Cottages

Chapter 14

“Is everyone ready for dessert?” Jamie asked as she turned off the burner under the whistling kettle; the coffee had just finished brewing.

“I don’t think I can eat another bite,” her brother protested, patting his belly until Leda began to slice up the pumpkin, pecan and apple pies. “But I can try,” he quickly added. “I wouldn’t want to insult my hostesses, now would I?” James said with a big grin as he gratefully accepted a slice of pumpkin pie and a cup of coffee.

Jamie and Leda smiled knowingly as they served the rest of the family Thanksgiving dessert.

 

*****
 

“Mom, you don’t have to help. I can get it,” Justin said as Jennifer got up from her seat when she heard the tea kettle whistle.

“I want to help, honey. I need the exercise after that fantastic meal. I think you all outdid yourselves,” Jenn said, as she gracefully excused herself from the table to go into the kitchen to help with dessert. Their dinner had been a combined effort of the men of Edna’s Treasures and Emmett. For dessert there was the traditional fare including pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie; however, Emmett also included various fruit compotes.

Craig slipped out to join Jennifer. “Can I help?” Craig asked.

“You never wanted to help in the past,” Jenn said without malice. She was having too much of a good time with her family to have it sullied by her ex-husband.

“Maybe I learned a thing or two over the years,” Craig mumbled as he took down a large decorative tray that Jennifer indicated sitting high up on a shelf. “You look beautiful; marriage must agree with you.”

“Thanks,” Jennifer replied, shaking her head. She was momentarily stunned by Craig’s admission. “I’m very happy.”

“Good,” Craig snapped back. “I mean, you deserve to be happy.”

“So do you,” Jenn said softly. “Craig, please don’t let your prejudices get in the way of loving our granddaughter. Bree loves you so much. Please don’t hurt her,” Jennifer pleaded. Her eyes were moist with tears. “We almost lost our son due to hate; don’t make that same mistake.”

Craig nodded solemnly then he helped his former wife bring in the tray of coffee and tea.

 

*****
 

“Jackie, have you made any decisions regarding a graduate degree?” Claire asked her son. John had made his decision but it wasn’t widely known in the family yet.

“Yes, I have. I submitted a topic and basic outline to the graduate committee at my alma mater and it’s been accepted. With any luck, by this time next year I’ll be John Anderson, PhD in architecture,” John said with a blush to his cheeks.

“Way to go, big bro!” Brian crowed. “This deserves something special,” he said as he broke out an expensive cognac and more wine with their dessert.

Bobby and Patrick beamed proudly as John further explained about his intended research.

 

*****
 

“Gus, are we going to the new cottage with the moms?” JR asked in between sips of milk she was drinking with her pie and fruit.

“Do you get the feeling they’d rather be there by themselves?” Gus confided to his sister. They both noticed the sappy giggles that passed between their mothers and the kisses the moms thought no one saw.

“Yes. Do you think your dad will let us stay here tonight? I want to spend at least one night in the new house but I don’t mind spending tonight here. I love it when Auntie Emm and your dad argue about breakfast. I think it’s cute,” JR said with a giggle.

“You better not let my Pop hear you say he’s cute. He doesn’t do cute.”

“I don’t care if he hears me or not, I still say he’s cute. Besides, your dad loves me,” JR said smugly.

“Yeah, he does,” Gus confirmed. “Let me clear it with Pop first then we’ll suggest it to the moms.”

“Wait, let Bree in on it. She’ll take care of it,” JR whispered conspiratorially. Gus raised his eyebrow.

“You do know she’s only six, right?”

“Yeah, but she’s an old six,” JR said confidently.

Gus pondered his sister’s statement for a moment then nodded. “Bree,” Gus whispered conspicuously as he waved his hand at his youngest sister.

She was sitting like a princess at the table. Her grandfather had just served her a slice of pie with a scoop of ice cream. Bree looked at her dessert then at her brother and sister who appeared to really want her attention. Being the daughter of two very accomplished drama queens, Bree sighed, took a small forkful of pie and ice cream then climbed down from her chair.

