BRIDGER (9 page)

We filed into the tiny home, tossing our bags to the side of the door.
 
Crossing the threshold, I was bombarded by the wonderful scents of fresh bread, cinnamon, and vanilla.
 
It was like walking into an old, rustic home you would see in the movies.
 
A fireplace was roaring, surrounded by an assortment of mismatched chairs filling the room.
 
Open rafters made of red wood overhead made the eclectic array of furniture feel perfect for the home.
 
It reminded me of a ski lodge.
 

A woman of mammoth proportions made her way out of the kitchen. That had to be the source of wonderful scents.
 
I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until smelling the wonderful cooking. She wiped her hands on an already overused apron as she walked toward us.

The woman was easily six-foot-three, a solid two hundred fifty pounds.
 
She wasn’t overweight, but completely muscular.
 
It didn’t detract from her femininity, though.
 
Quite the opposite, actually.
 
She looked agile despite her large frame and her waves of red hair framed her angular face, giving her a warm glow.

She pulled off her apron and tossed it across the back of the nearest armchair. “Ah, are these our guests?”

Once again I found myself being crushed in a rib-breaking hug from someone I had no previous recollection of.
 
These people loved their hugs.

“Um, hello,” I said.

She flashed a brilliant smile, letting go after a few moments. “Hello, hello! I’m Theresa, but you can call me Tess.
 
I’m Liam’s mum.
 
You’ll be staying with us.”

Confused, I looked to Jesse for answers.

“There’s not enough room at my place for everyone, so Liam offered for us to stay with him.” Jesse explained, nodding in the direction of Desmond and Issac, who had headed off to begin raiding the kitchen.

“Oh, are the rest of the guys staying with us, too?”
 
I was afraid we would be falling out the windows of this already cramped house if they returned.

“No, they’ll go back to my place.
 
They’re family, but Desmond, Issac, and Liam have offered to show you two a good time.
 
Me too, of course, if you’ll have me,” Jesse smiled, grabbing Tess’ apron and putting it on.
 
He moved toward the kitchen.
 
“Tess, what still needs to be done?”

Tess laughed, smacking him with the mixing spoon she was still holding. “Oh, don’t play that game, Jesse.
 
I know all you want to do is get close to the food!”

Jamie looked frustrated.
 
Confused on what could have upset her now, I turned to her as the rest of the group dissipated into the kitchen.
 
I wanted to follow, but knew better than to leave Jamie in one of her moods.
 
“What’s wrong, sis?”

Brows furrowed, Jamie looked toward the kitchen.
 
“Nothing, I just want to call Mark and let him know we made it okay.”

I hadn’t thought about that.
 
Although I knew Jamie would end up flirting shamelessly with any guy here that would stand still long enough, she would want to check in with her steady boyfriend.
 
Memaw and Mom would probably appreciate an update, not to mention Reese.
 
I had promised to stay in touch, after all.

I called into the kitchen loud enough to be heard over the clanging of pots and pans. “Do you have internet here, Tess?”

“Of course, dear.
 
You should be fine, Desmond just recently put in wireless.
 
Your family would probably like to hear from you,” she hinted, not knowing I was already on that page as well.

Jamie grabbed her purse and body bag of a suitcase, disappearing.
 
“I’m going to go find a room for us.”
 
She was being surprisingly aloof all of a sudden.
 
Weird.
 
I’d let her storm take its course.
 
If she was mad at me, I would hear about it at some point.
 
Jamie wasn’t one to bottle too much up.

I grabbed my computer and walked into the kitchen, not wanting to distance myself from the perpetual happiness this group had.
 
They made it impossible not to smile.
 
It was nice.
 
Sitting down, I opened Skype, hoping Mom remembered to leave hers ready.

“Remember, there’s a six hour time difference, so it’s eight in the morning in Ohio right now,” Issac called over from the pantry.
 
He was grabbing bags of unknown substances, undoubtedly for Tess to continue whipping up whatever concoction she was creating over the stove.

“They should be up, my mom insisted on me letting her know we were here the minute we touched down,” I joked.

Sure enough, Mom was already logged in and calling before I even had the chance to look back at the screen.
 
Clicking to answer, the little green light on my webcam sprang to life.
 
Mom and Memaw were looking at me, smiling.

Mom breathed a sigh of relief as though she had expected the plane to burst into flames over the Atlantic.
 
She had the tendency to be a worst-case scenario worrier. “You got there safe!”

Tess leaned over my shoulder to wave to my mom. “Sure did, Sarah.
 
Hi, Emily.”

“Hi, Tess,” they said at once.
 
My mom smiled at the large woman threatening to crush me from behind.
 
“It’s good to see you again.”

Unaware that Mom knew our cousins let alone their friends, I looked at her questioningly.
 
If she caught my gaze, she didn’t acknowledge it.

Mom moved to the side, allowing Memaw to take precedence in the camera. “I won’t keep you.
 
