by Meg Benjamin
“Still talking to Sherice, I imagine.” Mom’s lips firmed. “Running away with a child like that. I don’t know what got into her. Disgraceful.”
Dad appeared behind them, holding two glasses of wine. “Here, Millie, drink up. There’s more where that came from.” He gave Pete one of his calmly beatific smiles. What was one more crisis after thirty-plus years of them?
Pete kept his expression carefully bland. “So Sherice let you bring Daisy back to the rehearsal dinner?”
“Let me? She put the child down.” All of a sudden his mother’s voice was trembling. “Daisy was crying, and Sherice just put her down on a picnic table. Like she was some kind of package that had got too heavy to hold. I picked her up.”
Dad reached out to pat her shoulder, giving Pete a narrow-eyed look, but Mom had just gotten started. Her chin rose to a dangerous angle. “Daisy’s staying right here with us. Just let her try and stop me. Daisy wants to go to the wedding, don’t you, sweetheart.”
“Ma!” Daisy crowed at her.
Pete’s mouth dropped open, but he shut it quickly. “Right. Would you like some food, Mom?”
“If you please. You can hold Daisy.”
Daisy’s lower lip began to tremble as she looked at him. Clearly, Pete was not her uncle of choice at the moment.
“I’ll take her.” Cal swept her up into his arms. “Come on, sweetie, you can come drool on Aunt Docia.”
“Da!” Daisy agreed.
Pete watched them go. “Is she always going to think I’m a monster after that scene with Sherice?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” His mother sighed. “I need more wine too.”
Pete took a bottle of viognier and poured her a healthy amount. “So you picked Daisy up. Then what happened?”
Mom sipped her wine and then pursed her lips. “I like the wine I get at home in a box better than this, but I suppose it’s okay. Yes, I picked her up, and your father and I left.”
“Sherice didn’t object?”
Dad grimaced. “Sherice was too busy telling Lars how much money she expected him to give her for the privilege of divorcing her. I don’t think she noticed we’d taken Daisy with us.”
“She wasn’t paying any attention to Daisy at all.” Mom took another sip, this time without the pursing. Her voice trembled again. “I think she’d forgotten all about that child, except as a bargaining chip.”
Pete took a sip of his own wine. Unlike Mom, he felt no urge to pour himself something out of a box. “So does this mean you’re not trying to get Lars and Sherice to stay together?”
Mom stared down her glass, her gray eyes bleak. “It’s better if parents stay together, Peter. Usually, that is. But Sherice isn’t a good mother for Daisy, and I don’t think she’s good enough for Lars either. I never did, you know. I just pretended. For Lars’s sake.”
Pete couldn’t resist. “So what do you think about Docia?”
Dad looked like he was holding his breath. Mom sipped and shrugged. “She seems nice enough. At least she’s not after his money.”
“Definitely,” Pete agreed, watching Billy Kent bring Reba a glass of wine, “since she has tons and he doesn’t have any.”
“He does quite well.” His mother straightened her shoulders. “He has a very successful practice. Your father and I are both proud of him. As we are of all of you. Except…” She turned to look at him again. “You need to get married and settle down, Peter. And find a new job. That Polk County Attorney’s Office has wrung you dry. It’s time you found a job that didn’t make you sick.”
Pete’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly. He felt a little like a guppy. “I’ll think about it,” he croaked finally, then took a deep breath. “What do you think of Janie Dupree?”
Dad squinted across the room, studying Janie. “She’s lovely. And a very sweet girl.”
Mom nodded. “You could do a lot worse. And you have, as I recall.”
Pete blew out a quick breath. “Yes, ma’am.”
Mom patted his hand, absently. “You’re a good boy. Now go find us some food.”
Lee and his waiter were laying out a buffet on a table by the wall—cheeses and breads, fish, ham, turkey and grilled vegetables for Cal.
“How about that?” Cal grinned. “For once, Mom isn’t trying to turn me into a carnivore.”
“Mom is…a revelation.” Pete began filling a plate. “Where’s Daisy?”
“Playing peek-a-boo with Docia.” Cal gestured at the fireplace where Docia and Janie were taking turns making Daisy laugh. “So where’s Lars?”
