“Here. Take this outside.”
“Okay.” Erin reached over the island to take the casserole her aunt was stretching toward her and exited the kitchen before making her way toward the back porch. The sight of her family engaged in various activities as they prepared for their Sunday barbecue, a custom that had existed in her family since before she was born, brought a smile to her. She had only participated a handful of times, which was over the past year. The only reason she did so was because her mother had opted to move back to Oak Harbor after her father passed away.
Erin’s mind automatically drifted to her grandmother, and she looked around for the motorized scooter that Becky had been confined to. The only problem was that it wasn't there, and neither was she. Even more so than before, the reality that Becky was gone set in. A flood of melancholy overcame her all of a sudden. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and brought her attention back to the family that was still here.
Uncle Luke stood at the charcoal barrel grill with a meat hook in his hand, a resident position he held at all the family’s barbecues. Her mother stood at the long slab table with a few of her cousins that were in her age bracket, arranging the food while they conversed. Some of her cousins stood a few feet away from the harbor, others lounged on the patio chairs, and others played board games. She saw her cousin Trevor flying a kite and her other cousin Josh standing beside him. A grin lifted her lips.
Erin walked down the three steps to the spacious, semi-enclosed patio with a high, open ceiling covered by a sliding pergola canopy. The ground's mosaic of flagstones in different shapes and sizes evoked a vision of a deciduous tree’s leaves transformation through the four seasons and combined with the bamboo chairs adorned with bright green, red, and orange cushions and pillows added to the upbeat, welcoming atmosphere.
“Mom, Aunt Jo gave me this to take to you,” Erin informed her mother as soon as she was close enough for her to hear. She then proceeded to hand over the casserole.
“Thanks, sweetie.” Cora smiled gratefully, taking the dish from her and placing it with the others. “So, what do you think?” Cora turned to ask her daughter.
Erin turned her head to look at everyone before turning back to her mother, beaming. “I think we’re doing great.”
Cora nodded. “We are.”
“Where’s Jules?” she asked, looking around again.
“She’ll be here soon. She left to pick up Noah and Becca,” Cora explained.
Erin’s brows compressed. “Doesn’t Noah have a rental?”
“He does,” Cora replied. “But he has an oil leak. She also said they have some news.”
“What kind of news?”
“I don’t know, but here they are now.” Cora peered over Erin’s shoulder, and she turned to see Jules and Noah, who was holding her niece Becca. She waved at Jules, who’d just spotted her. Her sister laughed, said something to Noah, and then walked toward the patio.
“Hey, you,” she greeted Jules with a broad hug and a kiss to her temple.
“Erin, you saw me like a few hours ago.” Jules laughed as they separated.
“Yeah, but that’s a few hours too long, especially since I didn’t get to see the most important person in the whole wide world,” she turned to her niece and cooed lovingly. Rebecca’s bright green eyes stared up at her from her father’s arms. She grinned happily when Erin took her chubby hand and pretended to munch on it. Her rosy, round cheeks resembled that of a cherub’s.
“Hi, Noah. It’s great to see you again.” Erin smiled politely at the tall man with the same green eyes as his daughter’s.
“Hi, Erin. It’s great to see you too. How are you?” Noah asked with a smile showing straight white teeth.
“Oh, you know, just trying to enjoy this barbecue that can’t start soon enough,” she deflected. “I’m starving,” she finished with a light chuckle.
“Well, I’m sure everything will be ready soon, especially those ribs Uncle Luke has been grueling over,” Cora jumped in to say, looking over at Luke by the grill.
“Mmm, I can’t wait. I can taste them already,” Jules gushed.
“I’m sure that’s what everyone here secretly came for,” Cora said, walking over to her son-in-law and grandchild.
Erin watched her mother hug Noah affectionately before turning her attention to Becca, her blue-gray eyes filled with love and admiration as she rained down kisses on the baby’s face. It warmed Erin to witness her mother like this, and it created a yearning for something similar. She shook her head to dispel her dangerous thoughts and instead turned to her sister.
“So, have you made up your mind about going back to school?”
Jules’s lips opened to say something but immediately snapped shut as she looked up at Noah, who was already staring at her. Erin wondered what that was about.
“I do plan on going back to school, but…not right away. At least not for the next six months,” Jules finally answered.
Erin noticed Jules’s quick glance at Noah. Reaching over, she hooked her arm with her sister’s. “I’m going to steal her for a bit,” she turned to inform Noah and her mother. Noah inclined his head in acknowledgment.
“Okay. I’m going to head back to the table and get things rolling,” Cora responded. “Noah, care to join me?”
