Chapter 36

Everyone we had invited managed to catch a morning flight out of their respective locations and Paige had scheduled the rides needed with the same efficiency with which she had set up all the other tasks. I had the Tahoe and I was picking up Frank, June and little Erin. Dad was given the use of the Audi to collect his Edwards in-laws, Evie took Grandma’s Caddie for the Swifts, while Paige took her truck to pick up Amber and her boyfriend. Yes, I said her truck, not mine.

It turns out that Paige owned the truck that her mother had used in the fall to come out to our jobsite with patterns and samples. It had been parked on our equipment yard since the move from the Goddard mansion, and I had thought nothing of it. When her ownership came to light, I asked why I had been driving her around to everything when she had her own wheels.

“Because you love me.”

How do you argue with that? So she had her truck while mine was left onsite in case there was a last-minute emergency. Outside of the people we were chauffeuring, everyone else had a rental car reserved and paid for by McKenzie Construction and had been sent detailed instructions on how to get from Atlanta to our house.

The West Coast planes landed within fifteen minutes of each other, and were the last to arrive. Evie and Paige left for Atlanta as soon as Paige could get out of school, caravanning down the highway to the airport. An hour later, Dad and I left for the city.

At the airport, Dad and I waited together while the flights landed and deplaned. With the baby, it didn’t matter that the Seattle flight was the earlier one, all five members of the Edwards clan arrived at baggage claim at the same time.

My first view of the only cousin I have was when June handed little Erin off to me to hold while she helped Frank with the bags. She pulled a bottle from the ubiquitous diaper bag every parent of a newborn has and tried to get Erin to latch on, but the crying sweetie in my arms didn’t want any of that.

I had an idea of what was bothering her, so I held her out at arm’s length, supporting her head and started making goofy faces. At first she didn’t know what to make of the stranger to whom she had been handed, but when she focused on me, her mouth started to mimic mine. I opened wide, with her following along, and I saw the moment her ears popped. She blinked a couple of times, the noises stopped, and she settled down.

Uncle Frank just shook his head. Aunt June was very grateful, hanging the diaper bag on my shoulder and pulling her daughter to her. They were a beautiful family, even if they were relatives of mine. It took a few minutes to get their bags, say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and then get the baby seat installed in the Tahoe. When I had Frank in the passenger seat with little Erin and her mother in the row behind, we pulled carefully out of the parking structure we were in and began the trip back home.

“You know, Tim, this Tahoe has enough room for six, and we came in at the same time as Mom and Dad. Why didn’t we all just ride together?” Pregnancy brain must have left Aunt June a little slow. I was pretty sure Frank knew.

“I’ll bet James wanted to talk to Laurence and Dottie before the weekend and the ride back gave him an opportunity to do that,” he posited. Yup, Frank figured it out.

“Oh. OH!” I handed the tissues from the center console to Frank and he made sure they got back to June. “Oh, that’s beautiful. Is that what’s happening, Tim?”

“He hasn’t said anything, but I’d put money on it.”

“Oh, then hurry up, but be careful and drive slowly. Baby on board!”

Frank just rolled his eyes.

An hour later, we were all caught up with our lives, mostly mine as theirs revolved around Erin and how many times can you report that the infant smiled or lifted her head or recognized you? She was a good baby though and she took after her mother – another beauty produced by the Edwards family.

We did have to make one stop on the way since we had forgotten to get a crib or a stroller. June directed me to the store she wanted, and after I had mentioned this was all on Dad’s dime, she picked out the bed and perambulator that she really desired. Dang, babies are expensive.

There were a lot of cars already at the house when we finally arrived back, pulling into the garage beside the Audi that had also returned. Grandma Edwards was immediately all over June and Erin in the way that grandparents are with a new mother and baby, leaving Grandpa to fetch and carry with me and Frank. I showed them the way to the in-law suite where Frank and June would be staying, before returning for the crib and other baby supplies.

