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“Fill your boots, it’s your home.”
He twisted off the cap and took a long pull, keeping an eye on me.
I shuffled on my feet, inching around the four-person table high enough to not seat little children, and descended a couple of steps into the carpeted, sunken living room.
“You know when you asked me if I wanted to grab a bite, I figured it would be a restaurant or something.”
Suddenly ramrod straight, he froze after setting the bottle on the counter. “Oh god, I never thought about how this would make you uncomfortable.”
I shook my head rapidly. “It’s not that. I’m just surprised is all.”
“We can go out if you prefer.” In a few steps, he was standing in front of the oven.
“No, no, no, this is fine. I like homemade cooking, it’s a real treat. Forget it, really, it was stupid of me to have said anything.”
“Are you sure?”
“Honestly, I’m really looking forward to homemade lasagna.”
Inhaling and exhaling to calm the sudden rush of my pulse, I padded barefoot through his living room and checked out the photos he had on display. There wasn’t any artwork hanging, it was all photographs. Many were of whales, doing their whale things, but some were of people. One included a picture of Cedar.
“Hey, I recognise her.” I pointed to the photo. “She’s a regular at Sylvia’s but I totally forget her name.” I hoped it sounded like I genuinely couldn’t remember.
Landon descended into the space. “That’s Cedar. Her life partner, for lack of a better word, is best friends with my brother.”
I tried to act nonchalant. “Wow, that’s cool. Cheshire Bay really is a small town. Everyone’s truly related or connected to someone else.”
“Something like that.” He chuckled and tapped a finger on the picture. “This was taken on Eric’s wedding day.”
That explained the fancier outfits, but it looked like they were on a beach somewhere. “Big family?”
“Not blood family, but yes. Eric, that’s my brother.” He pointed to the guy in the middle. “He married Lily, and her sister, Mona, is getting married to this guy, Jesse.”
I raised a brow. “See, everyone is related.”
Cheshire Bay didn’t seem too far off from the commune I had grown up on, until my father and I left when I was fourteen. Practically everyone there was related somehow, or at least connected. My father, through three women, had four kids I was aware of, and that was just him. Who knew about the others? Our family tree truly was a giant forest of twisted branches.
“What about your family?”
Like gum in the hair, my feet stuck to the carpet, and my mouth dried out fast. I didn’t know Landon well enough to share any of that. Hell, I’d been friends with Erin for a year and even she didn’t know many details, just that I didn’t discuss my family.
He shrugged and slumped onto the nearby sofa, propping his bare feet onto the coffee table. “I get it. Family issues. You don’t need to explain that shit to me.”
“Thank you. It’s complicated.” I sat across from him, crossing my legs as I leaned into the plush material. It was like laying on a giant pillow, but bigger, and so much softer.
“Family always is.” He tipped his head back with a gulp of beer. “What about your work?”
“What about it?”
“Did you study at a culinary school?” He set his beer bottle on the corner of the table, on a stack of People magazines.
I held onto my water glass; the chill of the water was perfect for sipping. “I never went to college.”
“Oh?” It wasn’t said with as much disappointment as I took it.
I cast my gaze to my fingers, and not wanting to draw attention to them, I set my water glass on the edge of the table and curled my fingertips into my palms. “I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
When I left the commune, I didn’t leave with a ton of valuable skills, and so far, nothing in my travels had inspired me to branch out and make a name for myself as the regulars talked about it. A few had thrown out some wild ideas, but nothing sounded like a way to spend the rest of my life.
