to him, and yet as I watched, he had no idea of his draw on me. I finally ripped my eyes away from them both to look around the tent and felt transported. It was humid, and though everyone around me was damp with sweat, there wasn’t one person in the crowd without a smile. A small buffet table had been set out, stuffed with crawfish, jambalaya, dirty rice, and artfully arranged breads. The tents were illuminated with strings and strings of red and white lights. Beer poured freely from a few tapped kegs, and there wasn’t a hand in the house without a celebratory cup. I recognized the partygoers as the building crew and a few friends of our family. Scanning the crowd, I spotted Dallas, who was waving to me from across the dance floor, Annabelle on her hip, her hair a sweaty mess, and a refreshing smile on her face. I lifted my hands in a questioning manner, and she rolled her eyes, waving me over to her. I cut through the crowd and out of the tent then made my way to her. I neared Dallas in time to see her pass Annabelle off to Dean. I began to look for Grant and couldn’t find him. I pinched Dallas’s ass hard through her scrub pants, and she shot up with a loud yelp as she turned to me with menace.
“Where is my nephew?”
“He’s with the Harrisons in the other tent.”
“You just pass off our baby to strangers,” I said, desperately looking for my nephew as Dallas lifted a red cup to her lips.
“We’ve known them our whole lives, idiot.”
“Yes, and they are old as shit. They’ll break a hip lifting him!” I said in sheer panic.
“Oh, Jesus, you really are bad off.”
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I’ll gladly hand you the high strung trophy tomorrow, but tonight, shut up.” She shoved a cup of what smelled like pure alcohol in my face, but I pushed it away. Finally spotting Grant, who was showing the Harrisons his now signature dance moves, I breathed out a sigh of relief and then turned to my sister. “Thanks for the heads-up on the party, asshole.”
“Jack thought it would be a good way to show the builders we appreciate all they’ve done.”
“Oh, Jack thought, huh?”
“Yeah,” she said defensively, shoving the drink back into my face. “He did, and Dad and I agreed. He literally had this whole damned thing done in a matter of hours. We also agreed to give the crew the day off tomorrow, too.”
“Well, that’s just dandy,” I said as I looked up and saw Dean pass Annabelle off to the Harrisons as well and make his way back toward us. Thirsty from the heat, I took a large sip of the cup and nearly gasped at its strength and amazing taste.
“Holy shit!”
“Yep, I strongly suggest you go try some of his cooking. He’s something else in the kitchen.”
“Jack made this?”
“You should’ve seen him ordering Pedro around in an attempt to get it ready.”
Pedro was our favorite of all the crew and one of the first employees my father hired. He was considered family.
“I miss everything,” I said defeated. The last of my anger disappeared with each long sip I took.
“No, you don’t. You’re here, right?” Dallas said as her eyes bulged, Dean suddenly behind her, his body language suggestive. I rolled my eyes, lifted my glass to Dean, and turned to leave in search of a refill.
“Hey, that’s my drink!”
“Not anymore. Our parents are here, you two!” I yelled over the blaring music as I made my way through the crowd. I didn’t see Jack as I headed over to the buffet to fill a bowl full of sumptuous jambalaya. I watched the crew step one by one into the dance circle, taking turns showing off their skills as the rest of them roared in celebration. As far as I could tell, Jack could throw one hell of a party. I caught my parents’ attention and waved a hello as they spoke to some of the crews’ wives as I shoved another heaping mouthful of the spicy but savory food in my mouth. I waved back in greeting as I kept my steady pace, inhaling my fill. Once finished, I refreshed my drink from a two-gallon dispenser filled with the delicious and heavily chilled liquor mix labeled Gata Juice. Stuffed and slightly alcohol soaked, I began to search the crowd for Jack and again came up empty.
A