1
Evrard
After I finished stocking the cabinet with the coffee and creamer, I tackle the empty boxes cluttered around the firehouse kitchen. While flattening them, I look at the clock on the wall and an annoyed grunt escapes my throat.
Jake, my fellow firefighter, walks into the kitchen right then and snorts.
"Why are you whining? Your shift's about to be over," he teases.
"I've got Tanner's engagement party to get ready for."
"I thought you were happy that he was getting married to Alyssa?" Jake says, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"I am, but wedding chaos is totally not my thing. I'm not in the mood to deal with all of this," I say, flattening another box.
"Well, I bet your grandmother is stoked that at least one of you is getting hitched."
Rolling my eyes, I say, "Don't remind me. But don't forget that Iwasmarried. So it's fricken Tanner's turn."
Jake laughs.
"Well, I've been to dinner with your grandmother, and she is definitely not considering that marriage a success."
"No shit. Every dinner with her focuses around me still being single."
"You poor baby," Jake teases before leaving the kitchen.
I toss the flattened boxes into the recycling bin and grab my jacket from the hook. The truth is, I don't blame Grandma for her disappointment. My marriage was a disaster from the start, and it's been twenty years since that train wreck ended. Twenty years of her dropping hints, setting me up on blind dates, and giving me those sad looks when I show up to family events alone.
But I learned my lesson. Love isn't worth the risk.
Not for me, anyway.
The backof the Driftwood Room is bustling with Tanner and Alyssa's friends and family. I end up sitting with Grandma Blanche, who behaves herself during dinner. But when it's time for coffee, she gives my arm a poke and says, "So, Evrard, when is it your turn?"
"It was my turn, Grandma. Remember? I've already done this. And don't forget, it was a complete failure."
"Oh, pish posh," Grandma says, wrinkling her nose at me. "You were 30 years old when you broke up with that..." She trails off as I sip my coffee, and I spend the next minute coughing and trying to recover from her obviously reigning herself in regarding my ex-wife. I even have to get up and blow my nose before returning to the table where Grandma continues to give me her opinion on my love life. "Anyway, as I was saying, you're 50 years old now, Evrard Boyd, and it's time for you to find yourself a nice woman to settle down with."
"Not everyone has to be married, Grandma."
"Of course not. But I've known you your entire life, Evrard, and you were always such a romantic when you were younger."
"The keyword is younger there, Grandma. Thatharlot, as you once called her, squashed all of that out of my system. I don't believe love is in the cards for me."
My grandmother opens her mouth to argue, but Tanner stands up across the room, clinking his glass to grab everyone's attention.
"I just want to thank everyone for coming to celebrate Alyssa's and my engagement," he says, looking down at his fiancée and giving her shoulder a loving squeeze. "And we also want to announce that we have picked a date. So make sure your calendars are clear on the next spring equinox. We're getting married at the Sacred Plate."
Excited murmurs fill the room, and Grandma Blanche blurts out, "That's a restaurant! You're marrying at a restaurant?"
Tanner snorts and says, "It is a restaurant, Grandma, but they have built a really nice back area for events. So we will be married outside, and the reception will be inside."
Grandma nods approvingly, sitting back in her chair. Tanner continues thanking everyone before sitting down. The servers return, carrying warm bread pudding with bourbon sauce and candied pecans, placing the desserts in front of each guest. The delicious smell is overwhelming, and I get lost in the flavor for a moment. But once my spoon returns to the table, Grandma loops her arm through mine and gives it a squeeze.
"You're taking me home today, Evrard," she informs me.
I wheelmy grandmother through the automatic doors at Sea Glass Retirement Home, and the staff immediately greet her. She sits up straight, puffing out her chest with pride.