“With any luck, putting Sherice on a fast plane to Des Moines. But I wouldn’t count on it.”
Wonder appeared at Cal’s elbow, plate in hand. “Thank god! I was afraid all this drama was going to put me off my feed. Clearly, it hasn’t.”
“Clearly.” Cal grinned at him too. “We all know the perils of putting you off your feed.”
“Indeed.” Allie slipped her arm into Wonder’s. “Come on, gents, let’s eat!”
The bridesmaids took charge of Daisy, although Pete wasn’t entirely sure how it happened. One moment Daisy had been his mother’s problem, the next moment she’d moved onto Bethany’s lap and Allie was playing pat-a-cake, for which, as a baker, she had a natural flair.
Mom sat at a table with Reba and Billy. She was actually smiling for a change, but Pete wasn’t sure how long that would last. Probably until she bit into Lee’s take on potato salad—with anchovies.
He pulled his cell off his belt and checked the voice mail again. Nothing. Not even a text. What the hell was Claire Larkin doing?
A bowl of mashed potatoes and something that looked like squash had magically appeared on the table near Daisy. Erik dropped it and moved back quickly, as if he thought she might bite. However, the only uncle she was apparently interested in gnawing on was Pete, who provoked incipient tears every time he walked into her line of sight.
Pete felt close to tears himself. “Come on, Dais,” he pleaded with her after he’d brought her a brownie. “I’m the one who taught you how to wade in the creek, remember?”
Daisy gave him an uncertain look, then stuck out her lower lip in protest.
“Come on, Daisy. You used to like me.”
“Daisy!” Lars stood in the doorway, smiling at her. “Stop torturing your Uncle Pete.”
“Da!” Daisy shrieked, wriggling off Docia’s lap.
Allie sighed, watching her totter across the room to her father. “I want one of those.”
A moment of profound silence spread while everyone avoided looking at Wonder.
“Better watch yourself, Doc.” Horace grinned in Wonder’s direction.
“Nonsense,” Docia said crisply. “We all want one of those. I just want a guarantee that they’ll be as cute as she is.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Cal murmured, nuzzling her ear.
Lars slid into a chair next to Pete. “Food.” He sighed. “And drink. Mostly drink.”
Pete passed him a bottle of syrah. They’d moved on to the reds, and it looked like there was a lot more where they came from. “Glad you could make it.”
“Me too.” Lars loaded up his plate with protein. “And no, I did not bring my wife back with me. I hope nobody’s disappointed.”
“I’m pretty sure we’ll all bear up.” Pete took the bottle from Lars and poured himself a glass. “So where is she?”
Lars took a large swallow of wine, then leaned back in his chair. “Headed back to Iowa, I trust. I figure she wants to get there before I do so that she can liquidate every asset she can get her hot little hands on. Fortunately, she can’t empty out the bank accounts.” He sighed. “I think I can guarantee I’ve got a really hellish year ahead of me.”
“I know some divorce lawyers who could probably declaw her. I can give you a list.” Pete handed him a plate of cheese and olives.
Lars shook his head. “I’ll give her anything she wants, as long as she gives me Daisy. That’s the only non-ne
gotiable part of this debacle.”
Pete sighed. “Lars, you don’t have to cave.”
“No, bro.” Lars took another deep swallow of syrah. “I don’t care about any of the rest of it, so help me. If she’ll sign off on Daisy she can have the house and the cars.”
“And you’ll live where? With the folks?” Pete glanced at Daisy, currently giggling on Allie’s lap.
Lars blew out a breath, staring at the metal star hanging over the fireplace. “To tell you the truth, I was sort of thinking about here.”
“Here?” Pete blinked at him. “You mean Texas?”
“Right.” Lars gave him a slightly lopsided grin. “I assume they need accountants in Texas. Even in Konigsburg. Is that so shocking?”
Pete frowned, watching the bridesmaids fuss over Daisy. The shocking thing was—the thought wasn’t shocking at all. In fact, living in Konigsburg sounded almost, well, nice.
Sighing, he picked up his cell to check his messages again.
