Chapter Text
There was a knock at the door. "Jamie, can you get that?" Mommy called out.
"Okay!" As you hopped off the couch and ran to the door, you could hear Mommy whisper something to Mom about getting a new doorbell. How many times would she bring it up before they finally did it, you wondered.
You opened the front door and Cove was standing there with his dad. Cove was looking down while his dad looked up at you, a wide smile on his face. "Hello, Last family!"
You stopped, unable to respond. It took you a few moments before you could finally muster up a hello. They looked amazing! They were dressed like they were going to a wedding, just to have dinner at your house?
You heard your moms and Lizzie come up behind you. "Cliff!" Mom laughed. "You didn't have to get all decked out! I told you, this isn't some fancy dinner, we all just wanted to get to know you and Cove more."
Cove's dad rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, it's just a button-down and tie. No fancier than if I was going to work. And doesn't that polo look great on Cove?"
Mommy raised an eyebrow. "We've been to your shop. You wear this when you're there?"
"...Some days." Cove's dad grinned. "Hey buddy, why don't you show them what you've got there?"
"Okay..." Cove raised his good arm and you noticed he held a large, dark bottle with a long neck. With his dad's hand on his back, he finally looked up at your moms. "Thank you for having us over tonight."
Your moms glanced at each other with wide smiles. "Oh please, it's our pleasure!" Mom said. "Now quit standing out there in the cold, come in and sit down!"
"Yes, and I'll get some glasses." Mommy took the bottle away from Cove while Mom ushered the two boys inside.
It's the middle of summer, it wasn't cold out. Some of your Mom's jokes just didn't make sense.
Cove's dad joined your moms in the kitchen. Mom was adjusting something on the stove and Mommy was pulling down wine glasses from a cupboard, while they both shooed off any attempts at help. That left you, Cove, and Lizzie standing there in the foyer.
The three of you stared at each other for a moment. "I'm going back to watch tv," Lizzie declared, and went into the living room.
Now it was just you and Cove. "Hi."
"Hi Jamie."
"You want to come up to my room?"
"Sure."
You went upstairs and opened your door. By now Cove had been in your room a couple times and he didn't hesitate to sit on the floor. He started tugging at the collar of his shirt. "Is it itchy?" you asked.
"No." Cove undid the first and second buttons, still tugging at it. "I hate this shirt. I feel like I can't breathe. Dad insisted we had to dress up tonight."
"Oh..." Your voice trailed off as you struggled to find something to talk about. "Oh! I went out to the beach this morning and I found three new shells! You have to see them." Cove nodded with a small smile and you went to retrieve your box.
As you were looking through new and old seashells you heard Mommy call out from downstairs; dinner was ready.
You went to the dining room and saw Lizzie and Cove's dad taking seats while your moms brought out large bowls of food. Although there was a seat open next to his dad, Cove took one on the opposite side of the table. You could see the surprise on his dad's face for just a second before he grinned and shrugged.
Everyone else sat down and began eating. You wanted to learn more about your new neighbors, and Mommy said that's why they were here, but it was weird. Cove didn't speak more than one or two words at a time and barely looked up from his food. His dad was much more friendly, but every time someone asked about where they were from or why they moved here, he would make a joke and say something about wanting a "fresh start." They weren't from Sunset Bird, you knew that much, but were they from California? Were they even from America?
Dinner ended and your moms started to clear the table. Cove's dad stood up with his plate and Mom put a hand out. "No no no. You are the guests of honor tonight, so you get to sit and relax. Kids, help clean up the table."
You and your sister groaned but nonetheless got up and started gathering plates. As you made your first trip to the sink, you couldn't help but ask, "Um, what are we having for dessert?"
Your moms looked at each other. Mom chuckled. "You assume we're having dessert tonight?"
Lizzie gasped. "We have to! You told me and Jamie this is a special night, so of course we're having dessert!"
Cove's dad held his hands up against his chest. "It's okay, we don't need anything."
