Cottages

Chapter 13

“Brian,” Craig Taylor said, as Brian opened the door to Edna’s Treasures.

“Come in,” Brian replied trying to ignore the iciness in Craig’s voice. It seemed that Justin’s father would never forgive him for corrupting his son. “Susan, how are you?” Brian asked. She seemed a more likely candidate to talk to.

“I’m just fine,” Susan replied with a smile. “Where are those delicious grandbabies of ours?”

“Out in the sun porch. Bree is trying to feed Taylor pickles. Her new favorite thing is gherkins,” Brian laughed.

“Oh, yum,” Susan said as she handed him a container of her chocolate chip cookies. “Maybe I can get some of those too,” she laughed. She headed for the sun porch.

“Are the Brenners here yet?” Craig asked.

“If you mean Molly, Owen and Taylor, then yes, they are.”

“I meant Owen Sr. and Sharon,” Craig said in a tone of voice that implied he thought Brian was dumber than dishwater.

“Then the answer would be no,” Brian replied. He turned on his heel and headed for the bar in the living room. “I need a drink. How about you?”

“Scotch,” Craig said brusquely.

Brian poured them each one. Craig took the glass when Brian held it out. Without a thank you he headed for the sun porch. Brian watched Craig’s back disappear from view. He shook his head and took a large swallow from his own glass. It was going to be a long fucking day.

 

*****
 

“They’re heeere!” Justin called as the Brenner’s car pulled up outside Edna’s Treasures.

Everyone else had arrived and the Thanksgiving meal was just about ready. Justin had just taken the turkey out of the oven before the car pulled up. It needed to sit for a few minutes. That would give everyone some time for a drink and pleasantries.

Justin moved to the front door and waited for the Brenners and Sarah Kingsley to get out of the car. As they approached, Justin could see Sarah looking at the ornamental kale that was a combination of deep pinks and vibrant greens in the front flowerbeds.

“These are beautiful,” she said as she approached the doorway.

“They’re Brian’s new favorite for late fall.”

“Excellent choice,” Sarah said giving her seal of approval to Brian’s gardens. “And how are you, Justin dear?”

“Fine, and you?” Justin asked with a big smile.

“Couldn’t be better, except if you lived closer to Pittsburgh. The drive out here is far too long.”

“There’s not much we can do about it,” Justin said. “This is where we live.”

“Pfft,” was Sarah’s reaction.

“Would you care for a glass of wine?”

“I most certainly would,” Sarah said imperiously.

“Coming right up,” Justin replied. “Welcome, Owen, Sharon. Wine for you?”

Sharon nodded and Owen said,” Scotch if you have it?”

“We certainly do. Brian’s at the bar.”

“I’ll join him,” Owen Sr. said quickly, looking relieved to have some male companionship after the long drive in the car with two women.

Sarah and Sharon followed Justin into the kitchen where he took out a bottle of white wine from the fridge and poured two glasses. Sharon sipped hers appreciatively. Sarah took a sip and pronounced the wine adequate.

“Everyone’s in the sun porch,” Justin said as he poured himself a glass of wine too. Sarah nodded and walked towards the sun porch. “She doesn’t seem to be in a good mood,” Justin whispered to Sharon.

“She doesn’t like long car rides. It would have been easier to have Thanksgiving at our place.”

“Too late now,” Justin said cheerfully. They made their way towards the porch.

Sarah Kingsley was standing in the doorway surveying the room. She made special note of the table which appeared satisfactory. It was not at all what she would have done with a table, but it was interesting in a rustic sort of way. She walked closer to it.

“What kind of cornucopia is that?” she muttered to herself.

“I made it,” a little voice said from beside her.

Sarah looked down at the little girl. “You did?” she asked. Bree bobbed her head making her two ponytails bounce on each side of her head. “And how did you do that?”

“I woved it.”

“Oh.”

“I took a course,” Bree informed her.

“I see.”

“And then my Daddy and me collected leaves and pine cones, and we got vegetables and fruit out of the fridge and we made the cornucopia overflow.”

“Did you now?” Sarah couldn’t help but smile at the little girl. “You’re quite accomplished, Miss Briana.”

“I know, and so are you, Mrs. Sarah Kingsley.”

Sarah laughed out loud. “My goodness, you sure are something, sweetheart.”

“So are you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Sarah said graciously. “Can you take me to my great-grandson?” Sarah asked.

“You mean Taylor?”

“That’s precisely who I mean.”

“’Kay,” Bree said. She placed her small hand around as much of Sarah’s hand as she could and led the woman over to her Auntie Molly who was seated on a chaise with Gamma Jennifer. Jennifer was holding Taylor. “Taylor still don’t do much,” Bree informed Sarah. “I tried to feed him a pickle but he didn’t like it. He mooshed his face all up and looked like he was going to cry.”

“Do tell,” Sarah laughed.

