“You okay?”
“Sure.” I wiped my damp palm on my shorts. “I’ve never met anyone’s parents before, but how bad could it be?”
Beale frowned. “Never?”
“Nope. I don’t do boyfriends any more than you do.”
“Huh.” Beale hesitated, then put a hand at the small of my back to guide me to the table where his dad sat. It felt weird. Nice-weird. Or maybe just nice. “Look, please don’t invent any more details about our summer camp love affair.”
“I won’t!”
“Or promise that we’ll get married on the beach in the fall or whatever.”
“I wouldn’t!”
“Or let Dad rope you into doing anything for the Whispering Key Extravaganza.”
“What extravaganza?”
But it was too late for Beale to explain, because we were already standing by a table in the back of the restaurant.
“Morning, everyone. Um. Trey, this is my dad, Big Rafe. His fiancée, Gloria. Ms. Pepper, my kindergarten teacher. And you know Young Rafe and Gage.” He pointed to each person at the table in turn, but as he spoke, more people crowded around. “Uh. And this is Mike Hooper, who does real estate on the island. And Viv Mickell, who runs the arcade with her brother Jeremy. And… oh hey, Jeremy, didn’t see you there. And Jaya Kaur, and Christine Miele, and Oswaldo Lopez, and Maddie McKetcham, and…” He kept going, but my brain reached critical mass at that point.
I was used to working alone. I went out plenty, and I wasn’t agoraphobic in the slightest, but I wasn’t used to having so many people look at me with open curiosity either.
And this is what your whole life will be like if the story gets out, my brain reminded me helpfully. On a global scale.
Except at least the Whispering Key folks were generally smiling at me right then. I was pretty sure the rest of the world would not be.
“And everyone, this is To… Trey,” Beale concluded, which seemed to be permission for every single person to start babbling at me all at once.
Beale looked down at me, amused, and I tried to smile back, but whatever he saw on my face had his hand moving from my back to wrap around my side. “Chill, guys. One at a time,” he admonished, taking charge with his usual competence.
“Yes, everyone, get in line! I’m first.” Gloria got up from the table and wrapped her arms around me so her curly red hair tickled my cheek and her Shalimar perfume filled my nostrils. “It’s not right to play favorites, but you’ve got the best of the bunch,” she whispered in my ear. She pulled back and gave me a tremulous smile. “And now you get to be here for the party!”
I nodded, then shook my head. “Party?”
“The one Beale’s throwing Friday,” someone piped up. “In Mason and Fenn’s backyard.”
“A surprise housewarming for them,” Maddie explained.
“They’ll love it,” Big Rafe said firmly.
I wasn’t so sure about that, and from the way Beale’s teeth squeaked together, it sounded like he wasn’t either.
“Wait,” I frowned. “Is this the party Rafe mentioned earlier? With Silvio?” And his ass for days?
“Him and a bunch of other guys I know,” Rafe said with a shrug. “I texted them all last night, so it’s too late to cancel, but don’t worry about that. I’ll let them know Beale’s off the market, but I can introduce them to Gagie-poo here.” He ruffled Gage’s brown hair, and Gage shoved him away. “In fact, if you’ll still be around Friday, Trey, maybe you can help Beale with the party arrangements. Party planning is not Beale’s thing.”
“Not unless the stars align for it,” an older lady tittered.
“Maybe the Universe will tell him what to serve,” the Christine person teased with a gentle smile.
Beale’s hand tightened on my hip, and without thinking, I patted his abs with my free hand in a soothing sort of way… until everyone around us did that weird sigh thing again, and I snatched my hand back.
I really didn’t understand the vibe happening in this cafe. Everyone clearly liked Beale a lot, but they also gave him shit in a way that didn’t feel entirely like a joke. It was confusing, because crystals or not, Beale Goodman was the smartest and most capable person I’d met in a long time. In fact…
I held my breath for a second as I realized that Beale might be just the perfect person to help me brainstorm the best way out of the mess I was in.
Trusting him would be a huge risk, since the information I’d be sharing wouldn’t just be my secret, but Jayd’s secret, too. Still, Beale had already saved me repeatedly, and remembering his serious expression as he’d asked if I was safe made my cold, black heart flutter harder than I cared to admit. Some part of me trusted him already.
“I’ll be here,” I agreed staunchly. “And I’m happy to help Beale out, if he needs anything.” In fact, that might be one way I could pay Beale back for all the shit I’d inadvertently stirred up.
Beale exhaled impatiently. I gave him a look under my lashes that said, Excuse you! I’m trying to be a good fake soul mate here, and he squeezed my hip again in what seemed like acknowledgement.
“I’ll add you both to the party group chat!” Gloria said. “We’re thinking potluck.”
“Lovely.” I summoned a smile.
All the while, I noticed Big Rafe watching me with his head tilted at an angle, like a curious dog. He wasn’t unfriendly, precisely, but he wasn’t friendly either.
“Beale, why don’t you and Trey come over to Rafe’s house this afternoon for a little family thing?” Big Rafe said abruptly, interrupting the party chatter. “We can all get to know each other better.”
He seemed pleasant enough, but I felt like he was the Godfather, making us an offer we couldn’t refuse.
“I’m afraid we can’t today.” Beale pulled me more closely against him.
“I think around five thirty?” Big Rafe looked at Gloria, who nodded. “We’ll grill out.”
“I’ll grab brats,” Gage said. “Rafe can get beer.”
“We’re heading out to Menucha,” Beale said in clear and concise English. “Tracking snowy plovers.”
“I’ll make a butter cake,” Gloria offered. “And some potato salad.”
I frowned up at Beale, and he gave me a half-smile like this was something he expected, but I was kinda tired of this bullshit after only ten minutes.
Aunt Hagatha would probably tell me to follow Beale’s lead, especially after getting us into a mess earlier, but then again Aunt Hagatha had never stood by while her fake soul mate was ignored by his boisterous family members… and she wasn’t gonna start today. If he wasn’t going to stand up for himself, I’d do it.
“You all have fun!” I said brightly. “We won’t be there, but you can text Beale some pictures.”
Young Rafe frowned at Beale. “What? Why won’t you be there?”
“He just told you why.” I set my hand on my hip. “Weren’t you listening?”
Beale’s hand tightened on my hip again, but in a restraining sort of way this time. “I signed up to track plovers on Menucha for the Nature Center,” he repeated easily. “As I told you earlier today. And yesterday. And now.”