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“Absolutely,” Natalie said. She didn’t look nervous, but I saw her pulling at the bracelet on her arm.
* * *
Skip had set up the food on a folding table out back and it was enough to feed about forty people.
“We are never going to eat all this,” I said, looking at the steaming spread of clams and corn and potatoes and shrimp. Paige had made about a gallon of drawn butter for everything and my mouth wouldn’t stop watering. There was also hot sauce, tartar sauce, and extra seasonings for anyone who wanted them.
“Skip, you’re a king, thank you,” Esme said, slapping Skip on the shoulder.
“Anytime,” he said, tipping his musty baseball cap. “You enjoy yourselves.”
We all sat down and Stormy ran around the table, begging each of us in turn.
“So, how was the road trip?” Paige asked Natalie as she piled her plate high. I’d already given everyone my version of the story, but I guess they wanted to hear it from Natalie’s side.
“Oh, it was great. I mean, I didn’t have to do any of the driving. My main job was to find out the best places to stop,” Natalie said.
“I bet it was nice sleeping in those hotel beds,” Linley said. “I can’t remember the last time I slept in a hotel bed.” She gazed wistfully off into the distance from behind the rims of her purple glasses.
“Get that man of yours to take you to one,” Esme said. “You know he’d take you if you hinted the right way.”
Linley blushed. “He would. He’d bring me the moon if I said I thought it was pretty.”
“Would you bring me the moon?” Paige asked Esme.
“It would be much easier if you asked for something more attainable. Like a trip to Europe. But if you wanted the moon, I’d see what I could do,” Esme said.
“Wait, can I ask for a trip to Europe instead?” Paige said.
“Sure, baby,” Esme said with a laugh as Paige kissed her.
“I don’t want the moon,” I announced to the group.
“Good to know,” Natalie said.
* * *
We ate and ate until we could barely move and then somehow made our way onto the porch when the bugs got bad and kept drinking and chatting.
Natalie fit in seamlessly with our group. It was almost like she’d always been there. She and Esme bonded over their love of morbid things, and Paige kept sending me approving smiles. Anyone who liked Esme was good in her book. Linley liked her immediately when she asked for a second slice of cake.
My friends were pretty easy to win over, but Natalie was still doing her best.
“I wish Gray was here,” Linley said. “He’ll be up next weekend, though, if you want to hang out.”
“Yeah, that would be great,” Natalie said. She didn’t even hesitate, and I could see that she truly wanted to. My biggest anxiety about tonight was that Natalie would be uncomfortable and would force herself to make small talk and then say that she never wanted to hang out with my friends again. Then I’d have to split my time, and it would be awkward and annoying.
That didn’t seem like it was going to be a problem.
All of us had a shared Castleton history. We’d gone to the same schools, knew the same people. It was a connection that you couldn’t put into words, but it was tangible in the air. It was the comfort of being able to be completely yourself with no pretense. No lies.
“Oh my god, I remember that!” Natalie squealed as Paige recounted the time someone had let a pig loose in the elementary school and all the teachers and the principal and the janitor ran through the halls trying to corner it.
“Did they ever figure out who did it?” I asked.
“Who do you think? Who has ready access to pigs?” Esme asked.
“Colby Cartwright,” we all said at the same time.