“Would you like to sit down and hold Taylor,” Molly asked standing up.

“I could be persuaded,” Sarah responded. She sat down in the vacated spot and Jennifer handed her the baby. “You are so beautiful,” Sarah said as she stared into the little face looking back at her. “You have the brightest eyes.”

“Just like mine,” Bree said as she watched all this.

“Oh my, they are quite like yours,” Sarah agreed as she looked from the baby to Bree and back again. “You’re a very observant child.”

“Yes, I am,” Bree stated.

“And very bold,” Sarah added.

“Is bold good?” Bree asked, not exactly sure what Sarah was getting at.

“It can be.”

“Then I am,” Bree said decisively.

“Anybody else who would like a drink, come and get it,” Brian said from the doorway. “We should be ready to start dinner in a few minutes.”

 

*****
 

“So you’re the woman who is revolutionizing the motorcycle business,” James Cunningham exclaimed as he met Leda and shook her hand. Leda did a double take at the sight of her lover's twin then sputtered for a brief second, almost cringing at the thought that James was about to say something else entirely different. It was second nature to Leda to go on the defensive first then ask questions later.

“Um, yes, that’s me. Jamie says you ride,” Leda said, recovering quickly.

“I do when I get the chance; however, I make a conscious effort to be a responsible grownup now,” James said with a wink and a smile. He received a feigned scowl from his wife.

“Hi, Leda, I’m Marie, James’ wife and his parole officer,” she said with a laugh. “I make sure he takes his responsibilities seriously.”

“It’s very nice to meet you both. Jamie has been looking forward to having you here,” Leda said genuinely. “And I’m not sure if I will revolutionize motorcycles; however, I’d like to be the one to offer an environmentally responsible one. But I’m curious, where did you hear about my bike? We haven’t marketed them here in the Northeast as yet.”

They were all sitting comfortably in the living room sipping wine and nibbling on fruit, cheese and crackers while the turkey was finishing. A fire was crackling in the hearth and the cinnamon spice scented room was warm and cozy.

“I fly to L.A. regularly for business and I happened to be there during a motorcycle show. I couldn’t resist,” he said as he smiled coyly for his wife. She just smiled back, shaking her head.

“He’s like a big kid sometimes,” Marie grumbled and they all laughed.

“Was the bike received well?” Leda asked nonchalantly, looking over the rim of her wine glass.

“Let me put it this way, the crowd around your bike was at least six deep. They all wanted to know where to buy one.”

Leda smiled brilliantly and then redirected the conversation toward her artistic partner. Looking around at the emptying wine glasses, Leda got up to open another bottle of wine. She discreetly pulled out her cellphone.

“Kinney, you are a fucking genius,” she whispered into Brian’s voicemail then hung up to quickly rejoin her family and refill their wine glasses.

 

*****
 

“I’m curious, Junior,” Owen Sr. began. “Why didn’t you want a fireplace for your cottage?”

“Molly and I discussed it and agreed that we weren’t the fireplace type. With the baby, well, it didn’t seem practical. And the cottage has a very good furnace, so we agreed to have the potbelly stove as the main feature in our living room,” Owen Jr. explained. They had placed a thick plush sofa arrangement surrounding the potbelly stove in their living room.

“Will you return to town tonight or are you staying at your summer home?” Sarah Kingsley inquired, stressing the words summer home as if those words were more acceptable than the word cottage.

“Yes, grandma, we’re staying at the cottage tonight,” Owen Jr. confirmed. He could see that his grandmother’s hackles were up but said nothing. Molly’s polite but defiant expression said it all. Sarah Kingsley sighed then subtly raised her empty wine glass. Brian was quick to attend to her, making Owen Sr. smile with appreciation.

“Justin, my dear,” Sarah began to change the subject. “I hear that you may be going abroad.” Brian tensed and Justin cringed. “It’s a wonder why you’ve taken so long to exhibit in Europe. That nice young violinist, Ethan Gold, has made quite a name for himself over there. Especially in France. I believe your work would make quite a splash. Allow me to recommend several of my friends and acquaintances. Any one of them would be honored to host you. And your family, of course.”

Brian was seething at this point, and Justin wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere although no one noticed. Or if they did, they kept very quiet about it except for Emmett who knew exactly what to do.

“Dinner is served!” Emmett announced brightly then began to usher the guests to their designated seats.

Sarah Kingsley was seated the furthest from Brian and Justin with a multi-tiered display dish of all her favorite canapés conveniently positioned directly in front of her. Her wine glass had also been topped off. She regally composed herself as John began to say grace.

 

*****
 

“Gampa,” Bree said as she chewed her bite of turkey.

“Yes,” Craig replied. He was seated next to Bree who was seated next to Justin. Bree had been placed between her fathers, but had asked to sit next to her grandfather instead, so Justin and she had switched places.

