Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 41373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
“Wait a minute,” Mariel said. “So all of the Johnstons are coming?”
Mom nodded. “Oh yes.”
“Meaning your seven brothers and sisters and all of their kids?”
“And now some of their kids’ kids,” Dad added with a chuckle. “Driving in from all over. Guess people are really craving some Christmas cheer this year.”
“And that doesn’t even include your father’s side of the family,” Mom added.
“So for two weeks, from the Christmas party until Christmas day, we’re going to have a rotating carousel of family in the house,” Dad said.
“I think now is when we have to ask,” Mom said, “if some of the circus can stay at your houses?”
“Of course,” I said automatically.
In reality, I couldn’t even picture it—I didn’t have a guest bedroom, and my house wasn’t exactly in the best hosting condition. But I had a couch, and sleeping bags could go anywhere.
Mariel’s house was similarly small, but a lot newer, and she said she could help accommodate family as needed, too.
“The population of Bestens is going to be composed of about 25% of our family for those two weeks,” Dad said.
“Bestens isn’t that small,” I said, waving him off.
“Honey, you’ll never guess what news Frankie has,” Mom said to me, her eyes suddenly lighting up again.
I braced myself.
Frankie was one of my many cousins, and Mom loved to update me about him because he was gay, just like me.
“What’s up with Frankie?”
“Engaged,” Mom mouthed, smiling wide and pointing to her ring finger.
Actually, that was a little surprising.
“Frankie got engaged?”
She nodded, pride written all over her face. “Can you believe it? His boyfriend—fiance—said yes, and they’re already planning a wedding.”
The smallest flare of jealousy appeared inside me.
Frankie had always seemed like a wild-and-single-forever kind of guy. He was well into his thirties, and never had showed any signs of slowing down.
I was so happy for him, but… I knew that look on my mom’s face.
That look of pride, because she got to be happy for one of her siblings’ kids.
It was rare that I ever got any sort of look like that from her anymore.
“Abby is a lawyer now, and Frankie is engaged… I have so many wonderful nieces and nephews. You two are in good company, with your cousins.”
I cleared my throat, sitting up taller on the diner booth seat.
“I’m seeing someone, too,” I declared, the words coming out of me before I could push them back in.
I was met with three pairs of eyes in an instant.
Mariel, especially, was looking at me like I’d been keeping her out of the loop.
Oh, God.
“Seeing someone?” Mom said, unable to hide her excitement.
“Shane, you didn’t tell me?” Mariel added.
“Well, who’s the lucky guy?” Mom asked.
I would have been lying if I’d said I didn’t enjoy the sudden attention. I’d been hearing about my cousins’ accomplishments for my whole life, and I’d always felt just a bit lacking in comparison. Lawyers, doctors, engagements, kids—my mom was always so proud of them, when all I had to show for myself was more of the same old uneventful life.
But I also hated that it wasn’t the truth.
Rowen certainly wasn’t my boyfriend.
“He’ll be coming to the Christmas party,” I said.
“Well I hope I can meet him even sooner than that!” Mom said, the big smile returning to her face.
I almost hated this feeling. I knew I wasn’t telling her the truth, but for one year—one of our annual Christmas parties—I wanted to have someone by my side.
“You’ll meet him, you’ll meet him,” I said, cutting Mariel a specific glance after I said it.
I had a lot of explaining to do.
And a lot of begging to do, when I saw Rowen.
It was only a couple of hours later that I locked eyes with Rowen at the Farmer’s Market. My heart skipped a beat.
“Shit,” I said under my breath, ducking behind a rack full of tie-dyed skirts.
“What’s up?” Mariel asked me.
Nothing. I just saw my not-boyfriend and if he comes over here, Mom is definitely going to interrogate him.
What the hell is Rowen doing at a farmer’s market, anyway?
“I just—um—saw some things I really want to show you,” I told my sister, gently grabbing her arm and leading her through the crowd, a few stalls down.
We stopped in front of a homemade ceramics stand, and I hoped I was far enough away that Rowen wouldn’t come try to find me.
I browsed the goods in front of me.
“Wait. This can’t be what I think it is,” I said under my breath, holding a certain ceramic object up for Mariel.
“That… looks like a bumblebee butt plug,” she said.
I snorted, glancing up to see if any of the other farmer’s market customers at the stall had noticed.
“It looks exactly like a bumblebee butt plug,” I said.
“Good morning!” the lady behind the stall said to us as she walked up, wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat. “Are you interested in some of our wine cork stoppers?”