After settling in, the three of us men opened boxes and looked at the assembly instructions for our new purchases. They weren’t too bad, although I’d need to get some tools in order to assemble the bed. After fifteen minutes of tightening screws and nuts, it was put together.

June came in just then with the other Edwards women. “Tim, where can we wash the baby’s bedding? If you don’t mind, we have some other things to launder too. It’s amazing how fast a baby on a trip can soil almost everything you own.”

“Hang on and I’ll get Paige to show you. She’s the laundry queen around here.”

That raised Frank’s eyebrow but he didn’t say anything.

“Okay. I’ll put Erin down for a nap and then you can give us a tour of your home and your girlfriend can show us where the laundry facilities are.”

I texted Paige, asking where she was – outside, and then asked if she could come in to meet my relatives – BRT. I knew she was behind me when both Grandpa’s and Frank’s eyes brightened.

“Grandma and Grandpa, I’d like you to meet Paige Mercer, my girlfriend and live-in companion.” I got slugged in the shoulder for that last part.

“We’re more roommates than live-in companions.”

“That doesn’t sound any better, Sweet Pea. Paige, you’ve met them on Skype, but these are my grandparents Dottie and Laurence Edwards, and you know June and Frank already. The other one is Erin.”

Paige was on her best behavior with my grandparents, hugging them and asking about their flight and the ride to the house. I could tell she really wanted to squeal with June over the baby, but she was holding it in.

“Paige, June needs to wash a few things. Can you show her where the machine is? I’m going to be taking everyone else on a tour of the house and we’ll meet you upstairs.”

She nodded, grabbed my aunt and left. We figured we could leave the baby to sleep in her car seat while we checked out the suite and then the rest of the house. After showing off the in-law space, we went downstairs for the game room, the work-out center and the safe room. The main floor was then toured, and the guys wanted to stay in the media room while Grandma was itching to see the upstairs. Guess who prevailed?

We did a quick tour of the various upstairs rooms, saving the master suite for last. That’s where we caught up to Paige and June in the bathroom. June was lying down in the big tub, amazed that she fit comfortably. She was telling Paige that she had wanted to do that in the last spec home we had built in Seattle but it sold too quickly. Grandma, too, was fairly taken by all of the amenities held in that space.

“Come on, let’s get outside and mingle,” Paige finally suggested. “You can ask Mom whether she’ll let you use her big tub, which she probably will. Mine isn’t quite as good, but it has water jets that massage you almost as well as Tim’s hands do. Mom says the same for her other tub in here. James’ hands, not Tim’s.”

Suddenly she realized whom it was she was sharing this with and just shut up, going red. Grandma’s laughter mingled with June’s.

After a minute, Paige calmed down.

“Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” Grandma promised. “Your mother is a lucky woman, and so are you.”

Me? I just got looks of, I think envy, from my male counterparts.

We collected the sleeping baby from downstairs and exited through the mud room. Of course the first people to notice us were Tara and Sandy. They had grown but were still recognizable after almost a year.

“TIM!” they screamed and began to run toward me from down by the gazebo where they were mingling with four other children close in age to them. I had to slow and calm them down before they killed someone, so I held a finger to my lips and pointed at the car seat. It offended me just a little when their formerly straight course deviated to Aunt June. Things got back on track after they had a few minutes of touching and smelling the youngest member of the clan.

“Tara, Sandy, how are you?” I had my arms around them as they hugged me.

“I’m Sandy and she’s Tara,” I was told, only this time I could tell them apart and knew they had been developing a wicked sense of humor.

“No you’re not. I got it right this time. So how have my first girlfriends been doing?”

They started filling me in both at the same time until I got overloaded. “Oh, hey you two, I need to introduce you to someone. Tara, Sandy, this is Paige. She’s my...”

“She’s Our girlfriend. We met already.”

I heard the capital ‘O’ in our. Well if they all were fine with it then so was I. Just to be sure I checked Paige and caught a smile.

