Chapter Fifteen
Everyone was at the Hive before them, and Summer was already feeling various emotions coursing through her busy brain. She’d been gone from the Pines for a decade, only seeing her brother a few times a year, if they were lucky. Now she’d been back for almost two years, and it was rare to go more than a day without seeing one another.
Not only that, but he and Jake had become fast friends, Peter and Jake even more so. Jake was putting on a brave face over the whole move, but she knew he was going to miss the men as much as she was.
“Are you ready for this?” Jake asked as they pulled into the parking lot. His concern was sweet, always thinking about her well-being before his own.
She sat there a moment, peering toward the restaurant’s front entrance before nodding. “I am. We can do this.”
“Good. It’ll give us an excuse to go to New York more. You’ve converted me, and now I love it there,” Jake said as they got out of the truck. He’d donned a nice tan sports coat for the special occasion, and it contrasted perfectly with his dark green dress shirt. She’d opted for a summer dress, since it was still so hot out.
“I hope the air-conditioning is on, or you won’t be wearing that jacket long.” Summer could already see beads of sweat forming on Jake’s forehead. He nodded in reply.
Jake opened the front door to the Hive, and they went inside. It was after eight, the night of the week Barbara saved for cooking classes after she typically closed down early. She’d canceled all reservations on short notice after they learned it was the last chance to have a family dinner before they left on Saturday.
“Hi, Mom.” Summer found Barbara, legs crossed on a stool near the coffee bar, which had the lights off, making the room feel darker and more intimate. They hugged, and she could physically feel that her mom was upset with the whole ordeal. She wasn’t hiding the fact that she didn’t want her son to leave.
Summer stepped to the side while Jake embraced her mother, and she heard her dad say hello from the back table. She saw him there, dapper in his expensive golf shirt, always looking like he was hitting a country club.
Garrett was sitting down, and he looked tired but happy. “Hey, sis.” He started to get up, but Summer went to him, setting her hand down on his right shoulder. She gave it a squeeze, feeling the tight muscles.
“Are you guys all ready to go?” Jake asked.
Peter ran a hand over his beard thoughtfully. “Mostly. Just the little stuff now. We already sent my art stuff with a mover to a storage facility in the city.”
“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about dropping a couch on one of your paintings,” Jake joked.
“We’d forgive you, since you’re coming all that way just to help us move. We can’t thank you enough,” Garrett said.
Jake waved a dismissive hand. “It’s really no big deal. Chuck’s happy to be coming too.”
“You haven’t seen Peter’s solid wood bed frame yet,” Garrett said, getting a laugh from everyone.
Jake smiled. “Then I know which item to supervise on.”
Summer leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He was her pillar.
Her dad sat at the head of the table, and he tapped on his cell phone. “Did you guys hear about the fires?”
Jake replied first. “I heard some customers talking about it today. I guess they’re pretty bad in Maine. I called my sister, and she said there’s a lot of smoke where she is. They don’t expect an evacuation or anything in the city, but they’ve moved some small regions because of the fires.”
Summer had only heard little things about it and was surprised by how bad it sounded. “Are they getting contained?”
Hudson scrolled on his phone. “It looks like every time they get think they have it under control, more pop up nearby.”
“That’s terrible.” Summer walked around the table, sitting opposite Garrett. “I hear it’s worse in the heat too.”
“Not only that, but it’s been so dry. The area with the worst fire right now has only had a quarter inch of rain since spring. Practically burning up like kindling,” Jake said.
Barbara came over with a bottle each of red and white, and set them down. “Let’s not bog our last family dinner together down with sad news. We’re here to celebrate.”
“Celebrate?” Peter asked.
“Yes. To your success, and to Garrett moving on to bigger things.” Barbara’s eyes welled up as she said her son’s name.
Garrett’s voice cracked slightly as he responded. “Thanks, Mom. I’m really glad you’ve always been so supportive.”
The wine bottles passed around, and when everyone had a glass, they raised them in the air.
“To Peter and Garrett,” Barbara said, Jake, Summer, and Hudson echoing the words.
Glasses clinked, and Summer felt the smooth Sauvignon blanc hit her tongue.
“Dinner is ready.” Barbara asked for volunteers, and soon Jake and Hudson were coming back, carrying a serving bowl of seafood jambalaya and a variety of sides.
“Mom, you didn’t have to go all out,” Garrett said when he saw the amount of quality food. Barbara didn’t answer; she just smiled and nodded a silent “Yes, I did.”
They talked about the future over the course of dinner, everyone excited about the current and next chapters of their lives. Summer’s head was swimming with her yoga schedule, the festival arrangements, and to top it off, her wedding in just over a month. She also had a weekend bachelorette party in there somewhere too. She liked to compartmentalize the different upcoming events, because when she piled them all on top of each other, she started to feel the anxiety creep up from her feet, ending in her throbbing head.
As she sat there, watching her family eat and laugh together, she pushed the future out of her mind and let herself enjoy what was in front of her at the table. It worked, and she found herself having a wonderful evening.
