Love Like You've Never Been Hurt, page 9
“I don’t want fish,” growled Jack. “I want that Mouse right there.” He jerked his head to where she was climbing the steps to the deck over the lake.
“Really?” Dan was surprised. “That much more than the hots, huh?”
“‘Fraid so. You stick around here much this summer and I think you’ll get to see your big brother make a fool of himself.”
“This should be good. I hope this Scott kid wants me around because this I have to see.”
Pete appeared at the door and shook Dan’s hand as he hit the ground.
“Good to see you, Dan.”
“And you. It’s been too long.”
“It has. I really appreciate you coming to see Scott.”
“No problem, man. I’m looking forward to it. He’s your godson, right?”
“Yeah, his mom is one of my oldest friends.
Dan looked confused. “Was that her you were with just now?”
“No, that was Emma, another of my oldest friends. She’s Scott’s godmother. His mom is Missy, and she’s going to meet us at the Boathouse. And then there’s Ben.” He waved as Ben approached from the lodge. He’s the other one of my oldest friends. He completes our little gang of four and is Scott’s final godparent.”
Ben came over and shook Dan’s hand.
With the introductions complete, Pete asked, “I thought you were bringing an RV, not a mobile palace?”
Jack laughed. “So did I. Blame the boy genius here.”
“Hey, quit bitching about it. You’ve got everything you need in there.”
“Everything I need and a whole lot more. Seriously, it’s going to be great, thank you.”
Ben looked at the RV. “It’s like the one my folks travel in, and much as it’s not to my taste, I think it’s better equipped than my apartment.”
“See?” Dan looked at Jack. “You don’t have to like it, just make the most of it. Anyway, shall we go and see Scott? Figure out how this is going to work?”
“Yeah, come on,” said Ben, “I can only stop a while, I’ve got to get back to work. The girls are out on the deck already.”
They joined Missy, Scott and Emma at a big table around the back. Emma was surprised how similar the Benson brothers were. Dan was a little shorter and a little lighter built than Jack, but otherwise he was like a carbon copy. She shook hands with him and liked him immediately when he met her eyes directly with a shy smile. She watched as he greeted Missy and Scott. Scott looked a little uncomfortable and she realized this was probably quite an ordeal for him. Missy was talking to Dan, thanking him for coming, so Emma went and sat with Scott who had already moved to a smaller table by himself.
“You managed to work your way through that gift card yet?”
“Not yet, Auntie Em, but I’m working on it. The external hard drive I wanted was out of stock though so I’ve got to wait two weeks, which is a bummer.”
“Where have you ordered it from?” asked Dan as he sat down next to Emma.
“New Egg.”
“Good, that’s where I was going to recommend. Most people still don’t know about them.”
“Auntie Em keeps me in gift cards with them.” Scott smiled at her.
Dan laughed, “That’s the kind of godmother I need. How many gigs is the one you ordered?”
“It’s a terabyte,” said Scott, his eyes big, looking thoroughly impressed with himself.
“Wow, that’s cool! You’ve definitely got yourself a good godmother there. Wanna come see if there’s something we can fix you up with while you wait? I’ve got some supplies in the van.” He stood and pointed to the RV. Scott looked at Missy who nodded and smiled. With that the two of them headed off.
“I think they’re going to hit it off just great,” smiled Emma.
“I hope so,” said Missy and Jack in unison.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” said Ben. “What’s everyone doing later?”
“I’m waiting to see how those two get on,” said Missy.
“Well, that’s all he came for,” said Jack. “So I think they may be a while, but then with all the gear he’s got in there I think we could roll them anywhere and they wouldn’t even notice.”
“How about,” said Pete, looking at Emma, “we all roll out to your place tonight. My truck is still there and we’ve got to get the coach up that way anyway. We can leave those two doing their thing in the back.”
“That’s a great idea,” said Emma. “I said I wanted to cook out there for everyone. Steaks on the grill?”
