“Hell yeah they did,” Finn replies. He doesn’t answer my other question about Terra and I’m about to repeat it, but his dad cuts me off.
“Finally!” Charlie Hawkins’s voice booms through the restaurant as we cross the threshold. “I thought maybe you’d come to your senses, turned back around and got the hell outta this water-logged crackerjack box of a town.”
“You’re not fooling anyone, Charlie,” I say with a smile as I walk into the restaurant that has only Hawkins and Hawkins-adjacent bodies in it, like Javi, Nova’s brother, and staff members I remember from working here. “I know you love it here in OP and would never live anywhere else.”
“But I’m batshit crazy,” Charlie counters.
“We don’t use that word, Dad,” Terra reprimands, and my gaze floats across the room until I find her. And when I do, I wish I didn’t. She’s sitting at table near the center of the room next to the dude I saw months ago, her boyfriend. His hand is casually slung across the back of her chair. “Making jokes with the word crazy perpetuates stigma, and that can make it more difficult for people to seek treatment.”
“Right,” Charlie clears his throat. “Sorry, what I meant was I’m looney tunes.”
“Not better Dad!” Terra’s tone is no longer light.
Charlie grins. He’s purposely pushing Terra’s buttons, like the ornery old New England fisherman he is.
“Jesus Terra, can you put the PC police work on hold for a night? I’m the one who spent time in a psych ward, and I’m cool with it,” Declan calls out.
Boof. Lucy Hawkins has managed to rock up high enough on her tip toes to gently whack her eldest son’s head. Quite the feat considering she’s five-one and Declan is six-one. “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain in my house, Declan Eammon Hawkins.”
Declan rubs the back of his head, scowling, and I chuckle. “Some things never change.”
My eyes find Terra and she’s smiling right back at me and mouths the words, “I told you so.”
My heart beats faster. Then the door opens behind me and Logan walks in with River on his hip. Oh my God, he’s so big. His hair is darkening a little to a golden color from the bleached wheat color it was when he was one, and of course there’s much more of it. He’s looking more and more like Logan—and Finn if you want to get technical. “Do you remember your Uncle Jake? He gave you your Ewok stuffie.”
River stares at me, little pudgy face scrunched up as he really gives it his all trying to remember me. I smile and wave and although I don’t think he remembers, he announces. “Tank woo unkie Jake.”
“My pleasure,” I say as Logan puts him down and he toddles straight over to his granny Lucy. More people start walking into the restaurant behind them.
“The guys from the station found out there was a little welcome back thing here for ya and wanted to tag along,” Logan explains.
“Thought we could have some fun before you start ordering us around like a big shot,” Murphy Ross announces. I remember her well. She was in the academy with me and we both started at Ocean Pines together. A few other faces are familiar like Dan Keribo, who was my favorite co-worker back when I started. So good to see him again. And Ronan Green. He’s a few years older than me and was already a firefighter when I started but unlike Dan, he was far from my favorite. You always haze a probie a little bit, but Ronan was relentless and a total dick. He gives me a nod and a smile, but it’s insincere. I ignore him and make a point of introducing myself to the co-workers I don’t know yet.
A few hours later, the party is going strong and I’m enjoying every minute of it, as long as I don’t look at Terra and the boyfriend, who’s name I have inadvertently found out is Tom Kowalewicz. I overheard him introduce himself to Murphy and Ronan. Later, as the party is winding down and I’m grabbing a lobster bomb—Lucy Hawkins’s famous homemade appetizer—off the food table, Tom walks right over and introduces himself. I pop the bomb in my mouth, wipe my hand on a napkin and give his hand a shake, firmer than I need to.
“I thought I should say hey since, you know, this get-together is for you and we’ve never met and Terra talks about you all the time,” he says with a friendly smile. “I’m an associate professor of social sciences over at Darby College in Portsmouth. That’s in New Hampshire.”
“Yeah. I know where Portsmouth is. Grew up in Ocean Pines,” I explain. I toss a smile at him hoping it takes the edge off my words. “You’re dating Terra?”
He nods and shrugs.Shrugs?
“Yeah. For a while now. Long distance,” he explains. “We’re both super busy. I have work and she’s got this place to run and school and between that and my cycling club commitments and her doctor’s appointments it’s been hard. Which is too bad because she’s a great girl.”
Why does it sound like he’s breaking up with her as he talks about her? Is that my wishful thinking? He makes eye contact. He has to look up to do it, but that’s normal. I’m six-four, tallest guy in the room tonight, and most nights. Tom is probably about five-nine. “Someone like Terra is worth it, though.”
He nods. Slowly. “Sure. Yeah. Of course. But the lupus thing… it’s tough.”
I officially do not like him.
“Tough onher, you mean?”
Before he can respond the devil herself is in front of us. “Why are you two talking?”
“Umm.. because we haven’t met yet because you haven’t bothered to introduce us,” I tell her and she snaps her head up to glare at me.
“Tom Kowalewicz, my boyfriend, meet Jake Maverick, best friend of Logan and Finn,” Terra says cordially. “I’m tired. I’m heading home now. You coming Tom?”
But Tom isn’t looking at her or paying attention. The front door has opened and two people have walked in. “Is that… Abbott Barlowe?”