“Will you go for a walk with me after we eat?”

“A walk?”

“Yes, down to the stream.”

“The stream?”

“Yes, where I was bapatized.”

“Baptized, sweetheart,” Justin supplied.

Bree screwed up her face. She didn’t like being corrected, but she also wanted to say her words correctly. “Baptized,” she repeated with a sigh.

“Why do you want to go to the stream?” Craig asked.

“I can’t tell you until we get there,” Bree said enigmatically.

Craig looked at Justin to see if he knew what this was all about. Justin shrugged. “It’s going to be getting dark by the time we finish eating,” Craig explained. He wasn’t sure he was going to like whatever Bree had in mind for their trip to the stream. He thought it might be better to just put her off.

“We usually take a break between the main course and dessert,” Justin said trying to be helpful.

Craig would have liked to throttle his son. Justin had effectively taken away his primary excuse for not accompanying Bree to the stream. “Are you sure you want to go today?” Craig asked his granddaughter, hoping she would let it go.

“I’m sure,” Bree said clearly. “Today.”

“Looks like you have a date with your granddaughter,” Justin said with a grin.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Craig conceded, but he certainly wasn’t happy about it. He wondered what she had in mind.

The dinner continued with pleasant chats and jokes. Craig looked around noting that the homosexual element of the group seemed to be having as much fun or more than the straight contingent. He shook his head in amazement that such a thing could be true. The perverts were taking over the world.

Craig scooped up the last bit of his mashed potatoes and gave a satisfied sigh. The gay guys could certainly cook.

“Gampa, come to the stream,” Bree said immediately.

Craig sighed loudly. “Now?” Bree nodded emphatically. “Okay.”

Bree took Craig’s hand and led him to the door of the sun porch. She picked up her jacket at the door and he helped her on with it.

“Do you want your coat?” she asked.

“I’ll be fine.”

“’Kay.”

Taking his hand once again she started across the lawn and onto the path that led past the Wendy house and towards the stream. Many eyes followed them until they disappeared from sight.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Brian whispered to Justin.

“Of course she will. My father would never hurt her.”

“But sometimes he hurts her without even realizing it,” Brian reminded him.

Justin frowned. “I think they’ll be okay.”

“They better be.”

“Why are we going to the stream, Bree?” Craig asked as they approached the clearing.

“I tell you in a minute,” she responded.

“This better be good.”

Bree frowned as they stopped before reaching the bank of the stream. She looked up at her grandfather. “Why don’t you come to visit me no more?”

Craig flinched, but then said bravely, “I’m here today, aren’t I?”

“Yes, but so’s everbody else. You never come to see just me no more. You only come when Taylor’s here.”

“That’s not true,” Craig said quickly.

“It is true, Gampa. I see it.”

Craig blanched. He knew his granddaughter was right. She was so smart, but her father, or Dada, as the girl chose to call him, must have put her up to this. “I was at the Labor Day party,” Craig said to justify himself.

“So was Taylor.”

“But you were there too.”

“And I asked you why you didn’t want to spend time with me. Did I do something wrong, Gampa? Something you don’t like?”

“No, no, not at all.” How could he explain to Bree that it was her Dada that was the source of the problem? It was so much easier being with Molly and Owen, a good heterosexual couple, with a baby who would grow up in the proper environment.

“I must have done something. Gamma Susan don’t ask me to make cookies no more. I like making cookies.”

“Gamma Susan would love you to come to our place and bake cookies,” Craig declared forcefully. He knew that was the truth.

“Will you be there?”

“I … I have to work.”

“Just for a little while?” Bree pleaded.

“I think that might be arranged,” Craig said with a smile. He did like being home when Bree and Susan made cookies. They always made a special one for him. “Can I have a hug now?”

“Sure,” Bree said. She raised her arms allowing her grandfather to pick her up. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “I love you, Gampa.”

“I love you too, sweetheart,” Craig said as he kissed her cheek.

“Good, that’s what I wanted to know.”

“That’s it?” Craig asked with a smile.”

“Yep,” Bree replied, bobbing her head and making her ponytails bounce.

“You know what?”

“What?” Bree asked looking into Craig’s eyes.

“You are a wonderful little girl, Bree.”

“I know, but I’m glad you know too, Gampa.”

Craig shook his head. He had an amazing granddaughter. He’d have to remember that, and not let Brian Kinney color his view of things. “Can we go back now?”

“Yeah.”

Craig set Bree down and took her hand. They started down the path.

“Here they come,” Bobby said as Craig and Bree appeared by the Wendy house.

“Thank God,” Jennifer said.

Emmett nodded in agreement. He could feel the tension ease in the room. “Do they look okay?”

“They look fine,” Justin said, giving Brian’s arm a squeeze.

“Then let’s have dessert,” Emmett said quickly before any other comments could be made.
 

Return to Cottages