"Cool." She exhaled. "Trip's probably out back at the grill by now. After lunch, can I show you something? I wrote this paper-thing. It's being published." She waved a hand in the air like it was no big deal. "But I'd like your opinion."
"Sure," I said. We both turned at Lilah's voice growing nearer. "Henry's out back, you say?" I pointed in the other direction. "Can we get to it this way?"
Cami grabbed my arm and we made our escape.
Ten minutes later, we all gathered at the veranda. Henry was adjusting the flame on the gas grill, while Dart and Mel sat on either ends of a long porch swing. Lilah had besieged Cami and they were swinging together in an oversized hammock. Lilah was stroking Cami's dark hair with her spider-leg fingers.
I wasn't relaxed enough to actually sit and attempt a normal conversation with anybody, so I wandered over to the food. There was a spread of typical backyard patio picnic cuisine set up under a blue awning. In addition to that, I also noticed three extra bowls off to the side in dishes that didn't match the rest of the setting, as if they'd been added last minute. Fruit salad, chilled pasta alfredo, and what I knew to be a brick of hard tofu.
When I looked over at Henry, it seemed as though he'd turned his head away from me just a split second before. He was now staring down at the grill, wearing a familiar smirk.
The others joined me under the awning. I loaded up my plate with the three bonus items, knowing full well they were only there because I was. I couldn't help feeling warm and a little glowy inside, enjoying Henry's attempt at hospitable teasing. I sat on a rocking chair, carefully balancing my plate on my lap.
"Still no meat?" Dart asked me as he sat at my side, a dripping hamburger in one hand.
"Eighteen months and counting," Henry answered as he joined us from behind, grilling tongs in hand.
"Nineteen," I corrected.
Dart set his plate off to the side. "You know, Spring, there's something I've always wanted to talk to you about."
"What's that?" I asked, loading up a fork-full of spiral noodles.
"The vitamins and proteins in meat are impossible to replicate, and can't be found in any other foods."
I stopped chewing.
Dart was observing me with caring eyes. "A balanced diet is the healthiest way to live. That includes a little meat sometimes, and a little milk. The idea is moderation."
My eyes flicked to Henry, whose expression was frantic as he stared at Dart like he was about to muzzle him.
"Too much of anything isn't beneficial," Dart went on, "and not enough can be just as harmful."
A few months back, if anyone had the nerve to say that to me, I would have flown off the handle, quoting plenty of other statistics about how a clean and kind, animal-free lifestyle can add years to your life and better the planet. But I hadn't become vegetarian for the health benefits. It was political, a statement … like so many other things in my life had become. That was not the point Dart was making now.
"I know," I said. "I've been reading about that, actually."
After I spoke, Henry exhaled and relaxed the tension in his shoulders.
"Would you like half of mine?" Dart offered hopefully, displaying his plate of meat.
"Not yet." I laughed. "But I'll let you know."
Henry leaned against the back of my chair. "In the meantime, there are two portobello burgers on the grill."
"Thank you," I said, feeling touched again. "And anyway"-I turned back to Dart-"someone around here swore he would call me out on Facebook if ever I fall off the wagon." I gave Henry a look.
"Me?" He tapped the silver tongs against his shoulder, smiling innocently. "Honeycutt, I think you know how well I can keep a secret."
Chapter 33
"Come in," Cami sang.
Her bedroom door swung open and Henry walked in
Cami and I were stomach down on her bed, sharing one pair of ear buds plugged into her computer.
"We're leaving for fireworks in ten," he said.
Cami sat up. "Are we going up to the hill? Did you grab the blankets from the shed?" she asked as she slid to a mirror, fingering her hair into a ponytail.
"Everything's downstairs. Spring, it cools off at night here. You might need this." He was trying not to grin as he handed me a purple Los Angeles Lakers sweatshirt.
I was about to tie it around my waist but Cami grabbed it. "You're being a Neanderthal again," she said, then took my arm. "Don't worry about his gorilla-ness. You'll sit with me."
"Okay," I replied cheerfully, even though sitting next to Cami, sweet as she was, was not the way I envisioned the evening.
The rest of the gang was congregated in front of the house. Fourth of July celebrations were in full swing-kids were running around swirling sparklers, and there were designated areas where groups were setting off pinwheels and fountains. Our troop set out to claim a spot to watch the main show.
Dart and Lilah led the pack as we cut through a field. Cami and I trudged behind them, her arm linked through mine. Henry and Mel brought up the rear.
"Dart?" Henry called, suddenly right behind us.
"Yup?"
"Will you give Cami a hand?" Henry gave her a brotherly wink. "This is a steep hill, and look at your shoes. I can't take you anywhere."
"Bite me," she snapped, but then examined her flimsy flip-flops covered in dust.
Henry said something quietly to her in what sounded like German. She immediately dropped my arm and latched onto Dart. That's also when I noticed that Mel had passed us and was walking beside Lilah. Henry and I were behind the rest, alone, for the first time since seeing each other that morning.
The flood of emotions that hit me was almost paralyzing. The first thing I honed in on was the last time I'd seen him, storming out of that study room after Alex called my cell.
My footing stumbled.
"You okay? Slow down," Henry said, catching my arm then letting go. "We have plenty of time." His steps immediately slowed, setting the pace. After a few minutes, the other four were well ahead of us. No one stopped to wait or even turn around. Mel must have had Lilah handcuffed.
"I'm sorry that we didn't get a chance to ride this afternoon," Henry said as he strolled beside me, hands in his pockets. "We've got some nice horses and … " He trailed off and stopped walking.
The sun hadn't totally set yet and when I turned to him, he was silhouetted in orange and gold, just like on the back of that brochure. My heart ached.
"Want to check out the stables?" he asked.
I gazed up the hill at our friends who were almost out of sight.
"We'll catch up with them later." He was already walking back the way we'd just come.
Henry pleasantly greeted several people as we passed them. They all knew him as Trip. I wondered if they worked at the ranch or if they were folks from town he'd known his whole life.
"Cami's very sweet," I said as we cut through a different field, nearing a big red barn.
"She likes you. When I ran up to the house to change this morning, I told her you were here." He kicked a rock. "I've never seen her so excited."
"She's different than what I expected." Henry glanced at me with a puzzled expression. "But good different, and … your house is really beautiful," I quickly added, observing the soft yellow glow coming from its porch light.
Small talk, Spring? You coward.
"It's not really my house," he said, "but thank you." He unlatched and opened the gate of a wooden fence, allowing me to walk through first. "My great-grandfather would be happy to hear it. He did the renovation-"
"After the storm of twenty-four. I know all about that."
He pulled back a slow smile. "I heard you took a tour this morning. Susanne likes to think of her museum as the nucleus of town. Whatever happens there directly affects the rest of the world. She's a little protective."
We stood under the branch of a tree. Henry was methodically fingering a low hanging branch over his head while I wrapped my hands around a fence post.
A soft evening breeze was blowing, fluttering the leaves. I took the time to breathe in and out, noticing that the unpleasant odors from earlier in the day were gone. Instead, the thin mountain air smelled of earth and grass and life. I took in another breath, letting it hang in my lungs like I was sampling the bouquet of a fine wine.
"You love it here, don't you?" I said. "So peaceful."