“Numbnuts,” Nate parroted.
That made my day.
“Did you ever have to spend the summer with Uncle John?” Phil asked Greg.
“Not the whole summer. I wasn’t the troublemaker the two of you turned out to be,” Greg said, acting superior.
“Want to see your daddy swim in the river?” I asked the little ones.
They seemed to want it. Kyle began to take his pants off.
“Whoa there, fella,” I said to slow him down.
Yep, he was a Dawson.
“Was it worth it?” Phil asked.
“You heard David today. What do you think?” Greg asked.
“I suppose.”
“Make him take you to the coffee klatch at the diner. The old guys are hilarious. It was the best part of the stay,” I advised.
Greg smiled.
“I missed out on that. Uncle John had just moved to the farm when I stayed with him,” Greg shared.
“Why didn’t I go with you?” I asked.
“If I remember right, you and Tami went to a summer camp that year. Mom decided that if she could get rid of you, she would pawn me off on Uncle John. Something about needing a break from kids,” Greg explained.
I could hear her saying just that.
“David said he taught you … things,” Phil said.
Greg and I both smiled when he blushed.
“Ask him. He knows … things,” Greg said, being careful what he said in front of the big little ears.
“Speaking of things … Joey plans to put the moves on you after Scarlet leaves,” I shared.
“Interesting. I take it she shot you down,” Greg said with a big smile.
I picked him up and dangled him over the river. Man, he sounded like a little girl. I sat him back down and dared him to say more.
“Has anyone said they planned to put a move on me?” Phil asked.
“Maryanne Webber. She said you’ll get drunk tonight and be easy pickings,” I said.
“Peanut butter girl?” Greg asked.
“Yep.”
“She got hit by the ugly stick one too many times,” Phil complained.
“What a ugly stick?” Mac asked.
“On that note, we should head back,” Greg said to stop us from going any further.
◊◊◊
Back at the farmyard, Tami pulled me aside.
“I have to get going. I’m taking my brothers out to a movie tonight.”
“Okay,” I said.
“I plan to go visit Jeff’s grave tomorrow. Would you go with me?” she asked.
“Sure. That’s a good idea. I need to say goodbye to him before I leave town.”
“I love you,” she said and kissed my cheek.
“Love you, too.”
She gave me a tight smile and then left.
All I could think was that we’d messed up in so many ways. If our lives had gone according to plan, we would be a couple, one of the few that lasted through high school and college. I’d learned, though, that you couldn’t live your life asking ‘what if?’
◊◊◊
While I’d been otherwise occupied, the field had been transformed. All the poles had been set, and the lights hung. Parked on one side was a beer truck. It had three taps on each side, so there would be no wait to get a beer. Across the field from the truck, Mary Dole was in the process of unloading a van packed with food. She had two of her cooks from the restaurant helping her.
“Come help us,” Mary ordered.
I pitched in to help prepare a buffet. This was the same sort of setup they had at Our House for large events. I was in the van handing out stuff when I heard a blast from the past.
“Hey, David.”
“Eve Holliday. What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Well, someone told me you requested me to play tonight.”
Not that I remembered, but I decided to play it off.
“Well, I did, but I never imagined we could pull a star like you.”
“Look who’s talking, Mr. Academy Award Winner.”
“We got this,” Mary said, releasing me from manual labor.
“Thanks. I appreciate everything you all are doing,” I said to Mary and her team.
“Only for you,” she said with a smile.
“Let’s catch up before this gets busy,” I said to Eve.
“I need to check the stage setup. It’ll only take a moment,” she said.
While she did that, I strolled over to supervise the starting of the bonfire. I spotted the makings for s’mores and made a mental note of that for later.
Suddenly, arms wrapped around my waist and gave me a hug. Frankly, it surprised me that Eve was so friendly. The last couple of times I’d seen her, she’d been standoffish, though she’d finally apologized. Some of that had to do with the song Eve had written about me that made me out to be a cheater. Though she did seem a lot more friendly when she performed at the opening of Our House.
“What’s up?” I asked when she held onto me.
Eve let her arms slip away so I could turn around.
“I missed you.”
I had mixed emotions about Eve. When she left to go back to Nashville, she hadn’t looked back. But she had attempted to make amends when we last met.
“We were good together, weren’t we?”
“I thought so,” I admitted.
“Do you ever think about us?”
“Not for some time.”
She nodded.
“That’s what I figured. I messed up,” Eve said.
“If you’re asking if there’s a chance we ever get back together, probably not. If you want us to be friends, I would like that.”
She became quiet, so I changed the topic.
“When will you do another record?”
That seemed to snap her out of it.
“We’re going into the studio after our summer tour. We’re opening for Rickey Cobb,” she said, naming one of the up-and-coming country artists.
“That’s great.”
“What about you?”
“Monday, I fly to London to begin shooting my James Bond movie. Then this fall, I’ll be in New Zealand and Australia to film the next two Star Academy movies,” I shared.
“To think, I knew you when,” she said with a smile.
“Well, same with me. You’re a big deal around here. People are always talking about how you’ll be a big star.”
“Eve Holliday to the stage,” was announced.
“Sorry, I have to go,” Eve said.
“Break a leg,” I said as she walked away.
She still looked good in her jeans.
◊◊◊
Here in the Midwest—unlike in LA—people either showed up early or on time. So I wasn’t surprised when it seemed like everyone arrived at once. I played the greeter and pointed to where to find the food and beer. It gave me a chance to say hello to everyone.
I grabbed Tim and Wolf and made them help me so I would have someone to talk to. I tried to get Cassidy to help, but she said she was off the clock and needed a beer.
“At some point, I’ll get even for the art you two left on me last night.”
“You got it all off, even your butt?” Tim asked.
“What are you talking about?” Wolf asked.
Tim got his phone out and showed him a picture.
“Dick. How many times do I have to tell you …?”
“You bought it yourself,” Tim finished for him.
“When will this get old?” Wolf asked.
“Never,” Tim and I said in unison.
At that moment, Stacy Clute walked up.
“Hey, David,” she said, laid a scorching kiss on me, and then walked into the party.
“Did we?” I asked.
“I don’t know how far it went, but yeah,” Wolf said.
That solved the mystery. I couldn’t remember who I’d made out with at Destiny’s party. I didn’t remember it going too far, though.
“What about you and Gina?” I asked Tim.
He glanced over at Wolf to gauge his reaction.
“I asked you to do it,” Wolf assured him.
“We had fun,” was all Tim would say about it. Then he added, “She wanted to get you to do it.”
“Was she high?” I asked.
They both laughed.
“We both told her about your code. Even if you were drunk out of your mind last night. What was that all about, anyway?” Tim asked.