Chapter Six

 

SAM

 

It’s been three weeks since my mom’s barbeque where Mark gave me his advice, and now I’m heading back for the annual Independence Day cookout. Things between Jamie and me have been going great, so I decided it was finally time to introduce her to my family.

Looking across the back seat as she watches the houses grow bigger and bigger as we drive through Sutton Hills, I wonder what’s going through her mind. I doubt she can be more nervous than I am, but I imagine she’s got to have a bit of anxiety as well.

Jamie regularly makes jokes about the people I grew up with and their pretentious behavior, and I know that she’s right. I just hope that if anyone displays that type of reaction to her, she’s able to laugh it off.

I don’t want to mess up what we have, and I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to prove that to her. The look in her eyes and the way she made love to me after I invited her to the cookout was a clear indication that she understood and appreciated my effort. I just hope my family and friends don’t ruin it.

“Are you nervous?” I ask her, covering her petite hand with my large one.

“A little bit,” she smiles up at me, running her hand through her hair as she does when she’s worried.

“It’ll be fine. I love you, regardless,” I assure her, watching her blush from my declaration.

The driver pulls into the circular driveway, which is more packed than ever, as young men in valet jackets run around to park cars. My mom takes her party planning way too serious, and I actually feel sorry that she made these kids wear coats in the dead of summer for appearances.

“Let’s go,” I smile, heading out the backseat before offering my hand to help Jamie. She takes it, stepping out of the Bentley in her pretty sunflower maxi dress. She looks stunning, although I’m sure she will stand out like a sore thumb next to the stuffy women from Sutton Hills, who will all be wearing pearls and shift dresses.

Walking to the door, I decide to ring the doorbell rather than walk in as I would on any regular day. Hopefully, that will allow Alyssa to answer and she can be my escort, so I don’t have to go through this alone.

“Sam! And…” Nikki says, turning her attention to Jamie as she quickly looks her up and down before painting the fakest smile on her face.

“Jamie, this is my sister Nikki. Nikki, this is Jamie,” I finish her sentence, glancing over to see Jamie blushing as she looks at Nikki’s extended hand.

Why would she shake her hand? That’s so formal and unnatural, I think to myself. But formal and unnatural is a great way to explain most of the people at the party.

Fumbling to hold onto the dessert tray we brought for the party, Jamie awkwardly shakes my sister’s hand. Reaching around the two, I take the tray from Jamie while giving her my most apologetic eyes to silently ask her to excuse my sister.

In her defense, I know Nikki is just as shocked that I brought a date to meet the family as she is that Jamie isn’t from Sutton Hills. Dating isn’t really my thing, but when I do see women, it’s more private than anything else.

“Well come inside,” Nikki waves us in. Allowing Jamie to enter first, I leave myself a few quick seconds alone with my sister, and she is sure to take advantage.

“I didn’t know you were bringing a date. My friend wants to meet you,” she whispers, and I shrug her off before joining Jamie inside.

The house is packed with guests scattered all around, so I walk Jamie through the maze of my family members, first stumbling on Uncle John, my mother’s brother.

“Uncle John, how are you?” I ask, and he chuckles boisterously as he always does.

“Sammy! Good to see you boy!” He excitedly greets me before glancing over to Jamie.

“And who is this beautiful young lady you’ve brought with you?” He asks.

“Uncle John, this is Jamie. Jamie, this is my mother’s brother,” I introduce the two, and Jamie gives me a strange look as she blushes. It’s the same look I saw on her face when I introduced her to Nikki.

Could she possibly be upset that I’ve not introduced her as my girlfriend? I feel a bit old to have a girlfriend, so I figured just using her name would be best. Besides, I don’t need everyone in my business asking how long we’ve been dating and what our intentions are. I just want her to meet my family, not to be inducted into the craziness of Sutton Hills.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Jamie smiles graciously at my uncle, looking even more beautiful than when we arrived.

After a brief conversation with Uncle John, we make it a little further into the crowd, as I wave and hug a few relatives and friends along the way. Jamie appears to be relaxing, and that makes me relax too.

Together, we make our way through the living room to the backyard, where the sun is shining brightly, and a team of chefs are grilling away while the kids splash and scream from the swimming pool.

“This is a wonderful family home,” Jamie remarks, taking in all of the décor and events my mom has set up.

“I know it’s a bit over the top,” I whisper in her ear.

“No, I think it’s really nice. It feels very… family oriented,” she says after a brief pause.

“Family oriented?” I jokingly repeat her description.

“Yeah, like you’d see in movies or sitcoms. I didn’t know that there were actual families who lived like this. It’s really nice,” she explains, looking around at the party.

From her statement alone, I would guess that she was joking or making fun of the lavish party to celebrate such a relaxed holiday. But watching her face, it feels like she could actually mean it as a compliment.

“Sam!” My aunt yells, walking towards us with her arms extended high in the air.

“Aunt Debbie!” I smile back. She’s my father’s sister and my favorite aunt.

