditional dances were over the bridesmaids and groomsmen wandered among the guests to choose a partner to get the dancing started in earnest.
“You’re up,” said Ramsey as one of the bridesmaids made a beeline in Sullivan’s direction. “For God’s sake, don’t disappoint her.”
“How did she even see me back here?” he lamented. “It’s like she has GPS.”
