Chris frowned. “I’m not drinking Moxie!”
“Flatlander,” everybody said in unison.
Bobby chimed in. “Tyler mentioned you’re thinking about joining the carnival committee?”
“Yeah, I spoke with Gladys. There’s a meeting tomorrow. She squealed a bunch. So I think they’re excited? Be honest. Did I make a huge mistake?”
“Nah.” He waved his hand. “You’ll love Walter and Harvey.” Could it be the same Harvey from the cemetery? “They’re a riot. Most of the work is put on by the summer baseball league and their parents. The planning committee just makes sure all the attractions show up.”
“So it’s an honorary title?”
Bobby shook his head. “Don’t say that to them. They’ll have you believe that without their efforts, the entire event would fall apart.”
Small-town politics, big-city drama. It’d give me a reason to get out of the house. Evie might complain about me not helping lug boxes, but I think having time alone in Mimi’s house gave her a chance to process her emotions. Unlike before, I always checked in when I walked in the door. Since she arrived, we both put in effort to rekindle our relationship.
“Unless you want me to stay and help?—”
Evie threw her hands up. “No. I get more accomplished when you’re not there pining over every photo. Consider this your penance.”
“You just want to be alone with the pie.”
Her eyebrows waggled up and down. “That sweet, sweet pie.”
“Speaking of.” Bobby turned his empty plate upside down. “Chris, are you done destroying dinner?”
Bobby’s boyfriend stepped into the living room, hisapron covered in food. He pointed to the light brown stain. “Dinner’s served. We’ll be having pot roast.” Then, to the orange streak. “Carrot stuff. Somewhere there are potatoes, but like, fancy potatoes.”
“Cheesy potatoes aren’t fancy,” Simon said.
Everybody’s head shot up. Bobby led the charge to the dining room, nearly tripping as he climbed over Lucy. “Hurry up. They have fancy potatoes!”
Jason came charging down the stairs. “Hi, Jon. Hi, Evie.” He barely gave us a second glance as he chased after Bobby. “I heard right. Fancy potatoes!”
“This is so Maine,” Evie said, getting up and walking with Lucy. “What’s next?”
“Hush,” Lucy said. “Or they’ll break out the deer jerky.”
Yup. Definitely Maine.
“Is everybody ready for the photoshoot?” Chris couldn’t help but smile. I had already heard about his strip tease during a spaghetti dinner. Getting naked for an audience doesn’t seem to faze him. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was using it as an excuse to take off his clothes.
“I need to shave,” Jason said.
“We don’t need that image,” Lucy chimed in.
“I meant my face! I’m not getting in front of a camera until I’ve trimmed, moisturized, oiled, and waxed.”
“You’re serious?” Evie asked. “You’re all going to whip it out for the camera?”
Everybody stared at their empty plates, afraid to answer Evie’s question. It was Lucy who, after her third glass of wine, lacked any inhibition. “They’re avoiding eye contact cause I bet every one of them has done this before.”
Evie looked around the table until her nose scrunched up at me. “Ew.” Alright, I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t want to think of her naked, either.
Jason picked his phone up off the table. “I’m sure if I look on my phone?—”
“Don’t you dare!” Simon said.
The table burst out in laughter. Lucy might have dirt on Simon, but she wasn’t the only one who had a sexy photo of him on their phone. Jason glared at me as if he had read my mind. Okay, don’t tell his boyfriend that Jason shared photos of him in a leather harness and chaps. Note made.
