Page 44 of Trick or Tease

I glanced around the RV again, trying to reconcile this luxury purchase with the parents who’d raised me to turn off lights when I left a room and patch holes in my jeans instead of buying new ones. The transition from frugal farm parents to RV adventurers felt surreal.

“When do you leave?” I asked.

“Now,” Dad said.

“Now?”

“Well, not this exact second.” Mom laughed. “But we want to get on the road before dinner. Beat some of the traffic heading north.”

Billy suddenly snapped his fingers. “Oh! Wait, I almost forgot. I’ve got something for you guys. A going-away present. Give me two minutes.”

He disappeared out the door, leaving me alone with my parents in their mobile palace. I could see Mom and Dad exchanging one of those wordless conversations that couples have after thirty-plus years of marriage.

“Garrett,” Dad said. It was the tone I remembered from childhood lectures. “We need to ask you something.”

I tensed. “What’s that?”

Mom moved closer, a soft smile on her lips. “We want you to keep an eye on Billy while we’re gone. He means well, but you know how he gets with his big ideas.”

“His head is in the clouds half the time,” Dad added. “And this whole fall festival thing he’s planning with Sabrina is pretty ambitious. Maybe too ambitious.”

I shifted uncomfortably in the cramped space. “Dad, I’m only here for a few days. I’ve got to get back to New York.”

“We know,” Mom said quickly. “But you could check in on him. Call more often. Maybe visit again before the season starts. We feel weird leaving him alone.”

“He’s a grown man, guys. I live in Manhattan alone. No one worries about me.”

I was a little offended they didn’t send a babysitter after me. Not that I wanted or needed one, but it was fucked up they just assumed.

Dad cleared his throat. “And honestly, son, you’ve got skin in the game now too. Half this farm belongs to you. If Billy’s venture succeeds, it’s good for your investment. You might want to help out and make sure it’s a success.”

That was about the last thing I wanted to do. I’d spent years distancing myself from this place, and now they wanted me to be Billy’s keeper. But looking at my parents’ hopeful faces, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse outright.

“I’ll try,” I said. “I’ll do what I can.”

Relief flooded Mom’s features. “That’s all we ask. Family should look out for one another.”

The RV door burst open, and Billy climbed back in, clutching a small, wrapped package. “Okay, this isn’t much, but I thought you might want something to remember the farm while you’re out there living it up in your land yacht.”

Dad unwrapped it carefully, revealing a framed photo I recognized—the four of us standing in front of the old hill house about ten years ago. Billy had his arm slung around my shoulders, all of us grinning at the camera.

“Billy,” Mom whispered, her eyes getting misty.

“Now you can show off your handsome sons to all the other RV folks,” Billy said with a grin.

We spent the next few minutes loading their remaining supplies and double-checking everything.

Mom got all weepy again. “I can’t believe we’re really leaving home,” she whispered.

Dad wrapped her in a hug. “It’s not goodbye forever, sweetheart. Just a little adventure. The farm will be here when we get back. Right, Billy?”

My brother grinned. “I promise.”

I knew I was lucky. Billy and I both were. We had amazing parents. They loved each other. They gave us a good home. And they set a very good example of what a good marriage should look like. Billy had it figured out for the most part.

I couldn’t seem to get it right. I had dated a lot of women. Nothing like Billy. I wasn’t sure he had ever dated anyone besides Lucy. I didn’t know why they weren’t married yet.

“Alright, you two,” Billy said, clapping his hands together. “Time to hit the road before you lose your nerve.”