Janie told herself she wasn’t tipsy. She did feel remarkably relaxed and good natured, but that was perfectly normal. She hadn’t counted the glasses of wine she’d drunk, but she was sure they weren’t that many.
She looked around the room. Cal, Lars and Pete stood in front of the fireplace, talking earnestly. Their parents were sitting with Reba and Billy in a slightly stiff version of friendliness. Other guests moved around the room talking. The whole thing was very pleasant, in a sort of waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop kind of way.
Docia pushed a large, very gooey brownie in her direction. “Here, toots, have something to eat. You didn’t even have the grilled veggies.”
“I did eat something.” Janie paused, considering. “Didn’t I? I must have.”
“Brownies,” Docia repeated. “The staff of life.”
Janie took a bite of brownie and suddenly felt very good natured indeed. “God, Docia, we’re almost through with this.”
Docia rapped her knuckles on the table. “Don’t even mention getting through it, Janie, I swear. Did you check the weather forecast? Are we due for a tsunami?”
“All the weather web sites say it’s clear sailing.” She patted Docia’s hand a little clumsily. “It’ll be all right, I promise.”
Docia sighed. “Janie, you are not responsible for the success of this wedding. Or its failure. You’ve been a good soldier, but now it’s time to let up a little. Have some fun.”
“I’ve already had fun,” Janie mumbled, glancing unwillingly at Pete where he leaned against the fireplace with his brothers, looking at his cell again.
Docia followed her glance, her eyes softening. “He’s a nice guy, Pete Toleffson. He tried his best to be a jerk at the beginning, but it just didn’t work for him.”
“No,” Janie agreed. “It wouldn’t.”
“Too bad he’s not from around here. Not that he won’t be back to visit.” Docia gave Janie a faintly guilty look. “I mean he and Cal are close. But, well, you know. He’s got his county attorney job back in Iowa. And he’s really conscientious about it, according to Cal. Maybe a little too conscientious.”
“It’s okay, Docia, I know he’s not going to stick around here.” Janie managed to give her something that resembled a calm smile. “I’m okay with it.”
“Yeah, right.” Docia narrowed her eyes. “You suck at deception.”
“What do you want me to say? Whether I’m okay with it or not, he’s still going to leave. I might as well try to make the best of it.”
Docia shook her head. “When I get back from the honeymoon, I’m going to work on this, finding a way to get you hooked up with somebody who deserves a girl like you. This is, of course, assuming we don’t run into some new disaster tomorrow that screws up the honeymoon.”
“Docia, for heaven’s sake!” Janie rapped her knuckles on the table. “Don’t even think about any more disasters, okay?”
“More disasters?” Cal pulled Docia to her feet. “Come on, I’m taking you home. Clearly, you’ve had enough wine for the evening.”
“Oh, no, not yet,” Docia protested. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to Lee and Ken to make sure they’re all straight about tomorrow.”
Cal sighed. “Okay, let’s do it now and then wander on. We’ve got a wedding tomorrow morning.”
“That’s right.” Docia frowned. “I’ll have to stay with Mama tonight, I guess.”
Cal stared at her. “Your mother? Why would you stay with your mother?”
“You’re not supposed to see me before the wedding, Calthorpe,” Docia explained patiently.
“But that’s not until tomorrow. Why can’t I see you tonight?” Cal looked stricken.
“Oh, guts up!” Docia grinned at him. “It’s only one night.” She headed toward the doorway and Lee.
Cal stared after her. “Disaster,” he groaned. “I should have known.”
Janie gathered her purse and slid her shoes back on. Pete stood in a corner, talking into his cell. She considered going up to him for a moment, then rejected it. After all, she’d just told Docia she was making the best of things. Maybe that meant putting some distance between the two of them now, before she had to say goodbye to him tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next.
The one thing that was certain was that she’d say goodbye to him eventually. So maybe it was time to be a grown-up. After all, putting pain off didn’t make it any better.
Or something like that.
She walked slowly toward the entrance, hoping against hope that Pete would notice her leaving and come after her. At the door she turned one last time. His back was toward her as he leaned into a corner, talking on his phone. Janie bit her lip.
God, Janie, you are pathetic. She squared her shoulders and walked out the door to the parking lot.
