“You sure you’re okay with this?” Lance asked, as familiar feelings of anxiety and concern about Tanner’s welfare returned with a vengeance.
“A 4thof July barbecue? I think I can manage.”
“But you’ll tell me, right? If it gets too much? If—if you need for us to leave foranyreason.”
Tanner looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded and smiled.
“Pinky promise,” he said, lifting both containers and extending his pinkies. Lance laughed and gave him a quick shoulder bump.
His mother spotted him immediately as they rounded the corner of the house. Like a target lock on a missile, she headedstraight for him. Stylish as always, today she wore a linen dress with blue and white stripes that matched her sunglasses and hat. She’d always been a sharp dresser—even when they’d had far less means.
“Lance,” she said, hugging him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here, baby.”
He returned the hug and stepped back.
“You remember my good friend Tanner.”
Although his mother smiled politely, it never quite reached her eyes.
“Well, of course I do! Here let me help you with those containers,” she said as she reached for the two containers that Tanner was holding.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Tanner replied cordially.
Lance put his biscuits down on the table next to Tanner’s. After she’d arranged them to her satisfaction, she turned to face them again.
“You boys need a drink! Parker’s playing bartender, so please do me a favor and go check on our liquor supply!”
Lance nodded and gave a quick laugh.
“Sure, Mom!”
He grabbed Tanner by the arm and gave it a quick squeeze. “We’ll catch up later.” He leaned forward to kiss her cheek and then led Tanner towards the bar.
His mother’s house wasn’t huge, but the size of the yard was truly impressive. She’d set up a makeshift bar on a platform where people could go to order drinks. Parker was busy mixing and pouring drinks like it was his regular day job, rather than his usual role of frat boy who thought Gatorade and vodka tasted good.
“She knows all these people?” Tanner asked, as they worked their way around groups of guests to get to the barn.
“My mom’s a bit of a socialite,” he answered with a shrug. “She didn’t used to be—with my dad—” He just left it at that, because he didn’t really want to talk about what life was like with his dad while wading through a crowded party on a beautiful summer day. “She was ashamed, back then, so she didn’t have much of a social life. But then she married Jeff, they moved here and then joined the local country club—well, let’s just say she found her calling.”
“Wait. You said she was ashamed?” Tanner asked, looking confused.
“My dad was loud. Threw shit, yelled, broke stuff. The neighbours would hear them fight, and she hated it. Actually, we had to move a couple of times when it got really bad. She was too ashamed to stay too long in places where the fights were the worst.” He tried to be matter of fact about it. After all, those days were long gone.
“Hell, that’s not—” Tanner shook his head, as his hand closed around Lance’s forearm. “That must have been horrible. Like—not just your dad, but your mom being ashamed of the family and—”
“It doesn’t really matter anymore.” Now it was old news. Old thoughts. Old feelings. Old pain. He’d been so young, and while he’d hated the way his mother sometimes looked at him and his two brothers like they were ruining her life, he’d also understood. It was true, in a way. There had been no doubt in Lance’s mind that the only reason she stayed was because of them. If she’d never had kids, she’d have left her husband long before things got as bad as they did.
“Yeah, but Lance—”
“It’s old news, Tanner. Seriously. She’s moved on and completely turned her life around. You can see that we’re all better off now, so—” he interjected, not wanting to answer any more questions. He hated his visceral reaction every time thesubject came up. He was desperate to put all that shit behind him and had zero interest in talking about it. Not even with Tanner. Maybe especially not with Tanner.
Tanner looked as if he wanted to know more, but they were approaching the bar and needed to place their orders with Parker. Definitely not the right time or place to dig up old family history.
They moved forward as the couple before them left with their drinks, and Parker smiled with delight when he saw them.
“Yo!” Parker jumped from behind the bar to give Lance a bear hug, nearly knocking him to the ground.
“Jesus, you’re big,” Lance laughed as he staggered backwards a few steps, somehow managing to remain upright. Parker pounded him on the back and just laughed as Lance punched him in the shoulder. “You remember Tanner,” he said, nodding towards his highly amused boyfriend, who seemed to get a real kick out of watching Lance get manhandled.
