Page 57 of As a Last Resort

AUSTIN

The lawn was full of people chatting away. But instead of mingling, Mom was in the kitchen handing me a bushel of carrots to cut.

“Mom. You do realize we hired caterers for this, right? If you want to ask me questions, just ask.”

“Okay, fine. Have you heard from her?”

“No.”

“Have you called her?”

“No.”

“Well, why the hell not?”

I don’t think I’d ever heard my mom curse before. “How many glasses of champagne have you had?” I asked.

“She’s a good one. You’re supposed to fight for the good ones.”

“Then what? I move to a city where I’d be miserable? Or she moves here, then she’s miserable? I can’t expect her to give up the life she loves to move back home. And she wouldn’t expect that of me either.”

“Sometimes love changes people.”

But I didn’t want it to change her. I loved her exactly the way she was.

She was stubborn and particular, and when things didn’t go her way, she got flustered.

If she left her job, what would she even do here?

Work for Josie at the inn? Become a barista?

Sam loved what she did, and she was good at it.

She’d grow to resent me for being the reason she stayed.

“What are you going to say when she shows up tonight?” Mom asked.

“Who shows up tonight?” Dad walked through the open sliding glass door.

“No one.”

“Samantha,” Mom corrected.

I don’t even know why I bothered keeping anything private anymore. “I don’t even know if she’s coming. But if she does, I’m not riding in on some fairy-tale white horse. I’m sorry to let you two down, but my story’s not the same as yours and dad’s.”

“Your dad and I got lucky, but we both gave up things. I’d be living in Martha’s Vineyard owning a bakery or a bed-and-breakfast if it were solely my choice. And your dad, well, he’d probably move to Texas and start herding cattle. Who the hell knows,” she said with a laugh.

“There’s a lot of money in cattle these days.” Dad opened and shut a few drawers around the kitchen. “Where’d you put my grilling supplies?”

“I hid it all. You’ll never find them. Now, get back out to your daughter’s party where there is catering .” She hushed him as he began to object and steered him back into the yard.

She turned her attention back on me. “We compromised, honey. Sometimes love changes people, but mostly it changes what you want . I wanted a life with that man more than I wanted Martha’s Vineyard.

And we both fought for it. Still do. All those little moments can add up to something great if you let it. ”

I looked through the patio out into the crowd of people mingling. Patrick and his cousin had just walked around from the front, which meant the last of the out-of-towners were here from the ferry.

We made our way out of the kitchen just as Lexi walked over to where Mom and I stood.

“Do you see them?” Lexi pointed to the loudest group on the lawn.

Rex, his four sisters and a few husbands piled around each other laughing.

“They’re telling stories of Rex when he was little.

Apparently, he refused to take off his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles undies for weeks when he was eight because he thought they gave him superpowers to protect his younger sisters.

His mom saved them and hid them somewhere in our wedding present pile because now he needs to protect me.

” She looked at Rex with stars in her eyes. “How did I get so lucky?”

Mom eyed me. “ He’s one of the good ones too. The ones you fight for.”

Lexi looked at me. “What’s she talking about?”

“Drop it,” I said to Mom. “We were just talking about how happy you look, that’s all.”

Mom leaned over to Lexi. “We were talking about Samantha.”

“There’s no need to talk about Sam,” I said. “I’m fine.”

Lexi looked over my shoulder at the lawn. “Oh no, I think the ice table is out of stone crab.”

“Oh no! I’ll be right back.” Mom hurried off.

“Wow. That was impressive.”

Lexi chuckled.

“She’s predictable. God forbid people be out of food at a party of hers.” We watched Mom circle the table like a hawk trying to find the mystery hole of food.

My gaze ran across the lawn, weaving in and out of crowds of people.

“She’s not here yet, but she’s coming,” she answered, even though I hadn’t asked the question. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t you worry about me,” I answered as I put my arm around her.

“Have you guys talked since everything happened?”

“ I’m the big brother. I take care of you . And I’m fine. You need to focus on enjoying yourself tonight.”

“I am enjoying myself.” Her eyes flicked across the lawn again. She’s always worrying about other people, even at her own rehearsal dinner.

I wouldn’t be a proper brother if I didn’t rile her up just a bit though. “I saw Vanessa again today.”

“Again? Austin, I swear if you’re—”

“She’s pregnant.”

Her breath sucked in quickly. “Wait, what?”

“They’re pregnant. Like, with a baby.”

“The spawn of Satan?”

“You really didn’t like her, huh?” I asked, laughing.

“Maybe if she hadn’t nicknamed me Sloth Baby from the moment she met me…”

“You did hang around us a lot.” I smiled at her. “I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

“And she felt the need to tell you this in person, why?”

“Tom came too. They apologized, believe it or not. Together.”

“Oh. Okay. I guess, better late than never?”

I didn’t feel anything other than shock when I opened the door and they were both standing there.

She apologized. He apologized. It was the first time they ever said they were sorry for what happened, and I actually believed them.

It’s a weird feeling, spending so much of your life with someone and then they’re just gone one day.

I won’t be grabbing drinks with them anytime soon, but it felt nice to have better closure.

“Tom wanted to tell me before I heard it from somewhere else. He and Vanessa are really happy. She was literally glowing. They’ll be here more often now with the baby on the way and they didn’t want it to be weird every time they came back. Grandparents and all.”

“Well that was nniiiiii—not satanic of them.”

“You can’t do it, can you?”

“Nope.” She smiled out at her guests, taking a moment to scan the crowd again.

My stomach somersaulted as Lexi drew in a quick breath.

She and I saw Sam at the exact same time heading into the backyard from the side pathway.

Sam was in a navy-blue dress that hugged her waist. Her head was down concentrating on the stone path, trying to navigate heels and patches of grass.

We hadn’t spoken since the night she stormed off.

I sent her a single text letting her know I was here to talk whenever she was ready, but I hadn’t heard anything back.

Lexi turned to me. “Do you love her?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to be with her?”

“Yes, but I’d never allow her to give up her whole life and move back here.”

“Just make sure she knows how you feel. No question about it. No room for any other interpretation than you’re crazy about her. Let her decide what to do about it.”

“Look at you, being all wise now that you’re almost an old married woman.”

“I don’t want you all heartbroken, driven to becoming a recluse who never washes his clothes and eventually wastes away and dies with all his cats and no one would know for years. Or something similar.”

“I could see that happening.”

Lexi side-hugged me again. “Plan of attack: you go take a shot. I’ll intercept for a few. You come out when your balls aren’t in your throat. Sound like a plan?”

“Don’t think I could come up with anything better.”