Outside, she stood by her car trying to decide whether to drive or not. She really hadn’t had all that much to drink, but it would be truly embarrassing to be picked up for DUI the day before the wedding. Lee wouldn’t care if she left her car here for now.
She turned and started walking toward Main.
“Janie?” a man called from the darkness.
She knew who the man was before she saw him, and for a moment she thought about walking on without saying anything to him. But he’d probably just follow her.
“What is it, Otto?”
“Eating dinner with the swells?” Otto sneered.
Janie turned to look at him, keeping her expression neutral. “This was the rehearsal dinner. The wedding’s tomorrow.”
Otto looked even worse than he had the last time she’d seen him. His hair needed brushing, and he hadn’t shaved for a while. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt instead of his usual polo shirt and khakis. He stepped closer, and Janie smelled stale beer.
She was suddenly absolutely sober. “I need to get home. I have to get up early in the morning. Good night, Otto.”
“Good girl.” Otto reached toward her, sliding his finger along the inside edge of her collar. “You’re always such a good girl.”
Janie pulled back from him slightly. She wasn’t afraid of him. He was just Otto, for god’s sake.
He stepped closer again, his hand closing around her upper arm. “What’ll you do when this is all over, Janie? When they all take off again. When he goes back home to wherever it is he comes from.”
She stood very still, keeping her breathing even. “I need to go home now, Otto. Let go of my arm.”
He leaned over her. His breath, hot and faintly moist, fanned against her cheek. She smelled the cigarette smoke on his clothes. “You wouldn’t do it with me, but you’ll do it with him. What does that make you, Janie? How about a kiss for old time’s sake? Or are you too good for that now? How about more than that? Maybe I could show you a few things he can’t.”
“I think you should let the lady go,” a man said from the doorway. He stepped forward into the lot. “Since that’s what she wants.”
Janie stared up at his silhouette against the parking
lot lights. At first, she thought the man was Pete, but the body wasn’t quite right.
“Who the hell are you?” Otto growled.
“I’m Erik Toleffson,” Erik said quietly, “and I believe the lady asked you to let her go.”
Otto blinked at him. “Erik Toleffson? Never heard of you.”
Erik’s mouth moved into the ghost of a smile. “I’m the one they don’t talk about.”
“Well, stay the hell out of my way, Erik Toleffson,” Otto snarled. “You’ve got no business here. This is my girl and I’ll hold onto her if I want to. We got stuff to talk about that doesn’t concern you.”
Erik turned to Janie. “Ms. Dupree, would you like to go back inside?”
Janie swallowed. “I think I would, yes.”
“Let her go.” Erik’s silhouette seemed much bigger all of a sudden.
Otto dropped her arm, then took two steps toward Erik. “Look, asshole, I told you to butt out! Goddamn Yankees coming down here from goddamn Yankeeland. Texas for Texans!”
Janie snorted. “Oh for heaven’s sake, Otto, your folks moved down here from Indiana when you were in middle school. I remember.”
But Otto had apparently reached his limit. He swung a fist toward Erik’s face.
A couple of things happened at once. The door swung open behind them and Janie was suddenly aware of people standing in the entrance. Erik moved back easily, and Otto’s fist swung by his face, missing him by several inches.
“Oh for Christ’s sake, Friedrich, not again. Knock it off!” The voice sounded like Horace. The people at the door started to move toward them.
Otto swung again, and Erik ducked again. “I’m going to give you one last chance here,” he said. “Walk away now, and you won’t get hurt.”
“Fuck you. I’m not the one who’ll be getting hurt.” Otto swung one last time.
Erik ducked under the punch and brought his knee up squarely and very hard between Otto’s legs.
Otto collapsed to the asphalt in a gasping, retching heap.
Erik leaned over him almost casually. “Now here’s where you’re in luck because I’m a reformed man. If I weren’t, I’d be wailing away on you right now. I might break your nose.” He touched the bridge of Otto’s nose lightly. “Maybe knock out a few teeth. Definitely make it so you couldn’t walk away from here without a lot of help. But because I don’t do that stuff anymore, you’re just getting off with sore nuts.”