Page 8 of Seashells and Other Souvenirs
“Hold on.” I examined the top card on the deck. “I played a five!”
“Right, but you can’t win with the same number you won with on the last turn,” Sutton explained as if I were much younger than my nine years.
“You’re just making this up as we go along!” Elle accused. “So you always win!”
“Guys.” Sutton pulled out her cheetah print notepad and pointed to the third line scribbled in bright green gel pen. “The rules that we all agreed upon clearly state that you can win with each number only once a round.”
“Fine.” Elle threw down two sevens. “Gubbins!”
“Wait a minute.” Sutton checked the two piles in front of Elle and referred to her notes several times before finally admitting defeat.
“Okay.” She scribbled a tally mark in the second column. “But Bekah and I are still up by three.”
Everyone tossed their remaining cards into the middle of the table, and I gathered up the deck. “I’ll shuffle this time. Then maybe you guys won’t end up with all the hearts.”
“See? What did I tell you?” My Aunt Jane walked into the room. “A little rain is good for the imagination.”
“You’re right,” I told her. “Sutton and Rebekah are doing an awesome job imagining they have a chance at beating us.”
Elle bumped my fist with hers before cramming another handful of gummy worms into her mouth.
“So queens are wild, right?”
“Right,” I confirm. “And the six of clubs.”
“This is the most complicated game I’ve ever played.” He discards two cards and draws new ones. “And if you lay two down together, it’s their total value minus one?”
“Unless they’re nines.”
“In which case, you automatically win.”
“Yes. Unless someone on another team has two nines also, but that hardly ever happens.”
Three plays later, he says it quietly. “Gubbins.”
“Seriously?!” I check the cards. “Okay, either this is crazy beginner’s luck, or you and I are going to swindle my whole family when they come in July.”
He shuffles. “I’ll just randomly show up on game night, and you’ll volunteer to teach me to play. They’ll never suspect a thing.”
“You joke, but I’m counting on you. Don’t let me down.”
“Aren’t you guys pretty strict about partners though? You think they’re gonna just let me in?”
“They’ll have to. Elle and Elias refuse to play with anyone but each other since their winning streak a few years ago. And when Sutton brought Chris in, Rebekah became my partner. But this year she’s bringing Dr. McHandsome, so I’ll need a new teammate.”
He starts dealing the cards again. “So you’re really not a fan of Rebekah’s new boyfriend, huh?”
I fidget with my necklace. “It’s not that I dislike him. He seems like a good guy, and he makes Bekah happy. I don’t know.”
He stops dealing and gives me time to say more, if I want to.
I do.
“Sometimes I worry that things won’t ever be the same, you know.
We all used to be so close. And now Sutton has Chris and Marcie, and Rebekah’s with this doctor guy.
And Elle—Elle has the whole world. And I’m happy for them; I want them to be happy.
” I shrug. “I just don’t want them to be happy .
. . without me. Does that make me sound like a terrible person? ”
“No, it doesn’t.” He abandons the cards and adjusts his glasses. “But it absolutely confirms the fact that you’re the real Jo.”
I study the ceiling and blink a few times to keep from crying. “Does that mean I’ll end up publishing my book after all?”
“Oh, I have no doubt.” He picks the deck of cards up again. “I’m saving it a spot of honor on my shelves.”
He waits to make sure I’m really all right before he casually says, “Hey, speaking of family, Gavin’s been talking about coming down the weekend after next to visit some friends. Will that be . . . okay with you? If he stays here?”
I beg my face not to show any of the dozen emotions that simultaneously assault me.
“Of course. You don’t have to ask my permission for your brother to come visit you in your own house.
” It takes a second for me to process what this would mean.
“Oh, but I can totally leave for a few days if that’d be better. ”
“No, that’s not why I brought it up. And maybe I shouldn’t have.
I just didn’t want it to be weird for you.
” I suddenly wonder how much he knows. “Seriously, Alex, it’s not a problem at all for you to stay; I’m sure Gavin would love to catch up with you.
” I feel my face heat. “I just wanted to give you a heads up, is all.”
“Okay,” I breathe, feeling lightheaded and racking my brain for a change of subject.
Jude rescues me. “Hey, how many houses do you all rent now?”
“Nine.” I push Gavin as far from my mind as I can. If Jude can already tell that this mention of his brother has struck a nerve, I’m in trouble. “The four on this street and then three more a few blocks down toward the pier. And this year, both sides of that duplex on the corner.”
“Wow. You guys really are taking over the island.” His voice is still tinged with concern, and I want to tell him I’m fine, but I’m still not quite sure I am.
The quiet lasts long enough that I’m starting to feel awkward. “I’ve got an idea.” Jude stands up. “If you’re up for it.”
I really don’t feel like going anywhere today, but I nod anyway.
“After all these years, I’m still trying to figure this nation of a family out. If I grab a piece of paper, will you talk me through who’s who?”
I’m always up for talking about my family. “Let’s do it.” I feel better already. “But you’re going to need more than one piece of paper.”
I appreciate him giving me a minute to pull myself together. He comes back with a notebook and pencil along with two bottles of water and a bag of cheesy chips. “Okay.” He flips to a blank page. “I can’t promise I’ll get all this the first time.”
“That’s all right. There are people in our family who still don’t have it all straight.” I open my water and take a sip. “Okay, so my Uncle James is the oldest. He has four kids.” I list them off and move on to my Uncle Kenneth’s family.
I make it all the way to the seventh brother before I can tell I’m losing him. “Let’s take a break,” I suggest.
“No, I think I’ve almost got it.” He scribbles down another name. “I just needed to see how the four of you girls fit into all this; you’ve always been my reference point.”
I freeze, and hot tears fill my vision without warning.
“That.” My voice catches. “That’s exactly what I was trying to explain earlier.” He looks up from the page, and I’m desperate to make him understand why I feel so lost. “The four of us have always been my reference point. For everything.”