“So where’s your cousin, or didn’t she come?”

“No, Mandy’s here. Some boy named Jake is showing her around.”

This time Paige glanced at my face and saw what I tried to hide. I think I made her day.

“Oh, my God! The Lady-whisperer is jealous.”

My head shook. “No, no ... I’m not jealous.” My eyes were scanning the property, not seeing the two of them. “I just don’t think that Jake is right for her.”

There was a jab to my shoulder from my housemate. “Dude, he has a girlfriend, and so do you.”

Tara and her sister were following this closely, “Girlfriends. Tim has girlfriends.”

Between my big mouth and theirs, I was going to be in trouble for the whole weekend. Paige herself saved me.

“Yes, Tim does. Now, can you go and find your cousin and get her away from Jake, please? Bring her over here so we can all start talking about Tim right in front of him.”

There were two squeals and the girls raced away. This was really going to be a long weekend.

While the errand was being run, I put my arm around young Ms. Mercer and we mingled, greeting everyone that we knew and acquainting ourselves with some of those that we didn’t. It was a curious mixture of people but everyone seemed to be getting along like long-lost family. We got separated when we came around again to the Emersons. Angie grabbed me and kidnapped me to the kitchen where Grandma had a huge pile of chicken and a dredge set up.

“I was talking to Candace earlier and she was telling me about your skills in this room. Apparently you got me in trouble with her and I want to know what you’re going to do about it.”

“Um, apologize? But you really have to try the chicken – between the two of us, and using some of your suggestions, we modified the recipe.”

I took a piece of skin, dipped it quickly in the wet dredge followed by the seasoned flour and then laid it in the hot oil beside Grandma. In thirty seconds it was done. “Try this.”

Angie blew on the piece that was offered until it was cool enough to actually taste. “Oh, that’s good, that’s really good. May I make a suggestion though?”

Grandma was interested, I could tell. “Please.”

“Tim, where’s your spice rack?”

I pointed, and she inventoried. Angie came back with smoked paprika and white pepper. Some of the first was poured into her hand and an eye measured the current quantity of flour present in Grandma’s bowl. A little more got added to the cupped palm and then placed in with the flour. The same happened to the pepper. She explained as she used a whisk to mix everything together.

“The paprika will add a little soul to it, and the white pepper hits the palate in a different location than regular black pepper. It should give just the right touch of depth to the seasonings.”

I wasn’t sure, but a couple more pieces of skin were liberated, seasoned and then fried. Grandma put her ego away and tried it as did I. Mrs. Emerson knew what she was talking about! Every note was deeper, more soulful. The trio of cooks had truly produced something masterful.

“You’re right,” Grandma admitted, looking for the recipe card where she kept our secret. She added a couple more ingredients to it. “This is really good. Now I have to be angry with you and not Tim.”

The ladies looked at each other and burst into laughter.

“Can I have a copy of that recipe, Candace? I have a restaurant in Chicago that serves comfort food, and this is the best Southern Fried Chicken I have ever tasted.” The look in Angie’s eyes was sincere.

“Restaurant? You want to serve my chicken in a restaurant?” Apparently she had surprised Grandma.

“It’s that good,” Angie assured her.

“Have Grandpa taste it.”

Grandma and I burst into laughter when I suggested that, but hands dutifully moved to separate a thigh from its brethren, dip it in buttermilk and flour and then apply the whitened piece to the oil bath. We stood around talking cooking and recipes as it crisped, Grandma telling tales on me out of school, the while.

“And then he put lemon zest in my apple pie, and Lionel didn’t know what to say when he tasted it. Lemon zest! I like to killed the boy that day, but then I’d have lost my first and only male grandchild.”

She had removed the chicken a few minutes back and now Grandma put it on a plate with a napkin. “Take this out to your grandfather and if you say a word to warn him you will be in deep trouble.”

