The realization of what I’m saying settles across Tommy’s face. “Should we make her go with us?”
I hesitate. The part of me who tries to be a good parent thinks that yes, we should absolutely make her go. We should be assertive and show her that we are in charge. But the selfish part of me knows that if we make her go, she’ll be a pain in the ass and ruin what could otherwise be a very nice evening.
“If you want.” I shrug, hoping he doesn’t.
“Forget about it,” Tommy says. “If she’s miserable then we’ll all be miserable.”
“Isn’t that the truth.” I back out of the driveway before he can change his mind.
PULLING INTO THE parking lot of Camille’s, I can’t help but think back to the first time Tommy took me here. We were on a double date of sorts with Adam and Jill, although we were still firmly in the friend zone—which is why I was so confused when he pulled his car into a motel parking lot. Part of me may have been a little disappointed when I realized the restaurant was on the second floor.
“First full day here, and I’m already checking something off my Kick the Bucket list,” Tommy says, getting out of the car.
I frown. I’m trying to be supportive, but his making light of everything has the opposite effect on me than it does on him. If it didn’t have such a strong reference to death, I might have appreciated his twist on a summer bucket list. But I could do without all the reminders of what the end of this summer holds.
“Uncle Tommy?” Abigail says.
I hadn’t noticed Jill’s car pull in, but Abigail is standing there looking so timid and lovely. Tommy gives her a smile that lights up his face, and with the permission that it’s okay, she lunges into his open arms.
My eyes well up at the sight of them. Tommy and Abigail have always had a special bond, and it hasn’t diminished over time. If anything, it’s even stronger now that Abigail doesn’t have another reliable father figure in her life.
It shouldn’t surprise me that Adam has gone MIA since he ran off to play house with his new girl-toy, but it still makes me angry. Even now, Jill tries to make excuses for him, saying that Adam’s tried, but the kids refused to talk to him. But he’s the dad. It’s his job to keep trying. To show that he loves them, even half as much as Tommy does.
“Who is this stunning creature?” Tommy asks Jill over Abigail’s shoulder.
“Uncle Tommy, you know it’s me.” Abigail plays along even though she knows he’s teasing.
Tommy holds her an arm’s length away. “Abigail Jane?” Tommy looks over at me, the smile on his face stretching from ear to ear. “Lex, look how much our girl has grown.”
Suddenly shy again, Abigail drops her head, letting her silky straight hair fall in front of her face. Tommy pushes it back behind her shoulder and gives her a kiss on the cheek. He leans closer to whisper something in her ear.
I catch Jill’s eye as she wipes away a tear, and I reach my hand toward hers. Her fingers lace through mine and she clears her throat. “We should get upstairs before they give our table away.”
“They wouldn’t dare,” Tommy says. He gives Jill a hug before walking over to the bottom of the staircase that leads up to both the restaurant and the second floor of the motel, allowing us all to go before him. I try not to notice how he stops to rest halfway up the stairs, or how out of breath he is as we walk through the door to one of our favorite restaurants in Destin.
“TomTom!” Brit, the longtime hostess, calls as she walks toward us. One of Monica’s best friends back in the day, she’s still beautiful, but less intimidating than she was all those years ago. She gives Tommy a kiss on the lips like she always does, then moves to kiss my cheek—which she didn’t always do.
“Did you know Monica is back in town?” she asks Tommy.
My stomach tightens into a knot and I am grateful CeCe isn’t around to hear this conversation.
“I heard something about that,” he says, putting his arm around my waist. I see right through his gesture, but I appreciate it.
Brit smiles and launches into the story about how Monica landed this great Netflix project