SIXTEEN
Ozzie
Crosby and Mila’ssorority sisters join us for dinner at the house after finishing up at the work site. Mom can’t let anyone travel all the way from college without feeding them.
However, it’s too much for her. Though Mom would never admit to being overwhelmed, I can’t recall the last time our house was so full of people.
“Mom, you cannot possibly feed everyone. Please let me contribute something,” Mila pleads.
If Beta Beta Psi’s work at the job site wasn’t impressive enough, their contribution to dinner puts them over the top. The group from Beta Beta Psi shows up loaded down with groceries. Even Meghan, sort-of prickly one.
“Oh, you didn’t have to do all this!” Emmeline cries, watching in wonder while Leela, Cassandra, Cassandra’s twin brother, her boyfriend, Meghan, Mila, and Crosby unload bag after bag of dinner ingredients.
Giving my mom a side hug, I tell her, “All you have to do is tell them where things are.”
Mom nods, happy to be the boss of the kitchen, if not the cook. Under her direction, Beta Beta Psi sets up workstations throughout the kitchen. The grandkids set the tables, and the rest of us stand back and watch the organized chaos unfold.
Less than an hour later, we are all seated around two massive tables in the dining room, eating homemade lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and peach pie.
”I don’t know if this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted, but it’s up there,” Dad comments.
Leela passes the rolls to Crosby. “It’s working outside. Spending all day outside makes everyone extra hungry.”
Dad grunts in acknowledgment and then turns to Mila. “My dear, I was impressed enough with the nail gun. But where did you learn to mix and pour concrete?”
Mila sips her water, then fidgets with her napkin. “Well, ah, it’s a long story. Short version, I’ve seen it used enough times, and it…stuck with me.”
“You answer that like you’ve seen some mafia guys do that concrete shoes thing,” Bryan says, tearing into his lasagna.
Mila chokes while sipping her water. I pat her on the back and murmur, “Are you okay?”
She nods, blushes, sets down her glass, and says, “Yeah, sorry. Went down the wrong pipe.”
Eden pipes up. “Good grief, guys. You act like you’ve never seen a woman do construction work before. Are you living in the 1950s? No offense, Dad.”
“I’ll have you know I was born in 1960,” Dad corrects her.
“Hey Bryan, remember when you didn’t know the difference between a flathead and a Phillips head screwdriver?” Melinda’s gray eyes are gleaming like she’s itching for a sibling fight.
“To be fair,” Beau says, patting Bryan’s shoulder,” they should call it something other than Philips. It doesn’t say what it is.”
Sawyer surprises everyone by commenting, ”Well, you got flathead, and I assume you are equipped with deductive reasoning, so…” Her sweet smile makes this even more savage. Sawyer’s definitely my favorite sibling.
Everyone then shares their own stories about similar mishaps, agreeing most people in the Gwynn family are better suited to academic and artistic pursuits rather than working with their hands.
Mila’s face relaxes at the change of subject.
Under the table, my hand reaches for hers. She looks over and smiles when I give her a squeeze. Do I think it’s a good idea to cross this line? Sharing affection in front of my family feels natural.
It feels no less natural to touch her when no one sees. I’m blurring the boundaries we’ve set, but otherwise, it feels like a thing I’m supposed to do.
She doesn’t pull away. Mila stays with me and squeezes back.
I don’t know what rattled her. I know that I have to touch her to remind her that I’m here for her. She may take this as a friend’s touch. She might take it as a lover’s touch. That doesn’t matter; this is not about me. I need to remind her that I see her and understand that no matter what she’s done…no matter what she’s been through, she will not scare me away.
Her deep, searching eyes blink at me slowly. Again the world seems to fall away. I don’t want to stop looking at her face, those sharp eyes, that luscious mouth, that mysterious mind behind her eyes. I want her to know I’m here and I’m not leaving.