of scents typical of city life—crisp, cool air and the aroma of pumpkin spice lattes. One afternoon at the amateurishly staged pumpkin patch a few blocks from his apartment, Arnie watched city kids gather around a pen of random farm animals and pick an exorbitantly priced pumpkin from a fake patch. It was all a bit hokey and felt forced.
Ohio in autumn was a completely different world. The moment the NIGHTWIND gang ambled down the steps of their chartered plane for a weeklong celebration around Jon and Lorelai’s wedding, they were met with a seasonal smorgasbord. It was chilly. The scenery was ablaze with fall colors, and corn stalks and hay bales were not just decorations.
Sipping a surprisingly kick-ass maple , he looked around. It was a gorgeous fall evening, and he was with the people he felt most comfortable with—his NIGHTWIND family. They were gathered around a jaw-droppingly cool firepit nestled in a well-tended grove at the rear of Lorelai Midnight’s childhood home.
Izzy made a smacking noise with her lips and let out an exaggerated, “Ah.” She held the handle of a footed glass. An empty glass.
“I’m not leaving here without the recipe,” she squawked. “Mulled wine is my new favorite thing.”
Bride-to-be Lorelai let out a laugh. “There might be specialist equipment involved. Have you got a slow cooker?”
Jon snorted. “Slow cookers are for heathens.”
Dawn Maddison rubbed her baby bump. “Says the man with an Instant Pot.”
Arnie laughed at the exchange. Wives and babies were changing NIGHTWIND—in a good way.
From the Adirondack chair next to him, King rhapsodized about the lethal qualities of homemade, warm buttered rum.
“My mom’s showing off,” Lorelai told them. “She lurves to entertain and says it isn’t a proper Midnight affair unless she pulls out every trick in the book. Making people feel special and welcome is her superpower. If she was president, there’d be cookies and cocoa every afternoon.”
The conversation turned to an enthusiastic appreciation for the incredible welcome mat the Midnight family rolled out. The mother of the bride was in her element and having the time of her life. Same for Lorelai’s dad. Marty and Cathy Midnight were good people. Jon chose and chose well.
Taking another sip of a robust coffee blended with maple-infused cream, Arnie turned his head to observe Milo and the cool and collected Ms. Jade Morris as they crossed the enormous backyard. From a distance, nothing seemed odd, but he sensed things hidden in the cracks. The two played ‘nothing to see here’ as well as anybody, but their general vibe made it clear everything with the two was not as it appeared. Below the surface, a storm raged.
Cracking a sly smirk, he zeroed in on Milo. The younger dude’s style was a cross between urban hip and tech geek. He looked and dressed like every other 30-year-old guy in New York although two recent changes stood out.
The NIGHTWIND tech wizard was sporting redesigned dental work. Not out of vanity. Poor Milo got his ass kicked but good when he tagged along with King on a stakeout.
When it came to shit like benefits and employee well-being, NIGHTWIND had it all. The dentist they sent Milo to was a true artist. He came out of the experience a little bummed by the beatdown but no harm, no foul where his teeth were concerned.
And then, the squirrely dude grew a beard. It helped him look less like a twelve-year-old.
The new chompers were the result of his job, but the beard felt to Arnie like a statement of manhood directed at one Ms. Jade Morris.
His gaze shifted to the girl strolling at Milo’s side. How best to describe Jade? Hmm.
Stating the obvious—she was gorgeous times ten with flawless caramel-colored skin, big brown eyes, and long dark hair. She reminded Arnie of a younger Gabrielle Union. Her big smile was only one of many assets.
Jade was one of a new and sometimes scary breed of urban females whose intellectual talents blew her peers out of the water. Her generation was raised on technology, and in her case, Jade’s skills made tech giants like Jobs, Wozniak, and Gates seem old-fashioned. Her very presence at NIGHTWIND threatened Milo’s confidence and upset his little nerd kingdom.
The part where Jade had a kid and an attitude about guys made the potential pair up fascinating to observe.
Ali sat on his other side. She must have noticed him checking out Milo and Jade on their approach. He felt her interest before she spoke and didn’t react at all