Page 98 of Barefoot Lake

There’s already chaos in the great room. Eli and his father, Richard, are arguing over the best way to carve the turkey, both with gigantic knives in their hands. This is particularly amusing since Eli is basically a clone of his father, besides the shocks of silver hair at Richard’s temples. Grateful Bob is loudly watching football and frequently shouting at the television. Scott is taking Alice from picture to picture, which Helen and Richard have displayed, showing her all of the horrible, awkward stages of my childhood as I stand beside Eli in many of the shots.

I’m home.

Alice somehow escapes Scott and slides up beside me, but the Cheshire Cat grin on her face isn’t reassuring.

“Should I be worried?”

“You missed at least one of the photos from your long hair phase.”

My eyes jump to the row of picture frames lining the mantle, remembering the exact photo she’s talking about. I move to go steal it, but Alice puts a hand on my arm.

“Don’t bother. I already took a picture of it.” She pats her phone in her pocket.

I groan and drag a hand down my face. “Any chance you want to forget you saw that?”

“Not for all the money in the world.”

She’s smiling and seems much more at ease now. I look around and realize all of the important people in my life are in one place. This is a really good day, even with Eli deciding to share the most embarrassing stories he can think of.

The entire day is perfect. Alice fits right in, not that I doubted she would, and we all eat a stupid amount of delicious food. It’s loud and messy, and Richard almost loses a toe when Eli drops a knife, but it’s perfect.

We even step into a quiet room to call Hannah and Leslie and then Piper to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving. It’s a small moment, but sharing it feels immeasurably important.

We’ve finished eating but are all sitting around the table, listening to Eli recount the latest story of our youth.

“And then,” Eli wheezes in between laughs. “And then, he basically tackles somebody’s mom because he refused to move his legs.”

Alice flashes me a sympathetic look but fails to hold in her laughter.

“I’m so sorry, Jake, but it’s a really funny mental image.”

I lean back in my chair and cover my face with my hands. Eli decided to share the story of the time I ripped my pants ice skating in front of our entire class and then spectacularly crashed into a very understanding woman.

I peel back my hands and point an accusatory finger at Eli.

“You failed to mention the fact that I was seven.” My shout is barely audible over the laughter around the whole table.

“Details, details.” Eli waves me off and takes a gulp of his water.

“Here I was, thinking it would be nice for you two to get to know one another. I must be insane.”

I move my finger between him and Alice. They’re quite the duo, but it’s all in good fun. Plus, I don’t entirely hate sharing more of my life with Alice.

“Aw, no. It is nice! We’re bonding over how much we like you,” Alice insists, bumping her shoulder against mine.

She likes me. She more than likes me.

I smile down at her.

“Alright, fine.” I look to Eli. “Let’s have another story, then.”

Later that night, Alice and I follow behind Scott as he drives back to our house. He came straight to Helen and Richard’s from work but will stay for the weekend before returning to New York.

Like she often does, Alice slid into the middle seat so she can rest her head on my shoulder. She’s crashing the second we get back.

“You have a good day, Ace?” I ask as I pull up next to Scott’s car in front of my garage.

“I had the best day, Jake. Thank you for sharing your people with me.”