Chapter 51

51

Grady

It takes a week for our schedules to line up—and for Annika to quit walking around with a constant grimace on her face—but finally, she takes me on a late afternoon tour of Sarcasm, and then we hop in my truck for an early evening tour of Shipwreck.

Bailey still hates my guts, but Annika assures me it's merely an act, especially since I accidentally showed her the secret to my Mississippi mud pie, and that if I keep dropping hints about what we're making next at Crow's Nest when I join them for dinner, she'll eventually openly like me instead of just confessing when she's tired that I might not be so bad.

Maria's already a second mom.

Roger and I had a chat over a beer, and so long as I'm always willing to defer to Annika being right first, then Maria, then Bailey, then we're cool.

I told him I'd agree on the condition he asks Annika for her mom's hand in marriage if their relationship ever goes that far, and he blushed so hard I could've baked a cookie on his face.

And now Annika's sitting next to me, with Sue behind us, since he wanted a tour of Sarcasm too, and we're cruising the mountain roads like we used to.

Right down to Annika's planner in her lap, though it's an actual planner instead of a converted spiral notebook with colored sticky notes. "We sell s'mores donuts best on Fridays. Is that weird?" she asks.

"I've never paid attention to what day which donuts sell best."

"You should. Your profit margins should be higher, given how much traffic you get."

"I love it when you talk dirty."

"That wasn't dirty."

"I know. But that was a hint."

Sue snorts on my shoulder, and Annika laughs at both of us.

I reach over and squeeze her hand. "They all love you."

She gets spun up in over-planning when she's nervous.

Like today.

When we're pulling into Shipwreck.

"Look at that. We're on Blackbeard Avenue," I tell her. "Home to many prominent and respected businesses all run by my immediate family, or aunts, uncles, and cousins."

"I have been here a time or two," she tells me.

"But have you ever played at Davey Jones's Locker? Or bowled at Cannon Bowl? Or caught a movie at The Twisted Reel?" I point to the various locations down the street.

"Not yet."

Someone's hung a giant banner advertising our Labor Day Pirate Color Run over the street halfway down, and when we pass Scuttle Putt, a bird swoops in front of my truck and drops a load on the windshield.

Pop waves and grins.

"Swear he taught the damn parrot to do that," I mutter.

"So, he wasn't smiling because he was happy to see me?" Annika asks.

"He was thrilled to see you."

"Who's lying now?"

"He can go walk the plank."

" Grady ."

I smile at her, because it's impossible not to. "It's a short plank. Not very far off the ground."

I circle the block and head to my house so we can drop Sue off, and also so I can get her naked before dinner with my family at Crusty Nut, except as soon as we push into the kitchen and I reach for her, my mother breezes in from the living room.

"There you are! I wondered when you would get here. I brought a dirt cake."

"Ma. We don't need a dirt cake."

" Grady ," Annika hisses.

"Dirt cakes are for bad news," I hiss back.

"Wait. Does that mean I'm bad news?"

I glare at my mother.

She smiles sweetly.

"Hey, there, son." Dad strolls into the kitchen too. "How's my favorite goat today?" He bends and rub's Sue behind the ears.

"Sue, my parents are being mean to Annika," I tell my goat.

" Grady ," Annika hisses again.

Sue looks up at my parents, one at a time, and then lifts his leg and pees on Dad's shoe.

" Sue ," Annika gasps while Dad leaps out of the way and Ma gapes.

I'm gonna have to clean that up. He got it on the carpet.

"Good goat." I look at my parents. " Now what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We missed you, dear," Ma says to Annika.

"Glad to have you back," Dad agrees, bouncing on one leg while he tries to pull off his goat pee shoe. "And staying. Grady was nearly unbearable the first time you left."

"This is the weirdest welcome I've ever gotten in my entire life," she murmurs to me as she slips her hand in mine again.

Sue grins up at her.

She laughs.

I smile.

And my parents share a look.

A thank god this one's settled and happy look.

Fuck.

They're testing us.

My front door bangs open. "Did I miss it?" Tillie Jean calls. "Am I too late to help—oh. Um. Help cook dinner? Whoa. Dad. What'd you step in?"

Annika's dark eyes dart among all of us, and I pull her in for a hug. "They're giving us shit," I murmur to her. "Welcome to the family. Feel free to give it back."

Her gaze meets mine, and the question in her eyes fades to pure mischief.

That's something I haven't seen on her face since we were kids, and it puts a buoyancy in my heart.

"Oh, Libby, you brought dirt cake?" she says to my mom. "I told Grady to tell you all I'd bring banana pudding."

Tillie Jean's eyes go wide.

Dad's head whips up, which throws him off-balance, and he topples over onto my couch.

But Ma claps her hands. "Oh, good. You're still funny enough to keep up around here. We were worried, what with all the stress you've been under. How's your mama? And your sister?"

"They're adjusting," she replies slowly, like she has whiplash from the sudden change in conversation.

"Grady, we put hamburgers in the fridge. Go fire up the grill so this poor thing can eat."

Annika's eyes go shiny. "You…like me now?"

"We always liked you." Ma smothers her in a hug. "We were just afraid to get too close, in case Grady fucked it up."

"Thanks, Ma."

"Legit worry," Tillie Jean says as she joins the Annika hug pile. "Although I'm still just mildly miffed about the banana pudding. But I'm letting it go because unlike some people, I don't feel the need to fight with a teenager. Oh, you still use that coconut shampoo! I love that stuff. Can you stay long enough to cheer on the Fireballs with us, or do you need to get back to your family?"

"I can stay."

"You good if I go fire up my grill?" I ask Annika.

She smiles at me from the middle of being squished by my family, and yeah.

Everything's good.

Everything .

Maybe everyone in Shipwreck and Sarcasm can let the old feud go, but if not—the people who matter most already have.

And even if they didn't, I'd still have my Annika.

At last.