Chapter Nine
The evening breeze that skimmed across the deck at Juniper's made Trent forget it was Florida in the summer—or at least made him forget long enough to enjoy a cold beer without sweating through his shirt.
Trent leaned back in his chair, one arm draped over the back of Dove's seat, and watched his friends laugh at the tail end of Buddy's proposal story while Harley admired Fallon's engagement ring.
Trent couldn't be happier for his friends.
The big round table they'd commandeered was littered with the aftermath of dinner—empty plates smeared with remoulade, a basket that had once held hush puppies, the balled-up napkins of people who'd eaten well and weren't sorry about it.
Juniper had outdone herself tonight. Blackened grouper that melted on your tongue, fried green tomatoes stacked with pimento cheese, and a key lime pie that Fallon had declared "almost as good as Linda's." The compliment had hit Trent somewhere soft, but in a good way. His mother would've loved knowing her pie had competition.
"Alright, alright," Cullen said, waving his beer bottle at Trent. "You've been holding out on us all night. Time to tell the boat story.”
"Which one?" Trent asked. “Because everything amusing that happened during our childhood happened on a boat.” He pointed his finger. “Including the time we were maybe six-years-old, and you thought it was perfectly fine to take an inflatable floaty raft out into the Glades. Damn near gave my father a heart attack when you floated right on by a bunch of hungry gators.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know I was in danger, and your dad just paddled that rowboat out there and scooped me up like it was nothing.” Cullen laughed. “But I’m talking about the one where Fallon over there was trying to impress… someone.”
Fallon groaned. "Oh, God. Not that one. It totally makes me look like an idiot.”
“I think someone else looks like a big doofus, as well.” Cullen leaned back and took a swig of his beer.
“Oh, now this sounds interesting,” Buddy said, grinning. He pulled Fallon closer against his side. “I mean, she rarely does anything that makes her look foolish, besides the time she dated Trent—which I chalk up to a moment of insanity?—”
“Hey, I’m insulted—besides, she's marrying you.” Trent clutched his chest in mock offense, but the truth was, he wasn't. Not even a little.
“I'm the luckiest man in the room,” Buddy said. “Now give me some fresh ammunition to tease her with.”
“No more chocolates in your lunchbox,” Fallon mumbled.
“I doubt that.” Buddy kissed her temple.
Dove leaned forward, her chin propped on her hand. "Now, I definitely need to hear this."
Trent took a long pull of his beer, savoring the moment. For months, he’d been a walking zombie while he’d taken care of his mother. All he’d wanted was to cherish her final days. Spend as much time with her as he could, because he’d taken way too much for granted.
After she died, it was like he’d put a foot in the grave with her. But it was time to start living again, and there was no better way to do it than with this group.
Fallon was already turning pink. He’d told this story many times, and it wasn’t so much that she was embarrassed by why she’d done it, but more that it happened at all. "So, Fallon here was maybe sixteen?—"
"Fifteen," Fallon muttered. "I was fifteen—a child. A silly kid.”
“Who thought she was an adult,” Trent added. "And there were these boys—twins. Sean and Pat Hamlin. They lived in the next town over but kept their boat at Mitchell’s because their dad was friends with Ray, Baily’s dad and they were eighteen. Too old for Fallon.”
“Technically, they were.” Cullen tapped his fingers on the wooden table. “But everyone that Fallon has ever been interested in was too old for her.”
“Do you want to tell this story?” Trent asked.
“No.” Cullen lifted his beer. “Proceed.”
“Cullen and I were out minding our own business?—”
“Trying not to kill each other,” Cullen said, interrupting Trent.
“Exactly.” Trent chuckled. “Those two boys were maybe thirty feet from us, and here comes Fallon, all by herself in her skiff, decked out in fishing gear. Cullen and I looked at each other and it took everything we had not to laugh because you know, we both liked Fallon, but we couldn’t understand what the heck she was doing because she wasn’t acting like herself.”
“Gee, thanks,” Fallon mumbled.
“I assumed she was trying to impress those boys, though I can’t imagine why. They were idiots,” Trent said.