The siblings conferred then let the youngest of them do her stuff.

“Dada,” Bree said as she climbed up into her Dada’s lap, her violet blue eyes wide and shining with love.

“What is it, Squirt?” Brian asked as he settled Bree on his lap then reached over with his long arm for her dessert so she could eat it without it getting all soupy.

“Can Gus and JR stay here with me tonight?” she asked as she primly took another forkful of her dessert. Then she offered a forkful to her father who could never refuse such an offering from his daughter.

“Don’t you think they want to spend the night with their moms at the new cottage?”

“No, Dada.” Bree leaned in closer to her Dada’s ear to whisper. Brian could smell her fresh little girl scent. He hugged her closer. “The moms want alone time,” she confided. Then in her normal voice she said, “‘Sides, they like your and Auntie Emm’s breakfast better.” Bree bobbed her little head up and down, her ponytails waggling wildly.

“I see.” Brian craned his neck to catch a glimpse of ‘the moms’ who were feeding each other pieces of fruit. “And why didn’t JR and Gus ask me themselves?” Brian arched his brow as he questioned his daughter.

“‘Cause,” Bree said coyly.

“‘Cause why?” Brian said with a smirk.

“Just cause,” Bree said as she offered another forkful of pie and ice cream to her father. Brian accepted the offering as he gazed at the two older siblings still whispering and eating their desserts across the sun porch. Every so often Gus and JR would steal looks at Bree and Brian.

“Oh, Sunshine!” Brian called out to Bree’s other father. There was a ring of mirth in his voice. Justin, who had just delivered a fresh cup of tea to Sarah Kingsley, walked back to Brian's side of the table.

“Yes, Bri?” Justin replied innocently and with a bright smile. Brian’s heart was so full of love at that moment that he almost couldn’t speak. Clearing his throat, Brian explained the request.

“Apparently, the general consensus amongst Gus, JR and Bree is that the moms would like a little alone time tonight at their new cottage.” Justin looked at the moms making goo-goo eyes at each other, and then at Gus and JR who were both sporting puppy dog eyes. “They would like to spend the night here, with their sister.”

“Uh huh,” Justin murmured as he quickly sized up the situation.

“They also like our breakfasts,” Brian deadpanned.

“I see. Playing the food card.”

“Yup.”

“So what do you recommend?” Justin asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Well, those two conniving teenagers have sent a six year old to do their dirty work,” Brian said without realizing said six year old just stuck another forkful of pie near his lips. He took it automatically. “I should make them stew for a while.”

“It’s Thanksgiving, Bri.” Justin’s blue eyes grew as wide as his daughter’s.

Brian sighed. “I’ve had enough dessert, Squirt. Go tell those two con artists that if it’s okay with the moms then it’s okay with the dads,” Brian said as he gently pushed Bree off his lap.

“Okay, Dada,” Bree said as she scurried off to tell her siblings the good news. Before she got to them, Bree turned then skipped back to her fathers. She raised her arms and spread them wide in an attempt to hug them both.

“Thank you, Dada. Thank you, Daddy,” Bree said as her fathers gave her a hug. “I love you,” she said before she scurried away again.

“Love you,” her fathers answered.

Brian drew Justin down to the chair next to him then buried his face into Justin’s neck. Justin wrapped his arms around his spouse.

“I know, Bri, I know,” Justin whispered as he kissed the top of Brian’s soft hair, affording Brian the time to compose himself.

 

*****
 

“Craig,” Seth said as he walked to the bar in the living room. He was going to get a scotch for himself and a glass of wine for Jennifer.

“Mr. Harris,” Craig replied.

Seth laughed. “Don’t you think it’s time to call me Seth since we seem to be meeting so often at these affairs?”

“I know what your name is,” Craig said sullenly.

“Then you might try using it.”

“Why, because we share the same woman?”

