“I’m so glad we came for the weekend,” she says excitedly. “And I can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve.”
Ha! Little does she know…
JESSE
“It’s too damn hot for this shit,” Jinx grumbles as he waits for a beer at the bar, decked out in his white trousers, red silk shirt and black vest with shiny gold buttons. My getup is exactly the same, except my shirt is royal blue. “I’m not fucking doing this next year.”
“Yeah, you are.” I laugh, beer already in hand. “Ma has a reputation to uphold.”
“She does a perfectly fine job herself. Not sure why we need to contribute.” He nods to the crowd outside of the beer tent, where Ma and Amelia chat with a group of distant cousins. Every single one of them is dressed to the nines in traditional Polish costume, full of colorful embroidery and ribbon. Amelia, just like many of the younger women, has a mass of flowers on her head, as well.
“And where the hell is Aiden?” Jinx pisses and moans. “I’m sick of that fucker getting out of this shit because he’s ‘working’. He’s probably sprawled out on the couch watching the Brewers game, with his truck locked in the garage so no one knows he’s home.”
“He texted earlier and said he’d be here.” Probably later when Ma gives us the go-ahead to get the hell out of this shit, but showing up for a little while is better than not showing up at all.
“Better be.” Jinx swaps his money for a Solo cup full of beer and takes a much needed gulp. “God, that’s good.”
I laugh as movement near the entrance of the tent catches my eye and Hayden’s dad strolls in with Paul in tow.
“Oh, my fucking God,” Paul howls when he sees our snazzy costumes. “I’ve seen it all now!”
Okay, Jinx has a point. There’s no reason Ma can’t do this shit on her own.
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble, accepting his hand and jostled half hug. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Hayden invited us up for the weekend. Thought we might want to check out the festivities.”
“Ah. Well, it’s a good time, that’s for sure.” I turn to her dad, who’s eyeing me up like he knows a little more than I’m comfortable with. “Hey, Chuck. How’s it going?”
He lifts his chin beneath narrowed eyes. “Jesse.”
Shit. Not a good sign. “Is Hayden here, too? Mrs. Foss?”
“Hayden had to drop her pie off at the contest stand and then she and Susie were going to grab some pictures of Jett in his costume with the other kids. Hannah took her little ones to the carnival.”
“Oh, nice. Hey, let me buy you a beer.” Or ten. Whatever it takes for him not to want to drown me in his pool.
“Thanks.” He leans against the makeshift bar while I grab him and Paul both a round and reintroduce them to Jinx since it’s been a while. “Nice little event you’ve got here.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty much the highlight of the summer.” Our equivalent to the county fair minus the farm animals. We have the carnival rides and games, the food stands, the craft vendors, the music and dancing, even fireworks at dark, because the festival always coincides with the Fourth of July weekend, too.
The bartender slides two beers across the bar and, taking one, her dad tips his head toward the exit. “Let’s go find the girls.”
“Sure.” When Paul stays back with Jinx, I know we’re not really looking for the ladies. Despite my surprise at seeing him today, I’m ready for whatever he has in mind. I’ve been ready for four years.
Ma glances over as we walk by, lifts her hand to wave, and flashes a bright smile. Chuck waves back politely.
“How are you folks doing?” he asks. “Keeping busy now that they’re retired?”
“Busy enough, I guess.” We keep walking and pass a couple playing folk music. He squeezes the accordion while she sings and beats a small drum, and I dig into my pocket for some cash for their hat. “How about you? How are things at work?”
“Great. Looks like I’ll finally be able to retire in three years. Looking forward to it.”
“Nice. Hayden said you were looking to do some more fishing. If you’re ever up this way, let me know. I can take you to some of my secret spots.”
He laughs. “Yeah, we should do that. I mean, if you’re going to be seeing my daughter, we