Page 8 of Comforting the Grump
Auden laughed. “I do. Too bad he’s taken, huh? I doubt you can compete with one of the richest men in the country.”
“As if I’d want to. I’m not relationship material, and we both know it.”
Auden’s eyes grew unexpectedly serious, and alarm bells went off. “I think you’re wrong, but we’ll have to agree to disagree.”
I had nothing to say to that.
Once a mountainous pile of grilled sustenance had been added to the buffet tables, dinner was announced. I waited until the teenage stampede had retreated, then loaded some ribs onto my plate and added a big scoop of Cora’s potato salad. Some cucumber salad would constitute today’s serving of vegetables.
I grabbed a seat at a table where Ennio sat and plucked a rib from my plate, the tangy scent of barbecue sauce tickling mynostrils. The meat fell off the bone with an ease that made me hum in appreciation, but as I glanced over at Ennio, his normally bright eyes were dulled, his lips pressed into a thin line. Even his outfit wasn’t as colorful as usual. I’d never seen him wear a black shirt, even if his tight purple pants had some sort of glitter on them. Hell, he wasn’t even wearing nail polish. Was he okay?
“Hey.” I nudged him lightly with my elbow, pointing at his untouched food with my chin. “You’re missing out on Auden’s famous ribs here.”
Ennio offered a weak smile, his fingers aimlessly pushing a bean around his plate. “Yeah, they look great.”
Who had pissed in his Cheerios this morning? It wasn’t like Ennio to be so glum. The kid—he’d always be a kid to me as Auden’s half-brother since he was thirteen years younger than us—was usually a frigging ball of sunshine, like a kid in a bouncy castle, only one high-five away from annoying. Not that I was about to ask. That would lead me into a territory filled with emotions and feelings, a thorny path best avoided.
Auden’s father and Cora joined us, and Ennio perked up a little as we made conversation. The rest of dinner passed with the usual clatter and chatter of family gatherings. Once we’d demolished the spread, Tricia emerged from the house carrying a cake ablaze with candles. She set it down with a grandiose gesture, and the crowd erupted into an off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
Violet blew out the candles, sporting a grin so wide it took up her whole face.
“Make a wish, birthday girl,” Auden said after the applause died down, handing her the knife for the ceremonial first slice.
“Hope it’s as sweet as the tickets Uncle Marnin got me.” Violet beamed, cutting into the chocolate confection with gusto.
“Nothing’s sweeter than Taylor Swift,” I quipped, earning a chorus of laughter.
Cake plates were distributed, forks dove in, and the conversations ebbed and flowed like the tides. Despite my standing policy against unnecessary emotional entanglements, I did feel a sense of belonging among these people who had, somehow, become my own.
I was sipping a glass of whiskey at a table in the back, finally alone for a moment, when Ennio joined me.
“Hey, Marnin, can I ask you something?” His voice had dropped to a conspiratorial whisper meant for my ears only.
“Shoot.”
“Could I…stay with you in Seattle sometime?”
As if I would say no to my best friend’s little brother. “Sure. I have a guest bedroom, and you’re welcome anytime. Just give me a heads-up.”
“Really?” A grin split his face, bright enough to outshine the fairy lights strung across the backyard. It was the first time I’d seen him flash a genuine smile that evening.
“Absolutely, but what’s pulling you to the big city?”
“Change of scenery,” Ennio said, his gaze flickering to the celebration around us. It was clear there was more he wasn’t saying, but I wasn’t the type to pry. “I want to dive into the dating scene there. You know, spread my wings, cast a wider net. And the gay clubs there are legendary.”
“Legendary, huh?” The skepticism must have been evident in my tone because his smile faltered for a fraction of a second before it bounced back.
“Come on, it’s not about…well, you know.” He waved a hand dismissively, leaving the sentence unfinished, but I knew what he was implying. “It’s about meeting new people in the hopes of finding someone special. I’ve got this…this yearning, you know? To start a family before time slips away. I’m thirty-six, so the clock is ticking.”
“And you really think you’re going to find Mr. Right in a sea of sweaty bodies, groping hands, and strobe lights?”
He shrugged, an elegant lift of his shoulders that somehow encompassed all of his hope and none of his doubt. “Maybe, maybe not. But at least I’ll be looking, right? You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take and all that.”
“Rather you than me,” I mumbled, thinking of my own long string of one-night stands and fleeting connections. Perhaps I wasn’t the best person to give advice on finding lasting relationships.
Ennio was undeterred by my lackluster response. “I’ve got to try. Forestville is…comfortable, but it’s not exactly bursting with opportunity, if you catch my drift.”
I did. Ennio was a peacock among pigeons in Forestville. He needed a flock that appreciated his colors. “Yeah, I can see that.”