All the Little Lights
Page 39

“There he is,” she said, grabbing Leigh’s arm. “He looks so big.”
Elliott wasn’t hard to spot. His dark hair poked out from under his helmet.
Leigh patted her arm. “That’s because he is, sis. You spawned a giant.”
I smiled, watching as Elliott did a quick scan of the crowd and found his mom, aunt, and then me. He held up his hand, his index and pinky fingers pointing to the sky, his thumb out to the side. Leigh and Kay returned the gesture, but when they put their hands down, he still left his up. Leigh gently nudged me.
“That’s your cue, kiddo.”
“Oh,” I said, holding up my hand, my pinky and index finger in the air, my thumb out to the side, and then bringing my hand back into my lap.
Elliott turned around, but I caught the trademark wide grin on his face.
Kay looked to Leigh. “He loves her?”
Leigh patted her arm again. “Don’t pretend you didn’t know.”
Chapter Sixteen
Catherine
The Youngbloods sat around Leigh’s oval dining table, spooning out everything from huckleberry bread to cheesy mac casserole. Leigh and her sister-in-law, Kay, had made all Elliott’s favorites earlier in the day, and they were ready when we arrived.
Elliott’s uncle John sat across from me, his already round belly meeting the edge of the table. He wore his hair long like Elliott, but John’s was in a ponytail, wrapped with a thin leather strap down the length of his hair, then tied into a knot at the bottom. Gray strands were mixed in with the dark, concentrated just above his ears. His gold-rimmed glasses sat halfway down his nose.
Elliott stuffed his face, his cheeks still flushed from working hard in the cold fall air, his hair still damp from sweating under his helmet.
I reached up to touch his bruised eye, getting more purple and swollen by the minute. “Does that hurt?”
“It probably will in the morning, but it was worth it to score that touchdown,” he said, grabbing my hand quickly to kiss it before spooning more food onto his plate.
“Slow down, Elliott. You’re gonna throw up,” Kay scolded.
“He never gets full,” Leigh said with borderline disgust, watching him eat.
“Maybe we should put ice on it?” I asked, still staring at his eye.
He chewed quickly, swallowed, and smiled. “I promise it’s okay.” He reached over, pulled my chair closer to him, and kissed my temple quickly before returning his attention to his food.
It struck me that I was sitting next to and getting kissed by the high school’s senior quarterback across the table from his family.
Elliott wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“At least he still has manners,” Kay deadpanned. “The Neal boy said there was a party tonight for the seniors. Are you going?”
Elliott frowned. “No, Mom. I told you that.”
“I just . . .” She only hesitated for a moment. “I don’t want you missing out on anything because—”
“Mom,” Elliott snapped, too loud.
Leigh raised an eyebrow, and Elliott lowered his head a bit. “We’re not going.”
“Well,” John said, “what are you gonna do then?”
“I don’t know,” Elliott said, turning toward me. “Maybe watch a movie?”
“Elliott, go. I have to get home anyway to make sure everything is ready for breakfast in the morning.”
“Is that B and B still going?” Kay asked. “Didn’t look like it was.”
“It is,” Elliott said. “Catherine works her tail off.”
“Oh?” Kay prompted.
“I help my mom with the laundry and food prep and general cleaning and supplies,” I said.
Kay chuckled. “What on earth do people do in Oak Creek when they stay at a B and B? I can’t imagine we get many tourists.”
“People staying for work, mostly,” I said, feeling more uncomfortable with each question. I didn’t like lying, but discussing the Juniper meant anything but the truth. I tried to turn it toward something that was less deceitful. “One of our guests stays when she visits her family.”
“That’s awfully strange. Why doesn’t she stay with her family?” John asked.
“They don’t have the room,” I said simply.
“So here in town? Which family?” Leigh asked.
I took a bite and covered my mouth while I chewed, buying time while I thought of an answer. “I’m not . . . I’m not allowed to discuss our guests’ information.”
“Good girl,” John said.
“Okay,” Elliott said. “Let her eat. You have plenty of time to grill her later.”
I shot Elliott an appreciative grin and then forked a small section of cheesy mac casserole onto my plate. I took a bite and hummed.
Elliott gently nudged me. “Good, huh?”
“It’s amazing. I should get the recipe.”
“You cook?” Kay asked.
“Mom,” Elliott warned.
“Fine,” Kay said, tending to the food on her plate.
John leaned back, resting his hand on his round belly. “I’m proud of you, Elliott. You played a damn good game.”
“Thank you,” Elliott said. He didn’t look up from his plate, instead shoveling food into his mouth as fast as he could. After his second plate of food, he finally slowed his pace.
“You should have seen Coach Peckham when you couldn’t find an open receiver and ran the ball yourself for a touchdown. I thought he was going to tear up,” I said.
John and Elliott chuckled.
“I wish your father had been here,” Kay grumbled.
“Kay,” John scolded.
“I gave him a week’s notice,” Kay said, letting her fork clang against her empty plate.
“Mom,” Elliott said, annoyed.
Kay shrugged. “I guess I’m not allowed to point anything out about David.”
“No, Mom, he’s an abusive, selfish jerk, but we don’t have to talk about it,” Elliott said. He glanced at me for half a second and then glared at his mom. “I had to listen to it my whole life. You’re getting a divorce. I don’t live with you anymore. Enough.”
Kay sat quietly for a moment and then stood.
“Mom, I’m sorry,” Elliott said, watching her walk into the next room. A door down the hall slammed.
Elliott closed his eyes. “Damn it,” he hissed. “I’m sorry,” he said, briefly turning his head in my direction.
I felt caught between sympathy for Elliott and relief that other families had problems, too, but it didn’t matter how I felt. Not when Elliott looked so miserable. “Please don’t be sorry.”
Leigh tapped the table in front of his plate. Elliott opened his eyes, and she turned her hand, palm up. Elliott took it, and she squeezed.
“It’s okay,” Leigh said.
Elliott’s jaw twitched. “She’s hurting. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Who’s the adult in this situation?” Leigh said.
Elliott sighed and then nodded. “I should get Catherine home.”
Elliott and I helped Leigh and John clear the table. John rinsed the dirty dishes while Leigh and I loaded the dishwasher. Elliott wiped down the table and swept the kitchen and dining room floors. It was finished in less than ten minutes, and I smiled as John and Leigh hugged and kissed each other.
“I’ve got to answer some emails, honey; then I’ll be up for bed and we can watch that movie you’ve been wanting to get on demand.”