I walked out holding the plate in front of me. Everyone in the back yard watched as the first bite of dinner was submitted to the king for his inspection and approval. Grandpa took it from me with a puzzled expression, but his appetite easily overruled his apprehension.

All eyes saw him take a bite, all ears heard the crunch, and Pavlov rang his bell. Ecstasy covered Lionel McKenzie’s face for a moment until he realized what had happened.

He reverently placed the plate down on the table beside him, took a deep breath and bellowed, “Candace, do I have to take a switch to the boy again?”

As an ‘in’ joke it was funny to six people. I was sure it would be funny to all present by the time the evening was over.

Tara and Sandy had found their cousin but in the process lost me. Grandpa’s histrionics let them find me again. In short order, I was engulfed in a little circle with Paige, Mandy, Amber, Tara and Sandy. The two new arrivals wanted hugs, which I handed out under Sweet Pea’s watchful eye. Gloria approached our little group.

“Is this where you go if you’ve ever fallen under the spell of one Tim McKenzie?”

The circle parted to admit another member and Gloria was introduced by Paige.

“Ladies, this is my best friend, Gloria Foster.”

“Gloria, these are the first two of our girlfriends, Tara and Sandy. Next to them is their cousin Amanda, Mandy to her friends. Then there’s Amber. She, like you, was never formally acknowledged as part of the group, but she’s in so you are too. Everyone knows Tim.”

Amber was curious. “So how big is the group actually?”

Paige had a wicked smile. “Well, if we’re being liberal, we’d need to include half of the girls at Jefferson High where we attend. Then there’s Roxanne in Spokane, Wendy in Montana, your mother,” she nodded at Mandy, “your mother,” Tara and Sandy were included, “his Aunt June, Pam – a lady on an airplane, her three year old daughter who loves Tim to death, Gloria’s mother, my mother, a server in Atlanta and may we never speak of her again, my mother’s assistant and I think Mandy’s grandma, if I’m not mistaken. Oh, sorry, I forgot about the Pacific Northwest Ballet company.”

“Which member?” Amber wanted to know.

“Apparently, all of them.”

My life was made complete when Aunt June sauntered over and joined in, obviously having heard the conversation. “One more. May I introduce the newest member of the club, my infant daughter, his cousin, Erin Rugetti.”

Fine. If they were going to be like that I was leaving.

“If you ladies would excuse me I’m going to go hang out with Trent, Jake and Andrew.”

Paige waved her hand in dismissal while the others laughed.

The Plutarskys had two boys, John and Alex, while Pete’s family was made up of one each, Tyler and Carrie. The Litton’s two were also mixed, David and Rachael. All six kids were between the ages of eight and eleven. Had the Emerson twins not been included in the gabfest by the house, they would have been here with the rest of the bunch. Trent had them currently picking teams for a game of capture-the-flag. I believe that it was Paige’s intention to get the kids completely tired out before dinner so that they would have a good night.

I knew Pete’s kids already, and I was introduced to all the rest. I got assigned a team when everyone was done picking. Of course my team had the two girls, and Alex, something else for the ladies to kid me about. We played a solid game and if the boys thought they would win easily, they had another think coming.

Trent was on my team playing opposite his brother and Andrew along with the kids. All four of us supervisors understood that we needed to even things up so it wasn’t a rout one way or another. I think we were successful as we ended at 3-2 with no one complaining that things hadn’t been fair. We got called for supper.

Before anyone could walk through the buffet lines, Dad had a few words to say.

“Thank you all for coming down to Georgia this weekend. If you don’t know who the person next to you is, please introduce yourself. Around this table tonight we have people from all walks of life, united by friendship, business relationships and blood. Sometimes it’s all three.”

There was laughter at that.

“Over the past year, my son and I have touched many of your lives, and you have touched ours, so we thought, what better way to thank you all than by having you to our home in Georgia? Of course, it’s also the beginning of a summer of hard work and fellowship with each other, and it lets me write this off as a business expense.”

