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Cyrus let out a deep laugh and I was almost pissed until I heard Poppy’s sweet giggle. I leaned back and looked over at her, settling for being close enough to see her.
Mrs. Summers came up to the table and tapped the top of Paulie’s head. “Go help your father.”
“What’s he need help with? He’s a guest at a wedding.”
She tapped harder. “I don’t know, Paulie. Just get out of here so I can sit down. I need to gossip.”
Charlie laughed at his younger brother and they flipped each other off while their mom wasn’t watching. Poppy leaned forward to mess with Charlie’s plate while he wasn’t looking and her mom caught her.
“Don’t you even start, Poppy. I am so mad at you for throwing me under the bus with the priest. He probably thinks I don’t have a church home.”
Poppy snorted. “You don’t! This is the first time you’ve been in a church since Dad’s sister’s grandkid got sprinkled.”
“I swear if you don’t keep your voice down. I’m trying to make people think we’re a nice family.”
That time, Poppy laughed full-out. “Mom! There was just a brawl in the church. The bride yelledfuckat the alter. No one thinks we’re a nice family.”
“Stop swearing in the church, Poppy, or I’m telling your father about the shed.” Mrs. Summers looked at the three of us who’d been there with Poppy. “Don’t think I don’t know about you boys being there too. I used to stay up half the night worrying one of you was going to knock Poppy up in that shed. What I wouldn’t give for a shed these days.”
“Mom!” Poppy covered her face with her hands. “We weren’t doing that back then. We were just hanging out.”
“Smoking. I used to see the four of you stumble out of there in a cloud of smoke.” Raising her eyebrows at her daughter, the older woman cleared her throat. “So, are you going to start doing that thing again now?”
Cyrus’s knee bounced a little hard and hit the table, rattling the glasses and drawing everyone’s eyes to him. He swallowed and seemed to be having a hard time making eye contact with Mrs. Summers. “Sorry. Just had an itch.”
“Poppy could probably help you with that.”
Charlie groaned. “Ma! This is weird. You sound like you’re pimping out your daughter.”
Poppy slid down in her chair. “Could you drive me back home, Banner?”
Sam, Cyrus, and I all yellednoat the same time.
Banner waved us off. “I heard they towed my car, anyway. I’m going to catch a ride home with that lady over there in the yellow dress, I think. She’s been eyeing me up since I sat down.”
I turned to find what lady in the yellow dress he was talking about, but I didn’t see anyone. Looking back at Banner, I tried following his gaze, but it seemed like he was looking in the direction of the wedding cake. The pale yellow wedding cake. I instantly was laughing so hard that I couldn’t even get the words out to explain why I was laughing.
Sam finally made out the words I was wheezing out around laughter and glanced back at the cake table. His mouth dropped and he shook his head. “We’re going to the eye doctor this week, Banner. That’s a fucking cake you’re trying to have drive you home.”
The old man adjusted his glasses and squinted his eyes. “No, that’s a lady.”
“Anything can be a lady if you try hard enough.” Poppy’s dirty joke made her mom start muttering prayers.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Poppy as she grinned. She glanced my way and when our eyes met, I felt my skin tingle. How I’d been around her for so many years without understanding what I felt for her, I’d never know. It had always been her, though. I knew that without a doubt.
Mrs. Summers swore under her breath and then cleared her throat. “Look alive. Bonnie’s coming.”
I’d been around the family enough as a kid to know that for some reason, Poppy’s mom and her sister just battled nonstop. They were always fighting about something. When I looked up and saw the expression on the other woman’s face, I knew the fireworks weren’t over.
59
***Poppy***
Ilookedupjustas Aunt Bonnie came to a stop behind me. The angle was awkward, but I figured she’d done it on purpose. Bonnie had a competitive streak a mile wide and she didn’t like feeling like someone had tried to make her look bad.
“Kaitlyn told me what you did, Poppy.” Bonnie frowned down at me. “Andrew swears that he never did anything untoward with you. He only wanted to ask you not to come to the wedding because he was afraid you’d cause a scene. And look at what you did. He was right. I’m just sorry poor Kaitlyn trusted you.”
I felt the energy at the table shift and knew that Bonnie had walked into a gator pit. She just didn’t know it yet. I did my best to save her from the people at the table behind me who were ready to bite her head off. “Aunt Bonnie, nice to see you too. I’ll say one thing to you about Andrew and Kaitlyn and you can take it however you want to. I think they’re perfect for each other. And I think he’ll fit in great with your household.”
