Between the Land and the Sea - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,92
the porch.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, leaning over to kiss my cheek. Cruz stood up, watching Ethan pull away.
“What was that all about?” he asked, bemused, “He looked so serious– we thought you were being kidnapped!”
“Nothing,” I said gravely, “He just wanted to tell me how much he was looking forward to tofu turkey.”
Cruz laughed so suddenly he choked. I turned to Megan, “Will you be joining us?”
“No, me and my mom are going to my aunt’s in San Jose.” She sighed wistfully, “There won’t be any tofu, but we’ll just have to get by...”
“Shut up!” Cruz said, his eyes watering. Megan had to leave, so I walked her out to her car.
“You look better,” she said knowingly, “What did he say?” I pressed my lips together, “You were right. He apologized.” Megan smiled victoriously, “Have a happy Thanksgiving! And avoid the murderous mermaids, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” I said, smiling wanly.
I ventured in the kitchen where I was met by the sight of Abby cooking up a storm. I offered to help but she pushed me out, saying she had everything under control. I arranged to pick up a veggie pizza for dinner and she smiled gratefully.
“Does Dutch know that there won’t be any turkey?” I asked wryly.
“Yes,” she said with mock exasperation, “He said he likes the side dishes best anyway. Now scoot!”
That night I was actually able to sleep a little, and I wondered if it was because of my contact with Ethan. I only started awake once, finding myself standing at the window in the moonlight with my hands on the sill. I locked it, wedging a stick in the frame to keep it from opening. I wondered if I’d be able to climb out of it without waking myself up.
On Thanksgiving morning I helped Abby clean up the house and set the table. Dutch and Ethan showed up a little early, bearing flowers. I got them both something to drink and sat them down on the couch, putting a football game on. Abby bustled around in the kitchen, arranging the bouquet in a vase and nervously fussing with her veggie gravy.
I excused myself and went to go see what Cruz was up to. I knocked on his door and peeked in, finding him hunched over his sewing machine as usual. He was working on a confection of a dress.
“Cruz! It’s fabulous!” I admired it as he held it up for me. The bodice and skirt were a deep garnet satin, with a wide neckline and lace half sleeves. An overlay of golden blonde lace had been hand applied along the hemline, and it was draped beautifully. It had the look of expensive handmade couture, and it was definitely something Evie would wear and look beautiful in.
“Do you really think she’ll love it?” he asked hopefully. “Can we take it up to her this weekend?” I told Cruz that Evie was visiting friends in New York for Thanksgiving, but I thought she was coming back on Sunday.
“I’ll call and find out when we can go,” I promised, “Now we should get out there and be good hosts!”
Cruz groaned, “Ugh! Football! Give me five minutes.”
I went out to sit with Ethan and his dad. It wasn’t nearly as awkward as I thought it would be. Dutch teased me about my barbering skills and we all shared a laugh about how some of the surfer dudes went out and got the same haircut.
“You know what they say about the sincerest form of flattery!” Dutch chuckled.
Cruz finally pried himself away from his workbench to join us. I told Ethan about the dress Evie had commissioned from him.
“We might go up to the city for a fitting this week,” I said.
“Will you be coming back with a new car?” Ethan teased me. Cruz knew a lot about luxury cars and started describing Evie’s garage in detail. The guys listened with interest. I was happy they found some common ground, even if it bored me to tears. Abby called us in to eat, and we all gathered around the table.
The food was pretty good, although the tofu turkey remained largely untouched. Abby and Dutch were completely focused on each other, and as smitten as he was, I’m sure Dutch would have eaten anything she put in front of him. Even Cruz was well behaved, refraining from any of his usual vegan jokes.
Dutch asked Abby if she’d like to come out on his boat with him the next night. The harbor