“There are just a few people I’d like to introduce to you before we eat. My mother, Candace McKenzie who along with several others of the people here tonight helped prepare this meal. Paige Mercer, who helped to organize this weekend. Evangeline Mercer, who has all of the information necessary for you to find your bed this evening – she’s my significant everything. And of course, the whipping boy for the entire weekend, my son – Tim McKenzie. If you need anything, find him and he’ll either get it or build it or cook it for you. Now, before everything gets cold, let’s thank God for the meal and then dig in.”

Dad prayed for the food, and then people lined up to taste the chicken that Grandpa had advertised. It was quiet for a while as people licked fingers or wiped up gravy with fresh biscuits. We made a significant dent in that meal and I saw a lot of happy faces. Since the kids had all split up to eat with their families, I was left on my own. I ate quickly and then made my way through the group as I had seen Dad do before, talking to each cluster of people briefly, charming my way across the yard. I even stopped by the little coven of girlfriends and spoke with them. Paige, I noticed, was doing the same thing, which made me happy.

After dinner came the cleanup. Trent and the guys helped me relocate the chairs to the fire pits that Grandpa and I had created. It was a nice evening although it was going to cool off some as soon as the sun went down. We moved a couple of picnic tables down as well, stacking them with coolers of beverages and the makings of S’Mores. There were far more bags of marshmallows than there were of anything else. As soon as my pint-sized girlfriends saw what we were setting up, they attached themselves to my side.

Fires were lit and were soon blazing cheerily. That’s when Dad chivvied everyone down for an evening by the gazebo. I noticed that the Swifts and the Edwards had already left, so presumably he had driven them over to the Hilton where they were staying and then had come back. As for the rest of our guests, I have no idea what rock they’d been living under, but not a one of them claimed to be familiar with S’Mores. I had an idea.

“Tara, Sandy, it’s going to be up to us to teach these people what to do with toasted marshmallows. Will you help me?”

Of course, I knew they’d volunteer.

“Now, we’re going to need more than just the three of us. What if you invite Rachael and Carrie to help us too?”

I could see the indecision, but in the end the overwhelming numbers in the chairs convinced them and soon I had four miniature-sized helpers. I spent a few minutes of individual instruction with each little girl, endearing myself to the new additions and teaching them how to make our desserts. When they were sure they knew what to do I used my construction voice.

“For dessert,” I boomed, “my helpers and I will be showing you how to make S’Mores. A S’More is a Graham cracker, Hershey chocolate and toasted marshmallow all smushed and melted together. It’s messy and fun and delicious. I’m going to send the girls around so you can all get started.”

The three older girls were fine handing out marshmallows and sticks to the group, but the youngest, Carrie, was a little unsure. I held her hand and walked with her – most people took one of what she offered them. When the beginnings of dessert had been distributed, I made it known that people could toast their own marshmallow or have one of us do it for them. Suddenly, all the kids were interested in that, as were Mandy, Paige and Gloria. We spent the next hour supervising, toasting, blowing out molten confections, washing young hands and faces and generally having a blast. Every time I walked by Amber and June with Carrie in my grasp, they chuckled and shook their heads. Apparently the two of them were becoming fast friends as were Frank and Amber’s boyfriend, Roland.

At nine-thirty, the sun had been down for a while already and it was time for the kids to make their way to the tents. Parents came by to help clean people up, making sure in the process that teeth actually did get brushed and that anything touched by chocolate or marshmallow was washed. Paige had placed two kids in each tent with a ‘counselor’ so Mandy got her cousins, Paige took Carrie and Rachael, I was given the two youngest boys, Alex and Tyler, while Trent took David and John. We positioned all of them on the sides of the tents with the teen-ager in the middle and then made them go to sleep. There was a fire pit, down by where we had set up, that got lit. It was far enough away that we wouldn’t bother the kids by talking, but close enough that we could hear if they needed anything.