I’m sure you’re hungry and excited to see the sights.
 
Please keep in touch and send us lots of pictures!”

“Ash, where’s Jamie?” Memaw asked.
 

Why did she care?
 
If Jamie had been arrested in Manchester for physically assaulting the luggage handler, Memaw probably would have broke into a touchdown dance while singing the “I told you so” song.

Shrugging, I grinned into the camera.
 
“She’s Skyping Mark, I think.
 
She went to scope out a room for us.”

“I see,” she said, looking up at Tess.
 
I looked back at her, worried.

“Should I tell her you had a specific room for us?”

“No, no, you’re fine taking whatever room you want.
 
The boys will sleep in the living room most likely anyway.
 
They all have night jobs so there won’t be much trouble with sleeping arrangements.”

“How is your Liam, anyway?” Memaw asked Tess, grinning now.
 
Uh oh.
 
She was up to something.

Liam was sitting across the table, legs across two chairs and back against the wall, reading something.
 
His eyes were stuck in the same place on the page.
 
He was listening to his mother’s conversation as much as I was.

Tess returned Memaw’s smile, leaning forward and pressing me down into the computer.
 
My face was practically smashed against the keyboard as Tess struggled to get her entire body into the frame of the tiny webcam.
 
“He’s great, Em, thanks for asking.”

“How old is he now?
 
He must be about Ashlyn’s age, right?” Mom called from outside the lens of the camera on their end.
 
They were trying to hook me up, half a world away.
 
That was a failure of an idea. I couldn’t even find someone in the entire high school.
 
I blushed, thankful my face was hidden from the boy across the table.
 
I hadn’t even talked to him and they were trying to get us married off.

“Sure is – he’s seventeen,” Tess confirmed.
 
“Only a year older than yours.
 
They grow up fast, don’t they?”

Memaw agreed. “They do, much too fast.
 
And how are you, Tess?
 
Anything new?”

I could tell this was a loaded question, though I had no clue why.
 
I glanced up from the corner of my eye that wasn’t pressed against a computer or a bosom.
 
Nothing like getting to know people intimately in ways you’d never dreamed of.
 
Tess’ face fell for the slightest moment, but she quickly pulled it back into her ever-present grin.
 
“No, not at all.
 
Sometimes no news is good news, right?”

“Indeed it is, my dear,” Memaw said, though sounding disappointed at the same time.
 
They were having a double conversation while I was having the keys of my MacBook permanently engrained into the side of my face.

Pulling away from the screen finally, Tess nodded once more.
 
“It was nice catching up with you, Sarah, Emily.
 
We’ll have to do it more often.”
 
I caught a glimpse of Tess’ necklace as she pulled away from me.
 
Comparing the pendant she wore against the one I had underneath my layers right now, it was the exact same.
 
My heart beat faster, realizing Memaw had connections she had never told me about.

I came up for air, rubbing the side of my face that was red from being against the warm computer.
 
My mind was racing a thousand miles an hour.
 
“I’m going to go find Jamie.
 
Can you keep Mom under control while I’m gone?” I asked Memaw, smiling while thinking of Memaw putting one of those kiddy leashes on Mom.
 
She was capable of it, no doubt.

Memaw smiled.
 
“That can be arranged.
 
Please be careful over there.
 
Stick with Jesse and the boys.
 
Don’t wander off by yourself, even if Jamie wants to.
 
Even though I wouldn’t mind Jamie getting lost, don’t let her out of your sight, either.”

I laughed.
 
“Can do, Memaw.
 
I love you.
 
Mom, I love you too.”

Mom’s hand appeared in the screen.
 
“Bye, hon!
 
Don’t forget the pictures! I’ll tell Chris you said hello!”

The last sight was Memaw laughing, trying to pull Mom back into the frame of the camera before the screen went black, ending our conversation.
 
It made me feel good to know they were enjoying one another.
 

Closing the lid of my computer, I looked back at Tess, confused.
 
I had a feeling Tess was more connected to our family than anyone was letting on.

Tess smoothed her apron and looked around.
 
I could tell she was flustered.
 
She forced a smile as she glanced between Liam and me.
 
“I guess getting the fire started for the evening would be good.
 
Do you want one in your room as well, Ashlyn?”

I blushed, realizing I was about to be alone with her son.
 
Minutes ago she and Memaw had verbally hinted at their desire to get us together.
 
She was already making her move to get the ball rolling.
 
“Uh, sure, Mrs. Walsh.
 
Thanks.”

“Its Tess, dear.
 
Tess.”
 
Smiling, she winked at Liam and then walked out of the kitchen, leaving us alone.
 

Neither of us spoke for a moment.
 
We were intentionally looking everywhere but at one another.
 
Finally, we caught each other’s eyes and smiled awkwardly.

“So. You’re Ashlyn.”
 
If I weren’t so nervous, this introduction would have been funny.
 
He was about as conversational as I was.