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The ceiling of the bar had been run with streamers in primary colors, with white twinkling lights threaded throughout. On the bar sat brightly wrapped boxes and bags, a dozen of them at least. The circular tables that usually lined the edge of the dance floor were covered in blue table cloths and the centerpieces were Photoshopped pictures of Chris riding a unicorn.
Half the town of Sweetheart was there, smiling and cheering. At the front of the crowd of friends was Kelly, clad in blue jeans and a black sleeveless blouse. Her dark hair was swept up on top of her head and her wide, excited smile was too infectious not to return. She came over to him and gave him a big hug, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Did I get you?”
Chris chuckled good-naturedly. “You got me until I pulled into the parking lot. Although, it was considerate to leave me a spot right up front for my birthday present, it was also highly suspicious.”
“You’re welcome. I figured I hadn’t done a surprise party yet…had to do something cool for your big three two.”
“Thirty-two is not a special birthday.”
She gave him a tight squeeze. “Every Chris birthday is special.”
Despite the cheesiness of the statement, it still warmed him to his core. Besides his parents, Kelly was the only family he had.
“Just as long as a clown never jumps out of my cake,” he said.
“Oh, shoot, I meant to cancel that.”
Chris growled and picked her up off her feet. “The unicorn-riding pictures were a nice touch. I appreciate the fact that I wasn’t shirtless.”
“If I hadn’t invited your parents, that might have been the case.”
Chris searched the crowd and found his parents at the edge closest to the bar. His mom was already halfway through a glass of white wine by the looks of it, while his dad held a glass of dark liquid in his hand.
“I’ll run over and say hi.”
Kelly untangled her arms from around him. “I’ll go tell the kitchen we are ready to bring the food out.”
“What are we having?”
“Bacon and avocado sliders, garlic fries, coleslaw, and fruit salad.”
Chris nodded, his mouth watering eagerly. Shotguns sliders were like potato chips; you couldn’t eat just one and although the garlic fries made your breath stink to high heaven, they were delicious.
He headed over to his parents, kissing his mom on the cheek first.
“Hey, guys. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course. It’s not every day my baby turns thirty-two.” His mother sniffled and she pretended to dab at her blue eyes.
Chris snorted. “I’m hardly a baby.”
“You know what they say. You’ll always be my baby.”
Chris’s cheeks burned. As much as he loved his mother, having only one child had made him the center of her undivided attention. As a kid, it had been wonderful. As an adult, it was almost a curse.
“You two look great,” Chris said, changing the subject. “Retirement obviously agrees with you.”
It was true. Both of his parents were tan, and his mother’s usual dark blond hair had been bleached by the sun. His mother was a retired teacher’s aide and his father had managed the local Wells Fargo Bank until just a few months before. He’d thought that his dad would have gone nuts by now, but he smiled warmly, the lines by his green eyes crinkling.
His dad raised his glass to him. “Your mother has me doing yard work every day. Took me to Home Depot yesterday and cleaned out the garden center. I don’t think there was a flower left in the whole place.”
His mother scowled at him. “You are so full of dung noodle. I bought a couple flats for the flower beds under the windows. Hardly a dent in their inventory.”
Chris smirked as his dad ran a hand over his sandy hair, which was a bit grayer since their last family dinner two weeks ago. “It was more than a few flats, dear. My wallet cried the whole way home.”
“Oh, you.” She tossed her head, but her blond bob had so much product it hardly moved. His mother ignored his dad and focused on him instead. “We were so glad that Kelly invited us. You know, I always thought she was a nice girl and would make someone very happy.”
