Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Inside was my stepsister Lily and her wife, Mallory. Lily’s face lit up when she saw me. “Oscar! I’m so happy you’re here.” Lily couldn’t get up because she was currently breastfeeding a baby, or at least I assumed that’s what was going on under the pastel blanket draped over her front, but Mallory jumped up to give me a hug.
“Thank you so much for the baby gift. You were too generous.”
I shook my head. “Everyone needs a savings account from day one. At least, that’s what all the experts say.”
Lily looked up and winked at me. “Keeping her off the pole like a good uncle. We appreciate it.”
I shrugged. “Let the girl dance if she wants to dance. Who are we to judge? At least now she’ll be able to afford good costumes to wear while doing it.”
Once the baby was done eating, they made me hold her. Thankfully, I was sitting down, so the risk of accidentally tossing her onto the floor wasn’t quite as great as the time my mom had handed me one of the other grandkids while I’d been standing in the kitchen with soapy hands from washing dishes.
I spent the rest of the day playing happy family for my mother’s sake. It seemed to make her happy to see me there among them, even though it always left me feeling strangely alone.
After a big family dinner, I retreated to my own house on the property to get some space from the noise and activity before having to do it all over again the following day at the shower.
I changed into pajama pants and an ancient hoodie and wandered into the kitchen to poke through the fridge for something to eat. My caretaker always did a great job of stocking the place when I visited, and sure enough, there was a dish of hearty pasta waiting for me.
I threw it in the microwave just as the doorbell rang.
When I opened the door, my friend Lolo breezed in as if it hadn’t been at least a year since the last time we saw each other.
“Oh! Thank god, darling. Marigold told me you’d be here this weekend, and I thought, ‘Perfect! Oscar’s home. Just the distraction I need.’ Now, shove over. I’m fit to be tied and thirsty as fuck. Tell me you have rosé.” He threw air-kisses in my general direction before flitting off down the hall.
I followed him into the kitchen. For some reason, Lolo had fallen in love with my Vermont house the year before and took any excuse to visit whether I was there or not.
“I’m sure I do. How are you? What are you doing in Vermont? Where’s your other half?” I couldn’t have known the name of Lolo’s flavor of the week, but I definitely knew there would be one. There always was. Lolo was like an opera singer, at his best with a spotlight and an audience of fans.
He waved slender fingers at me before crouching down to peer into the glass-front wine fridge. “Pish. I don’t need a man. I’ve decided I’m on a cum cleanse.”
I moved over to the cabinet where the wineglasses lived and pulled down two stemless ones. With Lolo’s expressive hands, there was no sense in risking a spill.
“Probably a good idea,” I said. “Maybe pair that cleanse with some bloodwork just to set a baseline for your next set of escapades.”
“Mm. I have my eye on someone for the next chapter of my life. It’s why I’m here in Vermont, actually. And he’s the monogamous type.” This was interesting enough to raise both of my eyebrows but he waved the topic away before I could ask questions. “Enough about me, what’s new with you? Your younger sister’s getting married, I heard. Tell me they haven’t roped you in for a best man job.”
“Stepsister. And not this time, no.” I took the bottle from him and poured us each a glass of rosé. “Her wedding shower’s tomorrow. Tonight was their big family dinner.”
“Their dinner?” He narrowed his eyes. “Oscar, precious, hasn’t your mom been remarried to Birch for, like, a decade?”
“Fifteen years,” I corrected. I took a sip of wine, then swirled my glass just to watch the light reflect off the surface. “This year’s their crystal anniversary.”
“So at a certain point, don’t you just stop calling them step?”
I blinked up at him. “It’s legally and factually accurate.”
“Hmm.” When the microwave dinged, Lolo pulled my pasta dish out and set it on the counter. “Ew, no. Where are your crudités? Mama needs something a little lighter tonight. A lovely cheese straw or perhaps a seasoned pretzel.”
He started searching through the large pantry, muttering disappointment until he finally made a happy sound and reappeared with a bag of pretzels in his hands. “Can’t go wrong with Dots. Honey, are you sure you want to eat that much cheese? Because we’re not getting any younger, you know.”