Interference

by Sophia Henry

  “So, what’s the story?” I asked eagerly, as I settled onto a barstool at the island.

  “I was in the basement of my fraternity house making drinks for a few close friends,” Charlie said while passing a glass of red wine to his wife.

  “Close friends?” Sharon interrupted, taking the glass. “Yeah right, Big C, there were over a hundred people there.”

  It cracked me up that everyone called Charlie Big C.

  “I’m a very friendly guy.” Charlie shrugged her off. “Anyway, Sharon walks in wearing this crazy, white, see-through, lacy, fluffy number.” He raised his eyebrows up and down. “She turned quite a few heads.”

  I smiled and turned to Sharon. I knew by their banter that she’d have something to say.

  “You make it sound like I was dressed like a freaking swan!” she said over her wineglass. “It was a Halloween party. I was Madonna. Everyone dressed as Madonna in the late eighties.”

  “I didn’t dress like Madonna,” Charlie quipped, and took a sip of his own drink.

  “Who’s Madonna?” a tall, black boy with hair cropped close to his head on the sides and an amazing fade on top asked when he came into the room from some back entrance.

  “Oh, my heart!” Sharon set her wineglass on the counter and covered her chest with both hands. “Haven’t I taught you boys anything?”

  “Indie this is Calvin, one of my youngest brothers,” Jason said, introducing him. “Where’s Nate?”

  “Hey, Indie.” A smile spread across Calvin’s face. “Nice to finally meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.”

  “He was right behind me.” Calvin looked over his shoulder, toward the way he came in. “But he might not want to show his face, since I just schooled him on the court.”

  “You won by one point!” a kid yelled from a room off the kitchen. There must be a back door over there. A boy who looked almost identical to Calvin entered the room; the only difference was hairstyle. His was pulled back in neat cornrows.

  “Keep it down, boys,” Sharon told them in a hushed tone. “Holden is sleeping upstairs.”

  “He should wake up,” Nate said. “We brought all of our Legos up from the basement for him to play with.”

  “All of them?” Charlie asked.

  “No, not all of them. Just a few buckets,” he corrected himself.

  “He dumped three buckets in the living room,” Calvin said. Nate immediately kicked his shin.

  Calvin’s leg buckled and he went down. “Ow!”

  Sharon set down her paring knife. “Nathan! Apologize to your brother immediately.”

  “Sorry,” Nate mumbled. Then he threw in a “jerk.”

  “Now go pick up all the Legos and put them in the buckets. We don’t even know if Holden can play with them. He’s only three.”

  Nate left the room, but not without throwing his brother a dirty look before he did.

  Suddenly, the bells hanging from the front door handle jingled, alerting us to another visitor.

  “Cello!” A voice called into the kitchen.

  Must be a family thing.

  Landon entered the kitchen, and gave everyone a hug, even me, though it was my first time meeting him, as well.

  “Where’s Gaby?” Jason asked.

  “Working. She’s bummed she couldn’t make it.” Landon lifted the lid off the pot of spaghetti sauce and dipped in a spoon.

  “How is it?” Sharon looked up from cutting red peppers. Her question surprised me. My mom always swatted me and Damien away when we tried to taste her sauce before dinner. It was interesting uncovering all the little differences between families.

  “Amazing.” Landon licked the spoon again. “Who made it?”

  “I did,” Sharon said.

  “It’s not Big C’s famous Bolognese?” The way Landon emphasized the pronunciation of Bolognese led me to believe he was poking fun at his father.

  “The famous Bolognese recipe he learned from a little old Italian lady as he trekked through the wineries of Italy?” Jason asked.

  The two of them cracked up laughing at their own jokes.

  “Simmer down there, Bolognese boys. I make the best ragu on the planet,” Charlie said, joining in on the joke.

  “Oh, now it’s ragu. Look at Big C, throwing out his entire Italian vocabulary,” Jason added.

  “I bet that dirty old lady taught you how to make a great ragu,” Landon added.