When they’d all eaten their fill, Summer sat back and watched Garrett. He must have felt her gaze, because he frowned.
“Sis, you know I’m coming back for your yoga weekend, and then for the wedding. It’s basically like I’ll be here still,” he said.
“But what about after that?” she asked.
“After that is Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. You’re going to see me so much, you’ll be sick of us.” Garrett probably meant it, but if anyone understood how those monthly or quarterly visits went, it was Summer. She used to get back to the Pines all the time, but after a couple of years, it became fewer and fewer visits each year, until the last year, when she’d only made it back for Christmas. She remembered how it felt easier to stay in the city and avoid the stress of holiday travel.
She hoped it wasn’t like that with Garrett and Peter. “You can always stay in our house when you come visit too,” Jake said.
Barbara cut him a glare. “Don’t even think of taking my son from staying with us when he’s here,” she threatened but smiled charmingly, giving it a slightly less terrifying edge.
Jake raised his hands in the air. “Or not…”
They laughed and settled into more conversation before someone realized it was almost eleven at night. It was getting late, and Summer knew they should be heading home.
Summer noticed her mother wasn’t in the dining room, and Jake must have realized it too. He stretched his arms in the air and grabbed the last few remaining plates and glasses, carrying them to the kitchen.
*
Jake pushed the doors open, hearing laughter carry from the table in the dining room. Everyone was having such a great time, and Jake was only now fully aware of how much he was going to miss having Peter and Garrett around. It had become a routine; one that he hadn’t had in years, maybe ever.
The kitchen was dimly lit; only soft lights were turned on, and he spotted Barbara in the corner, rinsing some dishes with the commercial spray head. He thought he could hear her sobbing and was tempted to leave her alone. She might not want him catching her at a vulnerable moment.
He set down the dishes on the steel countertop, the glasses rattling as they landed. He saw Barbara turn to him, and he made his move. Jake crossed the small space, and without a further thought, wrapped his arms around his future mother-in-law, without saying anything.
She accepted the hug and leaned her face into him, light tears falling on his chest. They stood like that for a long minute, wordlessly embracing while Barbara let the last of her bottled-up emotions loose. Eventually, she broke away, setting her hand on his arm. She gave him a smile, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
“Thank you,” she said to him with a whisper.
“Anytime. Are you okay?” he asked.
“I will be. It’s just hard to see a child go away. I know Hudson and I have been spoiled with having both Garrett and Summer home, and Garrett for his whole life. I wish things could stay the same. Hudson and I are doing great; I have this gorgeous restaurant, my son is happy and married, and my daughter is… well, you know… getting married in a few weeks. For a while, it was all going so smoothly. I only hope this isn’t the start of the train slipping off the rails. A mother never plans on her children leaving too far. Just far enough to have their own lives.” Barbara dabbed her eyes and was starting to look like the put-together woman again.
“Just because Garrett is leaving doesn’t mean anything else is going to happen to ruin what you have going on here. And Summer and I will be here for a long time. When our house is done, there’ll be no prying us away from the Pines.” Jake smiled at her, and she matched it back.
“Jake, I think I may have overstepped my bounds with something,” she said, averting her gaze from him. She unwrapped the apron around her waist and set it on the counter, sighing in dismay.
Jake didn’t like the sound of this. “What is it?”
“Something with the wedding. I feel sick about it now. At the time, it felt right, but…” Barbara paused as Summer poked her head into the kitchen.
“Jake, we have to be up early. We’d better get going,” she said, stepping into the room. Summer slid her purse onto her shoulder and clapped her hands together to signal she meant business.
He didn’t get the chance to hear what Barbara was upset about in regard to their wedding, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He left it for now, hoping she would work it out before Summer found out.
“Thank you for the talk. I’m really glad to have you as a son-in-law.” Barbara quickly hugged him, saying the words lightly into his ear.
They said goodbye to everyone else and headed home. The whole time, Jake tried to imagine the power of being a parent and the love they had for their children. Barbara could come off as a little cold-shouldered and hard, but she loved nothing in the world more than her family. He appreciated that about her. Strong women were to be admired.
Summer seemed so happy tonight, soaking up all the time she could with Garrett. It was going to be hard on her as well, but she was trying to be positive about it all, for her brother’s sake and her own. After letting Aspen out, Jake got ready for sleep, seeing Summer already sliding into bed.
Jake joined her, and Summer nestled over, resting a cool hand on his chest. Cinnamon meowed and walked over his legs, settling in between them. Aspen was at the foot of Summer’s side. He laughed at their small family and swore that when they moved, they were finally getting that king-sized bed. Summer joked they should have a twin bed, because she wanted to be as close to him as possible.
Then she’d fall asleep, spread out, punch him in the face with an errant arm, and steal his covers. It didn’t matter, though, because she was Summer, and his love knew no bounds, even if he had no duvet at night.
He felt like Summer was hoping to talk about something, but instead, she pressed her body close and let out a sigh, which he was okay with. He was full and sleepy, and had all of his family members snuggled against him.
A while later, Jake’s eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep, not waking until the sun was up the next morning.