Mommy smirked. "No, she makes a point. We put things together last minute though, so we don't have much here but ice cream."
Lizzie stamped her foot. "But we have that every night! That isn't special!"
Mom laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day when my daughter would turn down ice cream."
Cove's dad stood up. "I have an idea. Let me run back to my place and get some things."
Cove also stood. "Can I come with you, Dad?"
The older man stopped. That was the most you'd heard him say to his dad all night. He put a hand on the top of Cove's head, who grimaced in response. "Okay bud, let's go."
The two of them disappeared out the door and left you and your family in the kitchen. Mommy was the first to speak. "Well Lizzie, I'm sure this will turn out to be something special."
You continued cleaning up while waiting for them; your moms put the leftover food away while you washed dishes and Lizzie dried. "We'll have to send some of this home with him," Mom mused.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect: as Lizzie was drying the last dish there was another knock on the door. "I got it!" You ran over to the door and opened it to find, unsurprisingly, your neighbors standing on the porch. Cove was dressed in his normal clothes again and his dad had abandoned the tie, letting the top few buttons on his shirt go undone. They each held a grocery bag in hand. You stepped to the side. "Come in again!"
As they walked in you noticed Cove actually had a big smile on his face now. They put the bags down on the kitchen counter and Cove's dad started pulling out several items: a box of graham crackers, a package of chocolate bars, a large bag of marshmallows, and a package with long sticks in it. "Cove and I love to go camping, so..."
Lizzie's eyes sparkled. "S'mores!"
Mommy put a hand on her hip. "Cliff, we don't exactly have a campfire in our backyard."
"We don't need one. I've got a lighter!" You'd seen lighters in the gas station before, they were brightly colored rectangles, but the one he held up was long and looked more like one your moms used to light candles with. "It uses butane, so the marshmallow won't get a funny taste to it."
Mom frowned. "This isn't a good idea."
"But Mom!" Lizzie protested. "We've been camping before too! We are really super careful around fire, aren't we Jamie?"
You didn't say anything. You just nodded, staring at your moms with wide eyes and clasped hands. Hopefully your silent pleas would reach them.
Your moms looked at each other. You could tell they were doing that thing where they seemed to talk to each other without actually speaking. Mommy finally sighed. "Okay. But we're doing this outside. I don't want the fire alarms going off on us over some marshmallows."
You could barely contain your excitement as everyone moved to the front porch. You'd only had s'mores once before but you could already taste the sweet, gooey treat on your tongue. Your moms helped you and Lizzie put a marshmallow on a wooden skewer while Cove grabbed his own. Cove's dad then sat down on the steps surrounded by the three of you with your moms standing behind him near the door. He pressed a button on the lighter and a bright blue flame erupted from the tip.
While the adults talked more about camping, you all took turns holding your marshmallow over the flame. Cove held his steady and rotated it slowly. His focus was entirely on the task; he looked like an expert. When he brought it back it was covered in a beautiful golden brown. You went after him, trying to mimic his movements, but your marshmallow kept catching on fire and you had to keep blowing it out. Cove's dad encouraged you to keep trying, but by the time you were done your marshmallow had turned black. It looked nothing like Cove's. Maybe you should just try again...
Cove must have caught you stealing glances because he finally held out his marshmallow to you. "Do you... want to trade?" He wouldn't look at you, even with the stick in front of you.
"Really?" He nodded, and you noticed color was starting to show on his face. "Okay!" You traded sticks and happily inspected your golden prize.
Cove's dad let go of the button and after a few seconds, the flame died out. "Alright, let's start building the first round!"
"First?" you heard Mom say behind him.
Cove reached in the box for a graham cracker and stopped. "Hey. How do you build a s'more?"
His earlier shyness was gone; he was looking straight at you. His brow was furrowed and his mouth drawn in a line. He wasn't just asking, you realized, this was a test. You cleared your throat. "Graham cracker on the bottom, then the chocolate, then marshmallow, and finally graham cracker on the top."