  “Oh, now stop that!” Sharon chastised him, though she’d been laughing the entire time.

  I had the feeling this type of banter was everyday interaction in the Taylor house. They traded barbs back and forth like a verbal ping-pong match. I didn’t know who to look at, or where the next laugh would come from. But with each joke and jab, there was underlying respect and love.

  If it wasn’t already loud enough, another visitor, who introduced herself as Aunt Vera, burst through the door. A few minutes later, Holden woke up.

  The excitement in the house went from casually meeting the parents to a full-blown party within five minutes.

  As soon as I brought Holden downstairs, Sharon and Aunt Vera were all over him. Sharon took him out of my arms immediately.

  “Can I take him in the other room?” she asked me. “I brought home books and games from my classroom.”

  As a kindergarten teacher for over twenty-five years, I knew she’d be awesome with him, but I stood up to join them anyway. I was used to looking after Holden at my own family gatherings. I rarely had a chance to sit back and gab with the adults.

  “Sit down and relax,” Sharon insisted. “I’ll get him set up in the other room. The boys have been so excited for a little guy to play with.”

  “Thank you.” I sat back down and found myself lost in the guys’ conversation about hockey.

  “All I know is I would punch that Rolando kid’s lights out. He’s a punk. Reminds me of Claude Lemieux. Starts a bunch of shit, then goes down with his hands over his head like a fucking turtle shrinking into his shell,” Jason said.

  Damien would have two cents to throw into this conversation, but I didn’t, so I just sat back and sipped my drink, which I realized had been refilled.

  Charlie must have noticed my quizzical look, because he winked and said, “I spruced you up.”

  “Thanks.”

  Jason leaned in and asked, “Having fun?”

  “Yes,” I answered. His family was so welcoming and easygoing. Though I hadn’t been sure what to expect before, my anxiety had faded as soon as I sat down. The family dynamic was where I felt most comfortable, probably because it was all I’d ever known. Sitting among the Taylor family was just as effortless as being with my own.

  Jason slid a hand into my hair and lowered his lips to mine, kissing me right in front of his dad and brother. Instead of embarrassment, all I felt was the warmth of his touch and the flipping of my insides.

  Aunt Vera came back into the room. “I gotta get to the bar. Good to meet you, Indie. Hope to see you again.” Without waiting for my response, she turned to Landon. “You and your buddies coming in tonight?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be there after the game.” Landon looked at his watch. “When are we eating? Game starts at seven.”

  “I’ll ask Mom.” Charlie gave Vera a kiss on the cheek and left the room. “Tell Brian I said hello.”

  “Aunt Vera and Uncle Brian own a bar downtown. She’s not a super lush on a strict schedule to get wasted,” Jason explained.

  “Speaking of going out, do you guys want to go to the Pilots game tonight?” Landon asked.

  “Wanna go?” Jason left the decision to me.

  “Two hockey games in one day? I’m not sure my heart can handle that,” I joked. Jason knew I wasn’t that big of a hockey fan. I liked it and had fun at games, but I wasn’t a two-games-in-one-day kind of girl. “Plus, Holden can’t stay up for a seven o’clock game.”

  “No worries.” Jason winked. “We’ll make it to another game sometime.”

 
“Why don’t you go?” I suggested. “Holden’s going to go to bed after dinner. I can catch up on reading or hang out with your mom.”

  Jason and Landon both looked at me wide-eyed.

  “What?” I asked. Had I said something wrong? Did their parents turn into bloodsucking vampires when their sons left?

  “You just volunteered to hang out at your boyfriend’s parents’ house without him. You just met them,” Landon said.

  “Is that not allowed? Are they gonna eat my brains when you leave?” I swiveled my head from brother to brother, eyes wide with mock fear.

  “It’s cool,” Jason said. “Really cool. Are you sure you don’t mind if I go? I feel bad leaving you.”

  “I’m exhausted. I rarely get a weekend off, and honestly, I just want to relax. Hanging out here and drinking a few more transfusions with your parents sounds like a blast.”

