I was relieved she wasn’t offended. Corinne and Trevor gushing over how much they loved it helped.
Dad was stoking the flames billowing from his makeshift grill. He’d had that old repurposed barrel for as long as I could remember. “Let me introduce you to our dad,” I said, nudging Jasmine around her waist.
He wiped his hands on his apron as we approached, and had a big smile for Jasmine. “You must be the girl Kai can’t stop talking about.”
I smiled at Jasmine, pulling her into my side. “Jasmine, meet my father, Spencer. He has a disorder called No Filter. Just ignore it.”
“Ignore him, Jasmine,” my father said with a wide smile. “I hope you like fish.” He nodded toward the two massive fillets on the grate.
“I love it. Kai has raved about your skills on the grill. I can’t wait to try.”
“Well you won’t have to wait long. It’ll be ready in five minutes,” Dad said, finishing with a wink.
Ava waved as she and Ted walked across the parking lot.
“There’s my girl, just in time,” Dad beamed.
“Pilot punctuality,” Ava flashed a smile before kissing his cheek. Ted set the big bowl of salad he was holding on the table.
Hugging Jasmine into my side, I said, “Ted, Ava, this is my…” I caught myself and fell silent, realizing I’d fucked up. If I called her my friend, I might never see her naked again. But if I calledher my girlfriend, I might scare her off. It hadn’t even been two weeks. Only a second passed, but it was excruciating. I decided to go with my gut. “My girlfriend, Jasmine.”
Ava’s lips pulled to one side, amused. I could tell that she was trying to curb her enthusiasm at the label she’d rarely heard me assign. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jasmine.”
“I’m Ted, the gay boyfriend.” Ted left a basket of bread beside the salad before reaching for Jasmine’s hand.
I winced. “That sounds so wrong these days.”
“Whatever, she’s been calling me that since high school. Before cancel culture. It’s okay, I still call her a fag hag.”
Jasmine laughed and I let out a breath, releasing a little of my nervousness. Her shoulders loosened against me, settling in. “Nice to meet you, Ted. And Ava. I hope to hear some of your pilot stories. I imagine it’s an exciting career.”
“It has its ups and downs,” Ava said with a smirk.
“Oh my god, politically incorrect and corny as fuck,” I grimaced. “Please excuse my sister.”
“Language,” Dad scolded. “Call Reef and tell them to get down here. The food is ready.”
Jasmine was bound to be bombarded with questions over dinner, so I prepared myself mentally to field them so that my family wouldn’t scare her off.
Coulter started in first. “Where’d you move from?”
She finished chewing the bite of food in her mouth before she answered. “Minnesota.”
“Wow, that’s quite the change in weather,” Coulter’s girlfriend, Faith, said. “If you can handle the heat, you’ll be alright.”
Jasmine smiled. “I’ll take heat over snow any day.”
“It’s only May. We’ll see how you feel come August,” my dad chuckled.
“You’ve been here during the summer before though, haven’t you?” Reef asked. “At your parents’ place in Angler’s Reef?”
Jasmine looked at him, eyes wide in a look of surprise. She seemed as shocked as I was that Reef remembered that detail. Her fork clinked too hard against her plate before she caught herself. Her face relaxed as she replied. “That’s right. I’ve been coming down here since I was kid.”
“Ah, that’s great you have a place to stay,” Corinne said. “Rent is ridiculous here now. And Angler’s Reef is nice.”
“Actually, my parents rent their place out weekly for big bucks, so, I rented a little cottage down the road,” she explained. “They weren’t exactly happy I decided to quit my corporate job in Minneapolis to move down here, so I didn’t even ask.” I admired that she wanted to make it on her own as an artist.
“Yeah, my folks are in California,” Corinne told her. “So I’ve caught a lot of flak for living across the country, especially now that their first grandchild is on the way. But you have to live where you’re happy.”