“Mouse steaks?” asked Ben. “Hell yeah, I’m down!”
“And me,” said Pete. “I don’t remember the last time you cooked for us all.”
Missy looked at Jack. “She is the best cook you will ever meet,” she explained. “If Emma offers to cook, anything, ever, you say yes.”
“In that case, yes.”
“And since Mouse does the food, I’ll do the beverages,” added Missy. “Is Scott OK to stay with you and Dan while I run to the store? I need to pick up a few things and I’m guessing beer, red wine and Mountain Dew will do?”
Jack laughed. “Mountain Dew and tech guys, what is it about that?”
“Easy,” said Missy, “it’s loaded with caffeine to help them stay awake all night tapping at keyboards.”
“Finally, I get it.”
“I’ll come out after work,” said Ben, “I’ve got to go.”
“How about we hang down here and wait,” said Pete. “We can all ride over in the coach when you’re done and that way there are fewer cars to drive back tonight.”
“You know, you can all stay out there if you like,” said Emma. “I’ve got five bedrooms and there’s that thing as well,” she nodded towards the RV.
“Why not?” said Pete. “That way we can all have a beer.”
“Sounds great,” nodded Ben. “I’ll catch you guys back here when I’m done.”
Missy and Emma walked back to her car to head to the grocery store.
“I think Scott is going to do OK with Dan, don’t you?” asked Missy.
“I really do. I like Dan already.”
“So do I,” Missy smiled.
“Oh. Now why didn’t I think of that?”
“Beats me,” laughed Missy, “I mean, he’s like your Jack only sexier in a quieter sort of way.”
“He is not my Jack!”
“Then you’re a fool,” Missy laughed.
“Oh, I do not need to hear this again,” sighed Emma as they arrived at the store. “You, Madam, go and get our booze supplies while I go and get the food. Come find me when you’re done. We’ll need a lot with all those hungry men to feed.”
Chapter Nine
Emma smiled as she bustled around her kitchen. She was at her happiest when was she was cooking and it was so much nicer to have her friends to cook for. Missy sat at the counter with a glass of wine, watching her work.
“OK,” said Missy, “two huge pies in the oven, steaks marinating, potatoes baking on the grill, veggies doing their thing and smelling wonderful already. You are a culinary demon!”
“Don’t forget Scott’s pizza ready to bang in twenty minutes before zero hour too.”
“How could I forget? I feel so bad that you’re making all this wonderful food and my kid is the only boy on the planet who doesn’t eat steak, or even anything vaguely nutritious, just pizza.”
“Oh, come on, Miss. He eats it, but he doesn’t enjoy it, and since tonight is about everyone enjoying themselves, then why not?”
“So why not store bought pizza? You have to go and make that great big thing from scratch and make me feel even more inadequate.”
“Because,” laughed Emma, “as you well know, I blend all the veggies into the sauce so that he still gets all the nutrition you are so concerned about since you are such a wonderful mother. And let’s just say that it’s such a great big thing because I have a hunch, and leave it at that for now.”
“Is there anything at all I can do to help or does Miss Super Mouse have it all covered?”
“You’ve set up the table beautifully. You’ve managed to light all the tiki torches around the deck, which I would never have thought of, and you have a wonderful fire pit set up on the beach for later, so don’t make out you’ve done nothing at all.”
“Since you put it like that I can sit back and enjoy my wine then. I hope we’ll have a lot of nights like this this summer, Em. It’s so good to have you back here.”
“It’s so good to be here. It feels right. And did Pete tell you he’s going to do long weekends while he builds the house?”
“He did. I’m hoping it’ll be like old times, the four of us together again.”
“Well, here they come,” said Emma as the motor coach turned into her driveway. The guys all piled out. Scott came to Missy and hugged her.
“You doing OK, Son?”
“Awesome! Dan has a set-up in there that’s got more power than I’ve ever seen and he’s letting me have an external hard drive to use ‘til mine comes and the server rack has....”