“I beg your pardon!” Seth said stopping mid pour. His drink would have to wait while he dealt with this ridiculous statement. “I do not share Jennifer with anyone.”

“You know what I meant,” Craig replied, thinking that Seth was an idiotic old fart to take offense at what he’d said.

“I do not have the slightest idea what you mean, and I don’t like your tone one little bit.”

Craig shook his head. Some people were just so self-righteous. “Cool your jets, Harris. I didn’t mean anything.”

“Well, for someone who supposedly doesn’t mean anything by their comments, you have a way of making yourself totally obnoxious.”

“Who made you the arbiter of all things obnoxious?” Craig snapped. “You’re fucking obnoxious yourself.”

“I don’t know how Jennifer ever put up with you,” Seth muttered as he poured his drink and stepped away from the bar.

“Jennifer loved me,” Craig stated abruptly as he grabbed Seth’s arm to stop him from leaving.

“Past tense,” Seth said looking at Craig’s hand on his arm. He knew Craig better remove it quickly or there would be hell to pay.

“Gentlemen,” Bobby said sternly from the doorway. “I use that term loosely, but I’d like to remind you that this is Thanksgiving, a time of good will. I suggest you stop whatever’s going on right now.”

Craig dropped his hand, and Seth mumbled an apology as he headed for the kitchen to get a glass of wine for his wife.

“Mr. Taylor,” Bobby began. “We invited you here for a peaceful, pleasant Thanksgiving dinner. We did not invite you here to cause trouble.”

“I wasn’t making trouble. It was that bastard that just left. He can’t face the fact that Jennifer was mine first.”

“That may be true, but Jennifer is no longer yours. I suggest you let it go.”

“I don’t have to do what you tell me,” Craig replied belligerently.

“This is our home, and you will do what we say!” Bobby replied emphatically.

Craig looked like he was starting to bring his fist up. Bobby felt his own hand fold into a fist. He knew Craig was a lot older than him, but he wasn’t going to allow the man to be a complete ass in his home.

Suddenly Craig seemed to relax. His hands dropped to his side. His mouth opened like he was going to say something, but nothing came out. Bobby waited to see what was going to transpire.

“I … I’m sorry,” Craig said in barely a whisper.

Bobby was tempted to make the man repeat it, but he decided not to. He didn’t want any more trouble. “Fine,” Bobby said. “I suggest you get some coffee.” Bobby turned on his heel and walked towards the sun porch.

Craig watched him go and shook his head. What the fuck had he been thinking? He didn’t want to start a fight in his son’s home, or anywhere else for that matter. Susan would kill him if he did. But he just felt so … useless. His six year old granddaughter had lectured him about not being a good grandfather. That was what had started all this. He had been drinking scotch and thinking about what Bree had said to him. He knew she was right. He had been avoiding her, hadn’t been showing her how much he loved her, hadn’t been fulfilling his duties as a grandfather. And then Jennifer had looked so happy and told him not to hurt Bree. As a result he was feeling sorry for himself that his life hadn’t turned out the way he wanted it to. His son was a fag and his marriage was little more than okay. He did love Susan, but not in the way he had loved Jennifer when they first got together.

And then Seth had walked in, looking so satisfied with himself and with his life. And the next thing Craig knew he was picking a fucking fight with the man. He hadn’t intended to do that. It was just that everything that Seth said to him rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn’t help himself.

Craig looked at his empty glass. He headed over to the bar. Thank God the fags had a seemingly endless supply of liquor. He poured himself another drink of scotch. As he raised the glass to his lips, he heard Bobby’s words echo in his head. He slowly let his hand return to the top of the bar. He set the glass down and sighed heavily. Then he stood up straight and headed to the kitchen. He took a mug from the tray of mugs that sat beside the coffeemaker. He helped himself to a cup of coffee from the pot that always seemed to be full.

 

*****
 

“I should go speak to Craig,” Jennifer said starting to stand up.