“It’s so good to see you,” she hugs me before stepping back to look Jamie up and down.

“Hi,” Jamie says awkwardly.

“Well, don’t just say ‘hi,' come on over here and give me a hug. And later I’ll need the details for that dress. I love it!” She shrieks, hugging Jamie while winking her approval at me.

“Where have you been? You weren’t at any of mom’s barbeques,” I wonder, having missed her the past couple of weeks.

“You know I like to get over to my house in Samui before the rainy season hits,” she excuses her absence, squinting her eyes as if I should know that.

“Aunt Debbie has a place in Thailand, and she lives there more than here,” I explain to Jamie before realizing I’ve yet to formally introduce them.

“I’m Jamie, by the way,” she beats me to the punch.

“And I’m Aunt Debby, and you call me just that. Excuse my Sam’s manners,” she jokingly rolls her eyes.

“You have a place on Koh Samui?” Jamie asks, and Aunt Debby lights up that she’s familiar with the island.

“Yes! Have you been before?” She asks Jamie.

“Oh gosh! I wish! I’ve had pictures of it on my screensaver for years,” she reveals, smiling brightly.

“Oh, you two must come! I’ll show you all around! You’ve just got to come soon, or wait until after rainy season lets up,” she nods her head knowingly, looking between the two of us.

“I’ll bring her out,” I assure my aunt and she smiles gratefully.

“You two look good together. I’ll see you later,” she kisses Jamie on the cheek before pinching my cheek playfully. Without words, I know she’s telling me how happy she is for me to bring a woman home. And although she doesn’t allude to it at all, I’m sure she knows Jamie isn’t from around here.

Thankfully, my aunt isn’t caught up on the happenings and social norms of Sutton Hills like most older women from this community. She lives in Thailand most of the year to avoid the nonsense, so I know she doesn’t have a problem with who I date or where they’re from.

“Alyssa!” I call out to my closest sibling. She’s just put her son down, who is now taking off running before jumping back into the pool.

“I didn’t know you snuck in here,” Alyssa makes her way to us. Just when I raise my hands to hug her, she brushes passed me, leaving my open arms empty.

“Forget you, I’m more interested in this gorgeous lady,” she says over her shoulders, hugging Jamie tightly.

“Jamie, this is my sister Alyssa. Alyssa, this is my girlfriend, Jamie.” I tell my sister the whole truth because I know she won’t make Jamie feel uncomfortable, and there are no secrets between the two of us.

Both of their faces light up at my acknowledgment, so much that I roll my eyes at their over the top blushing. Being the youngest child sets you up for a lifetime of embarrassment, and bringing your first girlfriend home at forty is right up there for the most deserving teasing.

“It’s so good to meet you,” Alyssa says to Jamie, smiling so wide you’d think I’d just told her she’s our long lost sister.

“Does mom need help with anything?” I ask, knowing the answer.

“You know she has a full staff,” she begins before turning to Jamie. “Our mom’s favorite hobby is throwing parties, so she takes these things too seriously. She literally has the chef staff from a restaurant grilling hot dogs,” she scoffs, and I watch on as my two favorite women laugh together.

A loud yell from the pool draws her attention, and she turns to see her son screaming at another little boy, both of their faces red with anger.

Turning to tend to their dispute, she looks back to us before taking off, “Sam go put that on the dessert table. And make a plate, there’s so much food. And what we don’t eat mom will make me take home!” She shakes her head before rushing to her son’s side.

“She seems nice,” Jamie smiles, watching my sister mediate the young boys’ argument.

“She is. Alyssa’s my favorite, but don’t tell Nikki that,” I whisper before leading her to the buffet line of food.

After setting our tray of cookies and brownies on the dessert table, I lead Jamie over to the grilled section, as we both pile a plate with a few choices from the seemingly endless options.

“Sam! Get over here, we’re having a debate and need a tiebreaker,” Michael, my youngest brother, grabs me by the shoulder, and I follow him over to a group of my closest male family members.

“There he is!” Mark yells when he sees me, and I throw my empty hand in the air while holding onto my plate filled with a hotdog, hamburger, and potato salad.

“Mark is saying the Cowboys have a shot at the Super Bowl this year. Would you please tell him that team is cursed?” Michael yells, and I shake my head while taking a bite of my hotdog.

“You haven’t seen their new pickups. I went to the stadium last week to watch them train. I’m telling you, they’re going to be a problem this year. You mark my words,” Mark warns my brother, who seems less than convinced.

“You’re crazy! Let’s put something behind those words,” he challenged our older brother.

“Calm down. Not at the party. Just relax and enjoy yourselves,” I laugh while separating the two.

Caught up in seeing my brother and refereeing their argument, I realize I’ve lost track of Jamie. Glancing around, I don’t see her anywhere, but I know she’ll be okay. Looking back to the fellas, we catch up on business and sports talk as I eat my barbeque, enjoying the day.