“To be honest, they’re so frequent I’ve gotten used to them that I don’t think they’re really that bad.”
“That doesn’t sound right. You should book in with your ophthalmologist,” Sib says, dropping down into a chair in one swift, heavy motion. My heart leaps into my throat, and her eyes widen. “I keep forgetting I’m as big as a house and shouldn’t do that.”
Verity smiles at her, stirs in one final spoonful of mustard into her salad, then turns to me. “She’s right. You should.”
I swallow guiltily.I already have, I want to say.
Now could be a good time to tell them, but I planned to do it when we were all around the table, had eaten, shared some laughs, andthenI would drop the bomb. It’d give everyone a few hours to process and hopefully not bleed into the nighttime and ruin watching the fireworks.
I blink a few times, the pressure building behind my eyes. “I will, I will. So, Pip, how’s the study going? Clancy was this close to sending out a search party.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you,” Verity says. “What’s been happening?”
I breathe out a sigh of relief that my change of topic worked.
Pip squirms. “Great. I’m doing a course over the summer for autism support and looking at placements for next semester.”
It sounds like a perfectly normal answer, but I can tell by the way he’s speaking faster and nervously tapping his fingers against the steel edge of the knife that he’s lying. Or, at least, keeping something from us. He hasn’t been this evasive since he first showed up. It took months for him to trust me and begin opening up. As close as we are now, I’m realizing there are still so many things I don’t know about him and his past.
“Food’s up!” Tim sticks his head in through the door. His voice lowers to a tender coo as he turns to Sib and asks, “How are you doin’, baby?”
I make eye contact with Pip and subtly roll my eyes. I love that Tim is such a loving, attentive husband, and I get that having your first kid is a big deal, but if I had a nickel for every time he’s asked Sib how she’s doing since they arrived an hour ago…I’d have a freaking dollar.
“I’m good. Hoist me up?”
“Of course.” He dashes into the kitchen and helps her to her feet. The love in his eyes, his devotion, treating her like she’s the most precious thing in the world, for all the times it makes me want to gag, this time, it makes my heart clench with an unfamiliar longing. It’d be nice to have someone treat me like that.
“Here.” Pip shoves a platter of sliced watermelon into my chest. “Take these out. I’ll grab the buns. And I don’t mean my cute bubble butt.”
“Sure thing,” I say, keeping my eyes on Tim and Sibella as he opens the door for her and lets her go first.
I smile wistfully.
Yeah, that’ll never happen for me.
“So how’s everything going at the sanctuary?” Chris asks from across the table a few minutes later.
We’re out on Clancy’s back patio. The midday heat radiates up from the wooden planks, warming the soles of my bare feet, a gentle breeze stirring the orchard leaves out beyond the backyard.
“Good,” I say, helping myself to some of Verity’s potato salad before passing it to Pip.
Chris receives a not-so-subtle nod from Verity I could spot a mile away, even with my deteriorating eyesight, and presses, “Anything interesting going on?”
“Well, we’re finally getting plumbing in the barn, which is totally awesome,” I reply, showing them both I have zero intention of making this easy. If they want to pry, then just come right out and pry already.
“And way overdue,” Pip says, loading up his plate with several giant spoonfuls, then handing the salad to Clancy. Dude may be tiny, but man, can he pack it away.
“And how’s the new boss?”
“Newowner,” I correct, shooting my sister an unimpressed glare for getting her boyfriend to do her dirty work. “He’s…fine.”
Pip starts coughing because humans are not designed to stuff their faces with hot dogs like that. Clancy gives him a few hearty claps between his shoulder blades.
“Fine, my ass,” Pip says when he recovers, reaching for a glass of water. “You going to tell them what almost happened in Clancy’s living room a few days ago?”
“No. And now I regret telling you.”
Sibella grins with amusement. “Aw, how cute. Little Jaxi has a boyfriend.”
