CHAPTER NINE
Minnie
“I should tell you something, Tabby,” I say.
“What? Is he ugly? Is he married? Oh my God, he’s not married, is he?”
I chuckle and ask, “Do you think he’d go on a picnic with me and my kids, you and your husband and your kids and his daughter, too, if he were married? Wait, his cousin and his cousin’s wife were coming, too. They just had to cancel.”
“Okay,” she says. “I guess not. What is it then?” I hesitate and she says, “Oh God, it’s bad. Oh my God. Is he a criminal? Is he a serial killer?”
I laugh. “Really? You went to a serial killer?”
“What then?”
“I… I work with him.”
Tabitha looks very disappointed. “That’s not even a little deal, much less a big deal. God, Minnie, I met John at work. Office romances are… they’re not even rare.”
“It’s Brock Matheson,” I say.
She laughs. “Oh my God. You totally had me. You’re such a dork.” She calls, “Johnny Baby, can you make sure the baby bag is packed, too?”
“Got it, honey!” John calls from another room.
“Tabby, it’s not a joke,” I say.
She looks at me and rolls her eyes and then stares at me. “Minnie?” she asks incredulously. Then, her jaw drops. “Holy… you’re not lying.” I shake my head, and she says, “Are you fucking kidding me? You’ve been dating Brock Matheson and you didn’t think it was something you ought to tell me?”
I shrug a little sheepishly. “I… I wasn’t sure if it would last.”
She shakes her head. “You interrupt a conversation to point out you got a second glance for a guy like Brock Matheson. You make it a point to tell me to broadcast that with a single date! You sure as hell don’t go, what, six months?”
“Just about seven.”
“Seven! You don’t go seven months without telling me!”
“I’m telling you now.”
“I am so pissed at you!”
I smile. “What if I make it up to you and introduce you to Brock Matheson?”
She giggles and says, “Okay. You’re forgiven. But there’s a condition. You and I are going to have very, very long discussions about him.”
“About my dad?” I turn and see Melanie smiling brightly at me from the doorway. “There’s not enough information for a long discussion. He’s wonderful. That’s all anyone needs to know.”
I laugh and say, “Tabby, this is Brock’s daughter, Melanie.”
Melanie walks up and gives me a hug and I see Brock in the doorway. “I didn’t know what to bring?” he says.
Melanie says, “He brought enough steaks to feed some small countries,” with a shake of her head.
There’s some laughter and it isn’t long before the whole family is gathered together around the newcomers. Very cutely, both of my kids issue stern warnings that he better be nice to me. I love the look of mortification on Tabby’s and Johnny’s faces. I love that Melanie smiles and kneels and says, “If he doesn’t, I’ll beat him up.”
Most of all, I love that Brock says, “I promise.”
We all head out and soon we’re on our way. The kids and I ride with Tabby and Johnny and their kids. I miss my man, and by the time we get to the lake, I’m so damned desperate for Brock’s presence, I can barely stand it. It takes a great deal of restraint not to just leap out of the car when it stops. I manage somehow to restrain myself and actually help get things unpacked. Fortunately, Melanie comes to help Tabby with the picnic table and recruits the kids to help as well. They love her.