Seth took hold of her wrist and gently pulled her back down into her seat. “It will only make matters worse,” he whispered. “Nothing really happened. Thank God Bobby came along when he did. Otherwise I would have throttled the man.”

“Seth!” Jennifer gasped, her eyes wide in amazement. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would have. I could take him too,” Seth said seriously.

Jennifer giggled. “I haven’t had men fight over me since … those men were boys.” She giggled again.

“I find that hard to believe, my dear,” Seth said giving her hand a gentle squeeze. He now had a firm hold on it making sure she didn’t try to go find Craig Taylor.

“You give me too much credit.”

“Not at all. I’m sure there were many men who were ready to fight over you.”

“I was married very young,” Jennifer responded with a wistful tone to her voice.

“And now you’re married to me,” Seth said forcefully.

“And that’s exactly where I want to be.”

Seth squeezed her hand once again, and she smiled softly at him.

 

*****
 

“He did what?” John almost shouted.

“Sh,” Bobby cautioned. “You’ll get everyone upset, and nothing really happened. I just thought for a minute that he was going to hit me.”

“I should go and throw that son of a bitch out of here,” John declared, but he kept his voice low.

“No, you shouldn’t,” Bobby told him. “I think I diffused the situation.”

“Seth wasn’t too upset?”

“He was upset, but I think he was relieved that I walked in when I did. He looked like he could have murdered Craig.”

“I can’t imagine what would make Seth do that,” John said.

“Yes you can,” Bobby replied with a smile.

“He said something about Jennifer that Seth didn’t like.

“I would bet it was exactly that.”

John shook his head. “I wonder if he’s still drinking in there,” he said. He couldn’t see any sign of Craig in the sun porch. He must still be in the living room where the liquor was. “I should go check on him.”

“I told him to get some coffee, but I don’t know if he did.”

“I’ll go see.”

Bobby grabbed John’s hand. “Don’t get into a fight with him,” Bobby cautioned.

“I could take him.”

Bobby chuckled. “I know you could, but I don’t want to be defending you on a murder charge.”

John winked at his husband before he started towards the kitchen. Bobby knew that John wouldn’t do anything foolish.

 

*****
 

“Mr. Taylor.”

Craig turned to look into the eyes of Brian’s brother. “Yes?”

“Could I have a word?”

“A word?”

“A conflab, a discussion, a discourse,” John replied, avoiding prefacing each word with ‘fucking’ like he would have preferred to do.

“I don’t think we have anything to discuss, Mr. Anderson.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

Craig looked John Anderson up and down hoping to intimidate him. John merely stared back with unwavering eyes and a steely resolve. “I was just having a coffee,” Craig explained.

“I can see that,” John said carefully. “I’d say that’s a good move on your part.”

Craig frowned. “You would, would you?”

“Definitely! I hear you’ve been having quite the day.”

“What does that mean?”

“First you had your granddaughter trying to set you straight.”

“What do you know about that?” Craig demanded.

“Enough. And then an encounter with Seth, and finally another one with my husband.”

“Your husband,” Craig sneered.

“Yes, my husband whom I love very much. I will not tolerate you upsetting him or anyone else in this house.”

Craig realized how many people he had antagonized during the day. “I … I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

“I should hope not. I would imagine Justin will invite you back here again some time, and I suggest that you don’t accept that invitation if you intend to act the way you have today.”

“I think Justin might have something to say about that,” Craig said, deciding to call this other Kinney person on his words.

“Yes, I daresay he will. Shall we go find him, and let him decide?”

“Um … no, don’t do that. There’s been enough trouble for one day,” Craig admitted.

“Does that mean that that you’ve sobered up enough to realize what a complete jerk you’ve been?”

Craig looked like he wanted to defend himself, but thought better of it. He merely nodded and took another sip of his coffee. John nodded in response and left the kitchen.

Craig looked at the clock and realized it was well on into the evening. He decided he would finish his coffee and then he and Susan were getting the fuck out of there.
 

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