*
The beach outing went well, so well that Tinsley’s now taking a nap in my bed. I’m actually not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Kids can be a good distraction from underlying tension, or in our case, tension in the room the size of a big ass pink elephant. My chat with Addison seemed to thaw her out a little bit, but I know my sister. She’s still got her eye on Ryder.
“I can go to the kitchen to eat,” I say from the sofa, as Ryder hands me a plate with pizza and a bread stick. I used to beg to eat in front of the television as a kid. Now I’d give anything to get up and eat in the kitchen.
“You were on your feet too much this morning getting ready,” Ryder says. “We can eat here in the den.”
Owen bumps Addison’s shoulder a little. My guess is he’s trying to make her notice some nice things about Ryder. She promptly forces a smile. Once everyone has filled plates, Ryder sits on the floor next to the sofa, close to me, even though there’s plenty of other places to sit which don’t involve the floor.
Cue the awkward silence.
Addison’s not going to be the one to break the ice. Owen tries and fails miserably by saying, “The weather’s beautiful today.”
That earns him an eyeroll from his wife. So it’s up to me or Ryder to save the day, and luckily he beats me to it. “How’d you guys meet?” he asks.
“At work,” Addison says.
Poor Ryder, he’s trying, but this is like pulling teeth. “You own a spa, right?”
Huh, I’m surprised he remembered that. We’ve been so focused on our own issues that we haven’t delved too deep into family stuff. I casually mentioned Addison’s job the first night we met. Can’t believe he recalls that.
Addison picks up her napkin and throws it at me. “Stop telling people I own a spa.” Ryder looks at me with a confused smile. “I don’t own a spa. Kailey just says that because she’s embarrassed to tell people I own a waxing studio.”
Ryder chuckles as I shake my head. “You see why I lie,” I say. “I don’t want to tell people my sister spends her days pulling out pubic hair.”
Laughing, Ryder looks up at me, a devilish grin on his face. “Do you get a family discount?”
“Kailey, you should go Hollywood now since you’re dating a celebrity,” Addison chimes in.
Ryder raises an eyebrow at me, like he’d be up for me doing that. “Is this normal lunch talk for you guys?”
“Yep,” Owen says. “Wait until Addison starts talking about her latest service—vaginal rejuvenation.”
“Don’t ask,” Kailey says, shaking her head.
“I really don’t know how we are sisters. You are such a prude,” Addison says.
“I am not.”
“I guess you’re right. You did get knocked up,” Addison teases.
“Oh my God, you did not just say that!” I cry.
“Too soon?” Addison asks.
“A little bit, yeah,” I say.
This time she grabs Owen’s napkin and tosses it at me. “Wait,” Ryder says, looking at Owen. “So you guys met while you were . . .”
Addison nods, and Owen throws his hands up. “I was getting my chest waxed. Geez, Addy.”
“Owen was a swimmer, even competed in the Olympic trials.” She looks at him proudly. “So he’d come in to get waxed, to help his time. But I noticed he kept coming in, getting different things waxed.” She cracks a huge grin. “Let’s just say we ran out of things to wax.”
“That’s not true,” Owen says with a laugh. “I was really coming in to see Addy, but I couldn’t get up the courage to ask her out. She’s a little intimidating.”
“Finally, I just called him out on it.” Addison kisses his cheek. “The rest is history, as they say. It will be five years next March. The 14th.”
“March 14th?” Ryder asks, choking on his pizza. “That’s your anniversary?”
“Yep,” Addison says proudly, a glint in her eye. “Problem with that day?”
“Nope,” Ryder says. “One of my favorites of the year.”
Addison busts out into a huge laugh, slapping her leg. “You know. You totally know.”
“Know what?” I ask, confused.
Addison and Ryder are too busy laughing to answer, and Owen shakes his head at me. “March 14th is known as the male Valentine’s Day.”
“Otherwise known as Steak and Blowjob Day!” Addison laughs.
I look at Ryder for confirmation, and he nods through his laughter. Then it hits me, and I say, “You guys did serve steak at your wedding!”
“Mom and Dad had no idea,” Addison says, raising her glass. “Filets and Fellatio.”
Ryder clinks his glass with hers, and just like that, their ice is broken.
*
Addison and Owen are taking a walk on the beach before they go home. As soon as Tinsley wakes up, they are heading back home to San Diego. Addison doesn’t want to wear me out. I literally ate and laid on the sofa, so I’m not sure what she’s concerned about.
All and all, today was a success. I’m a little sad to see them go. We’ve always been super close. Mom and Dad live a little farther away, so it’s not as easy for them to visit, but I’m texting and calling a lot to keep them in the loop. I’m sure Addison will fill them in on their visit. Hopefully, Addison easing up on Ryder will help my mom do the same.
“Aunt K,” Tinsley whimpers as she comes walking into the den, rubbing her eyes.
I hold my arms out toward her. “Your mom and dad will be right back.”
She comes over to me, cuddling in beside me. It won’t last long. It takes her a few minutes to wake up, but she’ll be raring to go in no time. I quickly try to think of some quiet activity to do with her, since chasing her around and playing hide and seek are out of the question.
“I think your mom brought some crayons,” I say. “Want to color with me?”
That gets her attention, and Tinsley hops up, going over to her mom’s bag and finding the crayons.
“Ryder,” I call out toward the kitchen, where he’s cleaning up our lunch dishes. “Can you bring me a whole bunch of paper?” It seems like it’s only seconds before he appears, holding a stack of blank paper. “We’re coloring,” I tell him with a smile.
Tinsley hands him a pink crayon, her invitation to our little party. He’s pleased by the invite, given that only a few hours ago, he was the embodiment of stranger-danger to her. She chooses purple for me and yellow for herself. “What are we drawing?” Ryder asks.
“Flowers,” Tinsley informs him.
He reaches for a green crayon, but Tinsley moves it away. “Your flower pink.”
“What about the leaves?” he asks.
“Pink!” Tinsley says.
Flashing me a smile, he leans a little closer to my niece. “Can you teach me how to draw a flower? I don’t think I remember how.”
Tinsley puts crayon to paper and quickly draws a lopsided circle with what looks like a cross coming out the bottom. She used to just scribble, but she’s getting better, to the point that you can now kind of tell what she’s going for.