Page 5 of That Time I Kissed My Brother’s Best Friend
“Good one, Mom.”
“Iampretty funny, aren’t I?” She bobs her head. “You know, you and Brady inherited that from me. Your father’s got absolutely no sense of humor.”
I glance around the room. “Where is Daddy, anyway?”
“Oh, he ran over to Auntie Ann and Uncle Irv’s a while ago to pick up the butter. We need pounds and pounds of it.”
I scrunch up my nose. “Why?”
“For the corn. And the potatoes. And the snickerdoodles, Kasey.” She shrugs like I really should’ve Watsoned that out. “We’ve been storing our butter at their place, since they’ve got that giant refrigerator in their basement. And thank goodness they do, because what’s a Christmas Eve without snickerdoodles for Santa?”
“A tragedy.”
“Exactly!” She beams. “As soon as your father gets back from Auntie Ann’s, you and I can get to baking those snickerdoodles.”
“After we finish making the potato salad for the 4thof July?”
“Exactly!”
“While Auntie Mae is making ribs and corn for dinner?”
“Exact—” My mother cuts herself off, and her forehead crumples. “Now that you mention it, we might get a little tight in the kitchen. But we’ll make do.” She snaps her fingers. “By the way, I washed your apron.”
“Ooh!” I sit up straighter. “The one with Nicolas Cage’s face all over it?”
“Obviously. You’re the one who wroteKGA: Kasey Graham’s Apron—Do Not Touchacross the middle in Sharpie.” She chuckles again, then hauls herself up off the couch. “I’m going to pop over to check on Big Mama and get those carrots. You get your stuff put away and head to the kitchen.”
“You know, I probably had time to shower.”
“Too risky,” she says. “Anyway, your old bed’s fixed up with fresh sheets. And since your brother moved into his own place, that’s one less person sharing the bathroom.”
“Speaking of Brady, when will good old Smelly Socks be coming over? Is he at work today?”
“Oh, no. Dr. Swanson closed the pet hospital through the 4thof July, except in case of emergency. It’ll open back up after the A-Fair.” She claps her hands. “It just occurred to me you won’t have to miss the A-Fair this summer!”
“Yeah, that’s beenquitethe sacrifice.” Around here, everyone calls Abieville’s summer carnival the A-Fair. Some of the ladies at church balked at the nickname, but it’s always stuck. Like the Ferris wheel half the time.
My mother heads toward the door. “Brady’s been down at the lake all day hosing out the kayaks,” she says. “Those things do collect a fair amount of leaves in the winter.”
“I remember,” I say with a smile. Christmas trees and kayaks? I’m starting to get into the double holiday spirit. “So, Mom. Are we allowed to wear our bathing suits at the lake? Or are ugly Christmas sweaters mandatory all week?”
She pauses at the door, like she’s weighing the options. “I suppose either one would be okay.” She taps her forehead. “As I recall, when Brady and Beau stopped by to say hi this morning, they were wearing swimsuits.”
“Wait.” My stomach heaves. “Whenwhostopped by?”
“Brady and Beau.” She meets my gaze and blinks. “Didn’t I tell you? Beau Slater’s back in town.” My stomach plummets, like I’m falling off the Ferris wheel at the A-Fair.
Beau Slater? Back in town? Inthistown? Abieville?
My mother’s lucky I don’t throw up on her Rudolf pillow.
“Yousodidn’t tell me, Mom.”
ChapterTwo
KASEY
“Well, now you know, don’t you?” My mother waves and chirps, “Toodles!” As she shuts the door behind her, all the blood rushes to my head. This is a nightmare. Worse than Freddie Krueger.
