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“Of course it did.”
“Don’t you want to see it?”
“Pass.”
She pouted a little. “But it’s so funny.”
I swung my legs around and leaned in her direction. “I know. I was there.” I kissed her nose and stood, heading toward the smoker where Sebastian stood, tending to what looked to be at least four different kinds of meat.
When I stopped next to him, I asked, “Got anything vegan in there?”
He gave me a suspicious look, his tongs poised to pick up a brat. When he saw I was kidding, he rolled the brat over. “That’s a swear word around these parts.”
“Need any help?”
“Sure. Grab the tongs on the tray and flip these brats and burgers so I can get these ribs off the fire.”
So I did, taking care. “Jo said you work in charity. That you did a tour with the Peace Corps.”
“I did. Almost did two.”
“Almost?”
He shrugged. “I found something that meant more to me.” He cast a loving look in the direction of Presley as she dried off their little girl. “You travel much?”
“The only time I feel at home is when I’m not at home.”
“I know the feeling.”
We were silent for a beat as I gathered my courage to ask, “What’s it like?”
“Having a family?”
I nodded. “Ever feel shackled? Trapped?”
“I felt more trapped before I knew what I wanted. I think … I think I was looking for something, and I looked everywhere but here. I left Lindenbach, left my mom and abuela. Searched for meaning in the Corps, looked for answers in the faces of strangers, and while I found many, the answers about my future weren’t among them. Then I found her, and I realized everything I wanted was right here after all. What’s it like having a family? It’s crazy and hectic and hard and beautiful. But I get to do it all with Presley. We share all that crazy—it’s ours. And now those two are all I need.” He laughed. “A little deep for flipping burgers. Sorry.”
“Hey, I asked. You’re happy. It’s more than most people can say.”
He jerked his chin at Jo, his hands busy with racks of ribs. “How much of this is about her?”
I shrugged, rolling another brat over. “I’m leaving soon.”
“Yeah, so was I,” he answered on a laugh. “This place has a way of grabbing you, and once it’s got you, it’s not likely to let you go.”
Smiling, I rolled the last brat onto its other side and moved on to the burgers. “I don’t think I’ll be staying, but I can see how it’d be hard to go. I’m already putting it off.”
“When are you heading back to DC?”
“Haven’t decided. After the fundraiser for sure.”
He made a noncommittal noise. “How about your dad?”
I felt my expression sour and tried to smooth it. “I don’t know. Hopefully sooner than later.”
“Pres said he’s here to check up on you.”
“It’s what he does. But my work here is nearly done.”
“All but the Blum farm.”
“That one’s not looking to be in the cards.”
“If that family is one thing, it’s stubborn, so it’s probably best to cut your losses.”
“Tell him that.” I glanced at him, then back to my task. “I don’t like him around Dottie.”
“Yeah, none of us do. But Dottie seems happy, so there’s not much we can say. It’s been a long time since she’s seen anybody. Don’t know if you know what a big deal that is.”
“I have an idea of the magnitude. As long as she doesn’t trust him, she should be fine.”
We looked over at her in unison, and on seeing her beaming at my father, we both knew she was likely not fine.
“Jo tried to talk to her,” I explained, “but she blew the girls off for being overprotective. Told them to mind their own business.”
“I’ll talk to Birdie,” he said, and my gaze shifted to Presley’s mom as she adjusted the oxygen tube in her nose. “Maybe she can talk some sense into Dottie. Doubt she’ll listen to the rest of us.” A pause. “How dangerous are we talking?”
“Her heart isn’t the only thing he’ll ruin, if that’s what you mean.”
“Is he just cruel? Or is he after something?”
“He might just be trying to teach me a lesson,” I hedged, not able to admit the truth. “Dottie won’t sign his contract,” was as close as I could get to it.
“No, she won’t. None of them will, strictly on principle.” Sebastian wrapped the ribs in foil to keep them warm and turned to me as I finished flipping burgers. “You care about Jo.” It wasn’t a question.
“I do.”
He glanced at Presley again. “Sometimes, life comes out of nowhere and hits you hard enough to change everything. And all the things you thought you knew, everything you thought you wanted, were placeholders for the real thing. When you find it, you’ll know. Your dreams change before you even realize it happened. So keep your ear to the ground. Maybe you’ll hear the train coming better than I did.”
