Just then the dog in question started barking when there was another knock at the door. Raquel walked in, arms full of fabric, just as the puppy chose that moment to relieve himself, and the timer went off, and the water on the stove boiled over.
This was not part of the routine, and it made her chest tight and a headache pound at her temples.
“Jake, go turn on the barbecue, please,” Gigi said, commandeering the situation at once. “Sadie, take the puppy out back to finish his business, and then grab some basil from the garden for me, sugar. And Raquel, honey, get me some towels so I can clean this mess up.”
Everyone scattered to their respective duties. Sadie, head bowed, followed Jake and Bambi outside.
“I can’t believe you stole my dog,” Jake said, his voice hinting at suppressed laughter. “I mean, seriously? Dognapping? Go on, boy,” he added to the puppy, ushering him past the lavender.
“It was an accident,” Sadie said, kneeling in the dirt and carefully plucking basil leaves.
“Sure, it was,” he said, laughing full out this time. Sadie let the sound fill her. She didn’t have to let him in, but she could appreciate the way that sound made her stomach dip.
“I would’ve given him back. I just wanted to make sure you were worthy first. Caring for a dog is a lot of work.” Sadie heard the click and light of the barbecue from the back patio and jumped.
“Well, aren’t you Miss High and Mighty,” he said, leaning against a post. “I may not be great at commitment, but at least I don’t freak out at the tiniest bit of disorder in my perfectly fabricated life.”
“If my life were perfectly fabricated, you wouldn’t be here for dinner, now would you?” she asked, though there was no real bite to the words.
Gigi hollered from the kitchen. They looked at each other for a second before Jake followed her inside. When Gigi called, troops rallied. She issued more marching orders, and there was no more time for idle chitchat as the chicken and zucchini were put on the grill, the salad tossed, and the honey-glazed cornbread put in the oven.
Sadie reveled in the heat as she turned the zucchini, carefully ensuring each side was seared to perfection. Tasks were easier to contemplate than feelings.
The light breeze tasted sweet, with a dash of promise, and mixed with the char from the grill. Bambi was yapping playfully, and the sound of plates clanking together sang out from the kitchen. If she closed her eyes, nothing had changed. It was just another evening. Just another family dinner. I can do this, she told herself, not quite believing it but wanting to, and wasn’t that the whole point?
“Dinner’s ready!” Gigi called out as Sadie brought in the platter of chicken and vegetables.
“Where’s Seth?” Jake asked, looking around as they all took their places.
Sadie looked mutinous. Gigi frowned. And Raquel was the one who answered.
“He’s out of town,” she said simply. And it was true enough. “I got the rights to Carrie,” she added, glancing at Sadie, whose eyes were thanking her for changing the subject. “It was a total flop when it came out, so buying the rights was pretty cheap, comparatively. And it’s not terribly heavy on choreography, thank God. I really don’t want to inflict my dance moves on those poor kids.”
“I could help,” Jake said. “I’m known for my dance skills.” He moved his arms like a robot.
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
Sadie was surprised to hear her best friend laugh.
“What I really need is someone to control the lights. Mr. Mason, the math teacher, is helping me with lighting design, because he’s a masochist apparently, but he’ll be out of town for the actual production.”
“I can do it,” Jake volunteered, sounding serious this time.
“Why?” Raquel narrowed her eyes.
“I went to that high school too, remember? You’d just have to tell me what to do.”
Sadie saw the war playing on Raquel’s face. She didn’t want to accept his help, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth either. Or a gift fireman, for that matter.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “When I finish the design, I’ll teach you how to do it. But if you back out on me, I’ll sic the kids on you.”
“Deal.” His deep rumble of a laugh echoed in Sadie’s heart.
“‘Better to screw than get screwed,’” Raquel said, looking expectantly at Sadie.
“‘You’d probably think it’s bizarre,’” Sadie continued, providing the next line of the song “The World According to Chris” from Carrie.
“‘But that’s the way things are!’” they both sang out at the same time.
“You two scare me,” Jake said, looking between them.
“Raquel’s made me memorize practically every musical since the dawn of time. Carrie has always been one of her favorites.”
“Small town, crazy mom, awkward teenage girl, buckets of blood—it’s basically my biography. What’s not to love?”
Sadie sat on her hands throughout the rest of the dinner. And when she wasn’t squeezing the life out of her fingers, she was passing the basket of bread or refilling water glasses and urging Raquel and Jake to take second helpings.
Everyone was silent as they ate Sadie’s pumpkin and ginger pie. She’d actually baked it for herself, humming Don McLean’s “American Pie” as she did. The ginger was meant to add stability to traditions while making the eater more civil, and the pumpkin was supposed to give encouragement to try new things.
In the quiet of the table, Sadie absentmindedly ate a few forkfuls. Jake had two slices and wiped the plate clean with the tines of his fork. As soon as he finished, Sadie hopped up and started gathering dishes.
“You put those down this instant, or I’ll pop you one, young lady,” Gigi ordered. “I have all the time in the world for washing up later.”
“Gigi, Sadie, that was the best meal I’ve had in months,” Jake declared, scooting his chair back. “You sure I can’t help with dishes?” he asked Gigi. And when she raised a threatening eyebrow, he laughed. “Now you,” he added to Sadie. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“For a walk.”
“No” was tipped on her tongue, ready to roll off. But the pumpkin and ginger were hard at work in her body, absorbing into her, pulsing through her blood. She thought of half a dozen rude things to say, but none of them would come out.
His eyes softened. “Please, Sade. I … I have something I need to say.” She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, but as if anticipating her barked “So say it,” he added, “Privately.”
There was something in his eyes when he looked at her. Just what else could he have to say? “I should help Gigi—”
“Don’t you dare use me as an excuse, you pissant! I have everything well under control here. Raquel and I will work on the costumes. Go.”
Sadie’s eyes locked with her grandmother’s, and a silent war ensued between them. Sadie lost. As usual. She sighed, and Jake grinned in triumph.
“We’ll be back, Bambi,” he said, rubbing Bambi’s tummy as the puppy stretched out on the floor. When Sadie looked at him with raised eyebrows, he shrugged. “It’s more fitting than Chief. He’s always tripping over himself like Bambi on the ice.”
She looked back at Raquel, who was clearing dishes and singing “Unsuspecting Hearts” with a little too much meaning.
Her own heart was swimming in her chest as they followed a trail around the edge of the woods. The crickets were chirping noisily, and Sadie wished she’d brought a glass of wine with her. Their silence stretched taut. If he had something to say, she wasn’t going to drag it out of him.
When everything turned golden as the sun began to set, she tried to stay afloat amid the crashing waves of uncertainty and nerves.
“So, what’s the deal with Seth? Why’s everyone being so mysterious about him? Did he land himself in jail or something?” Jake asked, finally breaking the silence. She winced.
“He’s gone,” she said, and it wasn’t really a lie. That was one of their rules they’d established a decade ago, and Sadie knew it still stood. With a guy like Jake, those kinds of promises didn’t change. No matter what, they always told each other the truth.