  “Is she for real?” Landon asked right in front of me.

  “I’m for real.”

  “And you won’t be pissed if he goes out tonight without you?”

  “Why would I be pissed?” Should I be pissed? I’d been alone too long to give a shit about stuff like that. I just wanted to curl up on a couch and chill out.

  “You are the coolest girl alive,” Jason told me.

  “Second coolest,” Landon countered.

  “Bet Gaby’s never hung out with Mom and Dad without you.”

  “She hangs out with them alone all the time.”

  Jason laughed. “Mom and Dad shopping at Bertucci Produce when Gaby is working doesn’t count as hanging out alone.”

  “Shut up.”

  “What are you guys planning?” Charlie asked when he came back into the room. Sharon followed behind him.

  “Can I help you with anything?” I asked when Sharon pulled a long loaf of French bread out of their pantry. I felt like a complete jerk for not asking earlier.

  “Nope.” She turned around and pressed a few buttons on the oven, starting the preheat process. “I just have to cut it into smaller pieces. It’ll take me two seconds.” When she met my eyes, she smiled. “But thank you.”

  Both Charlie and Sharon seemed excited when they heard that I’d be hanging out with them while the boys went to the Pilots game.

  Charlie stood behind Jason and rubbed his shoulders. “I can’t wait to get your old school pictures out,” he said to tease him.

  “Go ahead. I’ve always been hot,” Jason said.

  “Remember that one from the second grade where his pants were pulled up so high you can see them in the picture?” Sharon asked.

  “On second thought, I may stay home tonight,” Jason said.

  “Oh, no you don’t. You’re going out with your brother and I’m going to spend all night looking at embarrassing photos.” I patted his leg, giddy at being part of the wisecracking family dynamic. “I have no doubt you were a cutie.”

  “Damn right. Did you see my senior picture on the wall? I was voted hottest dude to go to school ever.”

  “Ever?” I asked.

  “Ever,” Jason confirmed. Which brought a roar of laughter from his family.

  —

  Jason and Landon left shortly after dinner. Holden was exhausted from playing with Calvin and Nate, and he crashed not long after that. I changed into a comfy T-shirt and pajama pants and contemplated my next move. Should I go downstairs and hang out with Sharon and Charlie, or were they just being nice because I said Jason could go out without me? Was I being a weirdo for staying home when I just met them?

  I glanced at the clock in the guest room, which told me it was only 7:23. I’d look like a total jerk if I didn’t at least go down and say good night.

  When I rounded the corner into the kitchen, the room was empty. As I listened for sound coming from another part of the house, Charlie walked in. I jumped, startled at his appearance.

  “Did Holden go down okay?” he asked.

  “Yes. He was exhausted.”

  “Good. He had a lot of activity today.” He grabbed a bottle of red wine and some glasses from the wet bar. Then he nodded toward the room off the kitchen Calvin and Nate had come through earlier. “Come on, we’re playing Rock Band.”

  I didn’t think I’d heard him correctly, but sure enough, when I walked into the family room in the back of the house, the Taylors had the full band set up. Calvin sat behind the drums, Sharon gripped a guitar, and Nate stood at a microphone stand.

  “Grab a guitar, Indie. We need a bassist,” Sharon called, adjusting her fingers on the top buttons of her plastic guitar.

  Coolest family ever.

  “Have you played before?” Nate asked.

  “Have I played before?” I scoffed. “Watch me rock this.”

  Damien and I had played Guitar Hero at every single opportunity until we both beat the game. Technically, I’d never played Rock Band, but I was sure it was the same.

  I spent my evening drinking red wine and playing a loud, crazy videogame with the Taylors. It was the coolest family experience, outside of my own, that I’d ever had.

  Chapter 15

  Jason

  It felt abnormal standing among the sea of Detroit Pilots jerseys at Martin Arena, though Landon had been with another team for only half a season. Since he had been traded to the Detroit Red Wings over the summer, I had no reason to see a Pilots game while visiting my family.