The tension was thick as he continued to stare at you. He finally broke into a smile. "Right!" There was laughter from the adults as you started building your dessert.
With everything assembled, you smashed the two halves of graham cracker together and the marshmallow oozed out. You bit down and tasted a little bit of heaven with the first bite. "Hey, do you kids want to see something cool?" Cove's dad asked. You heard a click and saw the blue flame shoot out of the lighter again.
Cove groaned. "Dad, no..."
He continued despite his son's protest. "It's not quite dinner and a show, but it'll be close." With a smile he flattened his palm and put his fingers together. He held out his hands and in one swift motion, glided his fingers right through the flame.
Lizzie's eyes widened. "You didn't get burned!"
Cove's dad did it again, going the opposite way. "Nope. It's like magic," he said with a grin.
"Be careful!"
You weren't sure which of your moms said that as your eyes were transfixed on the flame. "Whoa..." you muttered.
"That's enough, Cliff." Mom gripped a hand on his shoulder.
Apparently you weren't the only one focused on the fire. The sudden touch made Cove's dad jump ten feet. He dropped the lighter in front of himself and the three children surrounding him.
"Jamie!" The next moments were a blur. You felt a tug on your arm and you realized Cove had stood up, grabbing your hand. Lizzie abandoned the bag of marshmallows when Mommy ran forward and scooped her up. At the same time, Mom seized both of Cove's dad's arms and yanked him back. In the confusion food was dropped as well as the lighter, which hit the steps with a clatter. It took a few seconds for the flame to go out.
Once you recovered you saw Cove standing over you, looking concerned. You realized you had stumbled backward and were sitting on the ground. Lizzie had already squirmed out of Mommy's arms while Mom let go of Cove's dad. Mommy reached down to pick up the lighter. "Cliff!"
"Dad!"
Cove's dad was still sitting with his head down. His hair covered his face and his hands were up over it, completely masking whatever expression he might have. It was as if he didn't hear your Mommy or Cove. What he said next was so quiet you almost missed it. "I guess I am nothing but a screw-up after all, Kyra."
No one said anything until Cove's dad finally looked up and ran a hand through his hair. He moved forward and kneeled down in front of you. "Jamie, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
You nodded. "Yes." Now that he was closer you noticed a couple black marks on his pants.
"Good." He turned to Lizzie and repeated the question.
Your sister crossed her arms. "Yeah."
"Cove?"
"Of course, Dad."
With a sigh the man stood up. That trademark grin finally returned to his face. "Alright then. I think we should pack up and call this a night, huh sport?"
Cove looked at you, his face still serious. You smiled in an attempt to reassure him. "Okay," he replied.
Cove and his dad started bagging the supplies while you and Lizzie picked the food up off the ground. Into the trash it would go. Once they finished, the two men stood in front of your family. Cove's dad spoke first. "Thank you very much for having us over tonight. And... I'm sorry for ruining things."
Mom shook her head. "Nothing was ruined."
"That's right," Mommy added. "No one was hurt. That's what is important."
"Yeah, but..." Cove's dad stumbled over his words. "I mean, I get it if you don't want..."
Mom cut him off. "What we don't want is a long goodbye. You two boys go home. We can talk more about Redwood National Park later." Mommy nodded in agreement.
Cove's dad opened his mouth but couldn't speak. It looked like there were tears in his eyes. "Thank you..." he finally said.
You all said your goodbyes and went inside. You felt bad. You knew it wasn't your fault; it wasn't anybody's fault, it was just an accident. Yet, you still worried. You hoped this wouldn't stop you from seeing Cove or his dad in the future.
You felt a pat on your head and looked up to see Mommy smiling at you. "There there, honey. Are you worried about Cove and his dad?" You nodded. Sometimes it felt like your moms could literally read your mind. "Why don't we arrange to go over and see them tomorrow?"
You grinned. "Yeah!"