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One
For Billy Cooper, Thanksgiving in Lake Bittersweet was always … well, bittersweet. The baseball season was over, with long months ahead of getting out of shape, then getting back into shape. Then there was the worry about what the front office might do with his contract in the off-season. Months of downtime gave him plenty of time to stress over that. And then to worry about what stress-coping mechanisms he might fall into.
That was the “bitter” part. But then there was the “sweet” part—being reunited with his family. But even that part was bittersweet. Ever since he and Jenna had ended their marriage, Thanksgiving always had two phases. During phase one, it was just him and his two older brothers and his nephew—basically four men finding new and ridiculous ways to mess up a turkey. Phase two was when Jenna brought their boys over, and he got to spend some time with Zack and Bean over pumpkin pie.
This year it was pumpkin, apple, caramel pecan, chocolate something-or-other and several other pies he couldn’t identify. The pies were lined up on a buffet-length dessert table Thomas and Carly had borrowed from the Blue Drake. The Cooper family had gone all out this year because it wasn’t just the brothers anymore. A goddamn explosion of romance had changed everything.
Too bad his own romance had crashed and burned three years ago.
Under the table, he surreptitiously checked his phone and thumbed open his text messages.
From Jenna: They’re playing tag with the Hannigan kids rn. I’m going to let them burn off some energy so they’ll have room for pie.
Sounds good. Thanks
He always liked to add some gratitude into their exchanges. Jenna was the best. Hands down. She could have made things so difficult after their split, but she never had. She did everything she could to make sure he got as much time as possible with the boys. The least he could do was show her how much he appreciated that.
Was it normal for your respect for a spouse to grow after a divorce? Maybe not, but that was what had happened with him and Jenna. They got along so much better as an ex-couple. Jenna claimed it was thanks to her genius-level “rules for a happy divorce.” Personally, he thought it was because they weren’t kids anymore, as they had been when they got married.
“Billy.”
His head jerked up. Thomas was trying to catch his attention. His oldest brother—former fire chief, surrogate father, and now a town alderman—jerked his head to his right, where his son Danny slouched. “Danny has something to say before we say grace.”
“Sure. Right on. What’s on your mind, Danny-boy?”
He smiled at his nephew. Danny was a senior at some fancy private school back east. Hard to believe, because Billy still remembered carrying him in a sling on walks along the lake, which was the only thing that made him stop crying. He and Galen had tried their best to help Thomas take care of his newborn, and thank God they hadn’t screwed him up too much. He was a good kid.
Everyone around the table turned their attention to Danny, blond and lanky and serious. Next to him sat his new stepmother, Carly, who held her and Thomas’ baby in her lap. She was the first woman to join the family. The most recent was Brenda McMurray, Galen’s new love. They sat cuddled together across the table, surrounded by a nearly visible halo of happiness.
Billy had never imagined his crusty older brother turning into such a mush-ball of lovey-dovey vibes. He’d always known his brother had a huge heart, but women didn’t always see that. The auburn-haired teacher saw all the good things about Galen, and for that, Billy already considered Brenda family.
Danny himself had brought a girl home with him. She was a fellow student who’d come all the way from Egypt to attend Exeter Academy, and didn’t have the time to fly home for such a short break.
“We’re listening, Danny.” Carly bounced the black-haired little Teddy on her lap. Just like any Cooper worth the name, he refused to go to sleep and miss all the fun. Billy’s boys were the same way.
“I was explaining Thanksgiving to Layla, and she said it probably doesn’t feel like a great holiday to the Indian tribes around here. So I, uh, just wanted to bring that up, not to be a party pooper.”
“You’re not being a party pooper.” Brenda sat up straighter, her sea-green eyes alight with the prospect of a teaching moment. “It’s an excellent point. Thanks, Layla.” She nodded to the girl, who broke into a tremendously relieved smile. “Wasn’t Redbull saying something about that the other day, Galen?”
Galen nodded. Redbull was his business partner, and a member of a local Ojibwe tribe, as well as a lover of energy drinks, hence his nickname. “He says maybe along with the pie, we should admit that our ancestors sometimes acted like dicks and that in between bites of turkey, we should consider living up to our treaties.”
“Fair enough.” Thomas raised his glass of wine. “Danny, would you like to do the honors?”
“Sure.” Danny put his hands together in a prayer position. “On this Thanksgiving,” he intoned, “let’s be grateful that we always have the opportunity not to be dicks.”
Billy spurted out the sip of wine he’d just taken. He snatched up a napkin and coughed into it. “Well put, Danny,” he managed when he’d gotten control of himself. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. To not being dicks!” He lifted his glass again.
They all clicked glasses, all seven of them, while little Teddy squirmed on Carly’s lap. Luckily he was only seven months old, but then again, he could probably expect plenty of salty language to come his way in the future. The Cooper brothers were not known to hold back, since they’d basically been raised by wolves, or rather, themselves.
Brenda laughed until her face turned pink. “Thanksgiving toasts sure are different here in Minnesota. My mother would probably faint if this happened at her dinner table.”
Billy wondered what Jenna would have thought of that toast, if she and the boys had been here. For sure, she would have agreed with the thought, if not the language. Jenna was one of the kindest people in the world. Too kind, maybe. She’d probably even been too nice to him after the breakup.
“To Brenda’s mother,” Billy said, tipping his glass toward her. “May she learn to love the Cooper brothers. Or at least one of them.” He grinned at Galen. “If you need to send in a ringer to charm her, I’m on standby.”
“No need.” Galen scratched at his beard, which was still growing in after his dramatic temporary shave. “She’s already welcomed me to the family. There was even a handshake.”
“That’s a lot for my mom,” Brenda explained. “We’re hoping for a hug by the time my grandmother gets married. You’re all invited, by the way. It’s in mid-December at the Blue Drake. Thanks for that, Carly.” She directed a smile at Carly, who was in the midst of feeding Teddy a softened piece of dinner roll.
