Daniela and Jacob are off talking to everyone like they are old friends. They only knew three people coming into this. Now they are speaking with someone I don’t even know. I’m tucked away in a corner.
“Are you okay?” Parker moves beside me and wraps his arm around my waist. “We can leave if you want.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just…overwhelmed.” Even at my family functions I stay off to the side. It can all be too much. Though, I’m more comfortable there because I know my family. This room is full of strangers. Well, mostly. I’ve met a good chunk of the Summers siblings. But I don’t know them well enough to have a conversation.
“If it makes it easier, you can walk around with me and I’ll introduce you to them so it’s not a huge amount of information to keep up with. Lucky for you, most of them will be in their wine glasses by the end of night.”
That makes me smile. Between the loudness and drinks, they are a lot like my family. I hope it doesn’t go until the early hours of the morning though. I do like to sleep at some point.
The first person I meet is the brother who brought the pizza. Peter came with his girlfriend, Callie, and her teenage daughter, Alexandra. That was the most important introduction since he has food and I’m starving. Who knew helping adjust the dress for my sister would be so exhausting?
All I need to meet now are the partners of some of the other siblings. Beau, I met briefly at the festival. Parker and I rode in the golf cart with him while Piper drove my sister and the photographer. I don’t know how we managed to get all the shots my sister wanted before the winery opened, but we made it happen.
Paula is talking with Daniela about the band her boyfriend, Tristan, works for. I didn’t realize Crooked Halo was based here in Asheville. It must be weird to have musicians that constantly sell out venues to live in the same small town as you. I’m shocked more people don’t flock to the town for that reason.
“Do the band members have to walk around in disguise when they want to go to the grocery store?” I ask Parker while listening in to their conversation.
“Nope.” He shakes his head and waves at Tristan. “Asheville is pretty protective of their own. They put some of the rabid fans in their place when they need to.”
“Wow. A whole town of protectors.” I laugh and lean against Parker. “That’s pretty amazing.”
“It’s part of the smalltown hospitality. We may gossip about each other, but we also take care of each other when we need to.”
I can’t imagine having a community like that. We take care of our neighborhoods of course, but I can’t tell you about anyone who lives outside of it.
“Holy shit.” Parker mutters and nods to the door. “I can’t believe Pierce is here. He rarely shows up.”
“Be nice.” I whisper. “If you don’t make him feel welcome, he’ll never come again.”
“As long as he isn’t an ass, I won’t be.” I’m pretty sure that’s the best I’m going to get from Parker when it comes to his big brother. Not that I blame him, I’ve seen it in full force.
Piper is pulling out two decks of a card game. It’s one I’ve played with my brother and sister. We only ever had to use one deck, but I can see why they need two.
All of us squish together around the coffee table in the living room. If the family keeps growing, Piper is going to need a new table. Or do game night somewhere else.
“Where’s Phillip?” I hear Parker ask his little sister.
“I have no clue. He said something came up and he wouldn’t make it tonight.”
“That’s not like him.” Parker shakes his head. “I guess you’ll meet him some other time.”
I hope everything is okay with Phillip. Usually if something is out of the ordinary, it’s not good. It can’t be too serious if he gave Piper a heads up. Either way, I’ll meet him soon enough. Or, not at all. This relationship with Parker has an expiration date.
Piper deals the cards and sets the discard pile in the middle of the table. It’s been years since I’ve played Phase10. I hope I remember how to do this. Luckily, Piper has a bunch of the phase cards. They look handmade, but it helps because the decks only come with a few of them.
Everyone is laughing and sharing childhood stories. It reminds me of my family, and eases some of the nerves I had when I got here. It’s like being home. The Summers family is so much like ours in some aspects. I only hope they don’t start a game of spoons. Based on what Parker said, I’m sure there would be destruction in this small space.
“You’re cheating.” Piper points her finger at Pierce. He has more phases than anyone.
He holds his hands up in surrender. “How can I be cheating? I’m playing the game like the rest of you.”
“Because you’re winning.” Piper rolls her eyes.
“Don’t hate me because I’m paying attention.” He laughs and it’s nice to see this side of him. He’s not abrasive like he was the day in the parking lot. He seems to be at ease and I think all of them needed this. To be somewhere that isn’t winery to blow off steam and relax. I hope they see him in another light than the grouchy big brother. The change is abrupt enough for me to see and I’ve only met him once before tonight. Surely, his siblings see it as well.
“This is going to be a long night.” Parker groans. “Piper doesn’t like losing.”
“That’s fine. I don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow. I can hog your bed all day.”
