“I know. The enthusiasm is infectious.” I waved at her.
Elizabeth glared at me from her place near the grill, where she shoveled a mound of burgers onto a platter. She moved on to a pile of ribs. “Those are the most prized items in this place,” I said. “Come on. We have to go to kitchen now if we want some.”
“Alright, sweetie.” Maria set Haylie down and got up to follow me. Haylie grabbed her hand. “Guess she wants to come, too.”
Elizabeth watched closely, but she didn’t stop us from taking her into the kitchen. “This is the longest I’ve been around Haylie in Elizabeth’s presence,” I said.
“I think it’s me,” Maria said.
“Food’s ready,” Andrew announced.
I snatched two plates of ribs the second Elizabeth set them down on the counter. “I told you to stay out of my kitchen,” she snapped.
I handed a plate to Maria. “I just wanted to make sure she got some,” I said.
Elizabeth looked at me, then Maria, ruffled her brow, and walked out. “She backed down pretty quickly,” Maria said and spooned herself up some macaroni salad. “I’ll bet she’s surprised by the way you’re treating me.”
I pulled two beers out of the fridge. “Eh, she’s probably too beat from cooking. Come on, let’s go sit down by the fire.” I handed her a beer and led her to the fire pit, where she started to sit down next to me. “Come here.” I motioned for her to sit in my lap. She did and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. I reached up and gave her a kiss, then pulled her closer so that she sat on my pup tent. She smiled and dug her hips in. “There you go,” I said.
“You’re a dog,” she whispered.
“Woof,” I snarled and tore into a rib.
Maria laughed.
“What?” I asked.
She took one of the napkins she held under her plate and swept it over the side of my mouth. When she did, she met my eyes and went bright red. I pretended not to notice. “Thanks,” I said and went back to my food.
Cara sat down to our right and leaned over. “You two are so sweet together. Don’t listen to anything those catty bitches say. I think you have something.”
“Thank you,” Maria said. “You’ve been so nice.”
The food was amazing; the chicken savory, the ribs smoky and sweet. We both watched as the fire grew, and sparks flew up over flames. Maria moved over to the next chair so she could pick up Haylie. The little girl rested her head on Maria’s shoulder and fell asleep on her lap.
It was getting later. The soft blue sky changed to indigo, then navy blue. Eventually, Elizabeth came to take Haylie to bed.
“Should we go?” I asked when she was gone.
“Yeah, I’m getting tired. Let me just say goodbye to Cara. I really liked her.”
“She’s a sweetheart.” I found Andrew sitting on the couch in the living room, where he was drinking a beer. His face was red, and he had a drunken smile.
“I can’t believe you did it, bro.”
“What do you mean?”
“You found a good one. We all like her.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said.
“No, I mean it. You should bring her around more often.”
“Okay,” I lied.
Andrew got up and gave me a hug and a pat on the back. “You have a good night.”
“You too.”