“Whoa, slow down, Buddy,” Missy interrupted. “Rewind to ‘Hello’ and explain this to me in words of one syllable or less, please?”
He grinned at her, “It’s OK, Mom. All you need to know is that Dan is the most awesome dude I have ever met!” He gave her a big hug. Missy looked over his shoulder at Dan who had arrived in time to hear the last part. He gave Missy a bashful shrug as she mouthed ‘Thank you’.
Emma was asking everyone’s preferences on steaks and came to Scott. “Now then, you’ll want yours medium rare, right?”
Scott looked horrified. “I, err...” he looked nervously at Missy.
“Don’t panic, Buddy,” laughed Emma, “I’m only teasing. How does pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese sound? Auntie Em special.”
“Phew.” Scott swiped at his brow with his sleeve. “Yes, pur-leez, Auntie Em, you make the best pizza ever.”
“Coming up young man.” She turned to Dan, “And how about you, steak? How do you like it?”
Dan shifted from one foot to the other and looked to Jack, much as Scott had just looked at Missy. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Emma smiled at him, “May I take a guess at pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese for you too?”
He looked at the floor, then met her eye with that shy smile. “Would that be OK?”
“More than OK. I made two huge pizzas,” she looked back at Missy, “on a hunch. It should even be enough to get you both through the night and breakfast too.”
She caught Jack’s eye as he watched her put his brother at ease. The gratitude in the look he sent her warmed her heart.
“Anything I can do to help?” he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.
“You can open another bottle of red, if you would, and take a couple Mountain Dews out for Scott and Dan.”
“How did you know he’d rather have pizza?” asked Jack, eyeing the two huge pies she’d prepared.
“Easy,” she smiled, “You told me the other night that I had a head start since he was just like Scott. When I met him this afternoon I understood how similar they are. Anyway, I didn’t really know, I covered my options. If he’d wanted steak I would have had a humongous pizza in the freezer for another day.”
“Thanks Emma.”
“What for?”
“For having us both here, for all of this,” he waved his arm around the kitchen.
“Like I’ve said before, you’re my friend. I think Dan will become my friend too.”
“OK, friend,” he smiled, passing her the wine he’d uncorked, “I’ll get the Mountain Dew to the tech guys.”
Emma timed everything perfectly and with Pete’s help had it all to the table at the same time. They all laughed as Dan and Scott tucked into their pizza and both said, “Awesome!”
Ben groaned as he bit into his steak. “Oh, man! Mouse steak, it’s died-and-gone-to-heaven food.” The rest of them nodded their agreement.
“You know, Mouse,” said Ben, “I may have to hold you hostage and keep you here when the summer ends.”
“I’ll help,” chimed in Missy.
“And me,” added Scott through a mouthful of pizza.
Pete exchanged a glance with Jack. “Maybe some of us want her back in the city.”
“Maybe some of you should move up here too. Then we can all eat Mouse food all the time.”
Emma laughed, thrilled that they were all enjoying the food.
“Well,” said Pete, “none of us can say what will happen when the summer ends, but for now we still have the summer ahead, so I propose a toast.” He raised his glass, “To living the moment and enjoying it for what it is.”
“I’ll drink to that,” said Ben.
The others all chinked their glasses and murmured their agreement. Jack’s glass was the last to meet Emma’s. He raised his eyebrows and held her gaze as he brought it back to his lips.
Emma stood, flustered. “I need to check on the pies,” she said and returned to the kitchen.
Was that what she should be doing? Living the moment with Jack? Enjoying it for what it was, as each of her friends had now told her to? But, what exactly was it? It was a very attractive man who made it plain he wanted her. Did it have to be any more than that? Oh, who knew! Not her, that much was for sure. She pulled the apple pie from the oven, then the cherry pie that Pete loved so much.
She returned to the deck. “OK, who’s for pie?”