  I’d attended Landon’s first game with the winged wheel proudly displayed on his chest, but the hockey team I coached made the play-offs and I had to travel for those games. Between that schedule and work, it became almost impossible to make it to Detroit as much as I’d like.

  Yet here I was on a freezing November night, because, according to Mom, Landon desperately needed brother time.

  “Feel weird being back here?” I scanned the new fittings of Martin Arena.

  Last season had been the Pilots’ first at Martin after playing a few years in Robinson Arena, a decrepit Detroit landmark. Instead of renovating Robinson, Stan Martin, local furniture giant and owner of the Pilots, built a new arena. And he’d spared no expense.

  “A little,” Landon admitted. “But I’m much happier to be at Joe Louis, ya know?”

  “I’ll be happier when they finish their new arena. Great memories at the Joe, but the D deserves another place like this.” I patted the Pilots-blue armrest between us.

  “Right?” Landon agreed. Then he pointed his water bottle at the gigantic scoreboard hanging from the rafters. “Look at that screen.”

  “So, what’s up?” I asked. Enough small talk. It felt like a lame first date.

  Landon swiveled to look at me. “With what?”

  “I know you’re pissed. So just talk to me.”

  “I’m not pissed. I’m just…” He paused to take a sip of his water. Then he gave me a sidelong glance. “Did you bring Indie to the wedding?”

  Shit. Landon would be pissed that Indie got to go to Auden and Aleksandr’s wedding when he didn’t have the chance. I shifted in my seat. My brother knew the answer by my silence.

  “I didn’t even get to go to the wedding!”

  “It was a block away from her office,” I explained.

  Landon turned his head and stared at center ice with a stupid, pouty glare that made me want to smack him.

  “You were in Toronto,” I continued. Landon had been on a Canadian road trip with the Wings when Auden and Aleksandr got married.

  “I totally could have flown back for it,” Landon snapped.

  “No. You couldn’t. That’s not how it works.”

  He dropped his head, and his shoulders shook as he nodded. “Yeah, I know. But Sasha’s my best friend and I wanted to be there. You got to bring your girlfriend.”

  Sasha, as people close to Aleksandr Varenkov know him, and Landon became friends almost instantly. They’d both been drafted in the same year and played the majority of their minor-league careers together. Since moving to Bridgeland, I understood the pain of being away from my best
friends.

  “Indie’s known Auden longer than either of us have,” I said, defending myself.

  “You and Auden have been all buddy-buddy and I’m left out in the cold.” Landon’s pout morphed into a scowl. “I’m losing my best friend and my brother to the same person at the same time.”

  So that’s what he’s pissed about.

  “I thought you liked Auden?”

  “I do. She’s awesome. And it was cool when she and Sasha started dating, but now she gets you, too. And you were at their wedding, but I couldn’t be. I’ve known them longer.”

  I swiveled my head left and right before I lowered my voice and spoke. “Dude, when was the sex change?”

  “What?” He whipped his head toward me.

  “You sound like a fucking girl. Get over it. You haven’t lost either of us. Life isn’t static. People move and travel and grow.”

  “I know that,” Landon said.

  “I’m on your side.” I leaned back into the hard, molded plastic of the arena seat. “You should have been there. But they wanted to do it before Aleksandr’s next road trip. If I’ve learned anything about either of them, it’s that they don’t make sense to anyone but each other. It was probably Russian fertility day or something.”

  “Did they throw salt over their shoulders and spit at mirrors or anything like that?” Landon asked.

  I snorted at the tongue-in-cheek mention of Aleksandr’s numerous superstitions. Aleksandr had Landon worried he’d have bad luck until he was ninety-nine, despite the fact that Landon had never even heard of half the myths Aleksandr believed in.

  “No. It was pretty traditional.”

  Landon leaned in and lowered his voice. “You think she’s pregnant?”

  “No!” I exclaimed. Though it could be true. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. I just didn’t want to believe it. “Auden’s just as weird as Aleksandr.”