Marilyn rolls her eyes and smiles. I don’t see him often but I think I might really be the favorite sister. Tim and I were only eighteen months apart and always so close when we were young. He used to sleep in my bed almost every night.
Tim grabs a beer and hands Brian one. They start chatting about Tim’s garage again. Later, they will probably talk about the Chicago Blackhawks, and Tim’s everlasting bachelorhood, which I’m sure Brian envies a little.
Marilyn is already in the kitchen, chopping carrots, like she owns the place. I’m a little envious. I’m not comfortable in my own childhood home anymore, not like I used to be. I don’t remember where everything is. I don’t know when garbage pick-up is. I don’t know the neighbors anymore (with the exception of Blake of course).
Maddie is a mini-Marilyn, washing lettuce for the salad. Momma has given me the job of setting the dining table again.
Maddie beams when she asks, “You and uncle Blake are friends again?”
I smile. “Sorta… but he still annoys me.”
Jake, who is helping with the table, laughs. “He annoys everybody.”
“In a good way,” Maddie tells me.
“Do you like roast beef, Jake,” I ask.
“Love it.”
“So are you and uncle Blake boyfriend and girlfriend now?” Maddie asks, curious.
Uh…
Marilyn shoots me a playful smile. “Yes, Maeve, tell us… are you and uncle Blake boyfriend and girlfriend?”
I’m speechless. She knows we’re not. She must know we’re just fucking.
“More like friends with benefits,” Momma chimes in. She’s busy peeling potatoes but apparently not too busy to embarrass me.
“Momma!” I scoff.
Maddie cocks a brow. “What’s friends with benefits?”
Marilyn shakes her head and gives Momma the stink eye, as if to say, “What are you thinking… the kids.”
Momma has the tendency to say inappropriate things. All. The. Time.
Momma laughs. “It means friends who get to play together,” she tells Maddie.
Marilyn slaps a hand to her face, mortified. “Just don’t go around saying that, Maddie. It’s for grown-ups. Like when grown-ups play together.”
Maddie seems confused but she lets it go, thankfully.
Friends with benefits. Is that what Blake and I are? I wish. Friends with benefits implies that you do it over and over again. For us, it was just a one-time thing. A one-week thing. Maybe, if I lived here, we could be. No, we couldn’t. I know I couldn’t stand seeing him traipse around with other women, knowing he’s not mine. I’d want him all to myself.
I’m thinking about him when he finally makes an appearance. He’s with Mandy who looks super cute in ripped jeans and a Wonder Woman t-shirt and matching pumps. I’ve always loved the way Mandy dresses. She orders most of it on-line since there are no clothing stores in Westbrooke. I could never do that. I need to try everything on, see myself in the flesh, especially with shoes.
She goes in for a hug as soon as she spots me. Blake eyes me shyly, and we’re all awkward when we say hello. We actually shake hands. Who are we kidding? Everyone must know we’re sleeping together.
He smiles when he hands me a tin of Pringles – Pizza flavored. “I grabbed these from the store. I thought you could get out of your comfort zone and get a little wild tonight.”
I laugh. “Oh yeah, I’m going to eat the whole tin.”
Mandy studies us with a confused expression, and leaves us to go hug Momma. They quickly catch up. Momma’s always super nosy when it comes to Mandy’s love life, or lack thereof. She’s even tried to play matchmaker – with her and Tim. They seem to like each other but they’re both painfully shy. They rarely exchange more than a few words.
Mandy’s sweet on him, as I’m sure many women are, but Tim is blind to his effect on the ladies. He’s always been peculiar; obsessed with cars and trucks since he was a toddler, incredibly intelligent. He mastered the Rubik’s cube when he was six. He loves Sudoku and watching CSI. His garage and his dog – that’s all he seems to need.
I’ll catch him once or twice, eyeing Mandy, but he never lingers too long, probably for fear that she might catch him.