Everyone started clearing their own plates and bringing dishes inside until she shooed them all back to the table.
“Go, go, go!” she laughed. “I enjoy doing this part as much as you all enjoy eating it, so please sit and let me play!”
Once they were all served the table was silent as they ate. Emma beamed, “Now that is the highest compliment I can have. If my pie managed to shut all of you up, then I know it’s good.”
“This is the best pie I’ve ever tasted,” said Dan, his tone almost reverent.
“Oh no,” said Jack, “I know that voice, but I’ve only ever heard it used when it comes to computer programs that he then obsesses about for months. I have no idea what this will mean when it comes to pie though.” He looked at Emma, “Be warned, this could go anywhere.”
“Nowhere bad, I promise,” said Dan. He smiled at Scott and then whispered to him. Scott nodded his head as a big grin spread across his face.
“Hell yeah!” said Scott.
Missy shot him a look, “Was that ‘heck’, young man?” Scott smiled and looked back at Dan, nodding encouragingly.
“Let me add my name to the growing list of folk who are going to be spending a lot of time here in the next few months,” said Dan.
“Hell yeah!” exclaimed Jack. “Really, little Bro?”
“Really,” grinned Dan. “I just met one of the smartest guys I’ve ever known and we have a few projects we need to work on.” He looked down at Scott who seemed to grow two feet taller at the compliment. “I get to hang out with my big brother and get to know a bunch of great new friends.” He smiled around the table, holding Missy’s eyes a moment longer than the others, “And, I’ve been fed the best pizza and apple pie I’ve ever tasted!”
They all laughed as he finished what for him was a long speech by rubbing his tummy to accentuate the point.
“Well,” said Emma, “if you are going to be hanging out with my godson and using your combined genius to better the world, the least I can do is supply pizza and pies.”
“Then we have a deal,” smiled Dan. “Now would it be OK with everyone if we get back to work?”
“Not so fast,” said Emma, “I need you to follow me first.” She led him and Scott to the kitchen where she gave them the second pizza and the remaining apple pie. “That should see you through to morning.”
The rest of them made their way down to the beach where Missy had set out chairs around a fire pit.
“Looks like those two have clicked,” observed Pete.
“Yeah,” said Jack, “I kind of knew that would work out.”
“Looks like this whole thing is lining up to work out nicely,” added Ben.
“How do you mean?” asked Missy.
“Well, we’ve got Emma back. We’re going to have Pete around more than we have for years. Scott has a guy in his life who can help him in a way none of us ever could. And Jack,” he paused, “Jack gets to kick back and hang with us for a few months too. I think we’ll all look back on this as a summer to remember.”
They all raised their glasses to that.
Emma leaned back in her chair, content to listen to the others talk. It was a beautiful cool, clear evening, the fire cast a circle of heat and bathed them all in flickering light. She watched Pete entertain them all with a story about his parents and some gallery in Denver. He was a natural leader. He’d always protected the rest of their little group. She was intrigued by his friendship with Jack. She watched the two of them banter back and forth, obviously equals. She’d only ever known Pete in the lead role, so it was interesting to see how easily he shared it with his partner. It was obvious they made a great team. Pete’s words echoed through her mind;
“I’m a good judge of character...”, “I think you could be missing out on something special...”
Was that what she was doing? Missing out on something special because she was too afraid to risk the hurt? Watching Jack throw his head back and laugh at what Ben had said, she remembered the way he’d kissed her. Now that had been something special! She couldn’t deny that, and she did know she would like more of it.
Missy stood up, bringing Emma back to the moment.
“I’m going to check on those two and then I think I’m going to go to bed, I’m exhausted.”
“Want me to show you your room?”
“No thanks, Hon. You showed us all before. Bedrooms, bathrooms,” she laughed, “I know there’s a lot of them, but I’m good. You stay here, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I think it’s time for me to turn in too,” said Ben. “Some of us around here still have to work for a living.”
