As she showered and got ready for bed, Sam realized her plans to get out and meet people hadn’t exactly been realized. It had been a crazy week, though, she reasoned. With the coming Fourth of July holiday she’d have time to get into town, maybe call Karen and see if she was free for coffee or lunch, stop in at the bank and check in with Lynn. She could do those things, she told herself. It wouldn’t be weird to call someone, stop in to say hi, people did it all the time, right?
She was doing a pretty fair job of psyching herself up when her cell phone buzzed. She glanced at the time, her heart jumping as she reverted for a moment to the days when phone calls at night almost always meant bad news. She took a deep breath. It was only ten o’clock and it was only Jake. And this was now, not then. She thought her voice sounded reasonably normal as she answered the phone.
Fifteen minutes later when she hung up, she was wishing she hadn’t answered. No, that wasn’t entirely true. She had enjoyed talking to Jake, hearing about his day, and sharing hers with him. It was the invitation he had extended, that she had tried to turn down but had eventually agreed to, that had her panicking. A family picnic at his parent’s house sounded downright intimidating. Yes, she wanted to meet people, she really did, but so many at once? It would mean answering the same questions over and over, people wanting to know how she ended up in Misty Lake, wanting to know about the house they watched being built on the lake. Questions she either couldn’t or wouldn’t want to answer. She had tried using Rigi as an excuse, saying she couldn’t possibly leave her home alone all day, but Jake had assured her she could bring the dog along.
Sunday. The annual McCabe family Fourth of July picnic. Only a couple days to mentally ready herself. She’d meet his entire family, from the way it sounded. His parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, even a couple of great aunts. Not to mention half the town. According to Jake, his parents had been hosting a picnic for years and it seemed to grow bigger every summer. Sam had never been much of a drinker. She considered starting.
Jake picked her up on Sunday, a gesture she appreciated and he had insisted upon even though it meant he had to drive from town out to the lake then back to town to his parents’ house. She really hadn’t wanted to arrive alone. She had insisted on bringing something even when Jake assured her there would be more food than could ever be eaten, so she was juggling a platter of brownies and a pasta salad as they made their way to the front door. Jake tied the dog outside then walked in and led her to a kitchen that was a beehive of activity.
Sam stood a moment and took it all in. Buns were being sliced, crockpots stirred, and hamburger patties formed. Someone let go with a booming laugh and there were somewhat more subdued chuckles all around, Jake and Sam having apparently just missed the punch line of a particularly good joke. Sam spotted Karen standing at the sink washing fruit. When Joe walked up behind her and kissed the top of her head, Karen turned and noticed Sam. She gave a smile and a wave that Sam clumsily attempted to return without dropping the food she was carrying. When Joe spotted them and said loudly, “Welcome to the jungle, Sam!” it quickly grew quiet and everyone seemed to stare. Sam felt her cheeks heating as a striking woman with short, shiny black hair and eyes that were identical to Jake’s came forward with her arms extended.
“Sam, welcome to our home. I’m so happy to meet you, Jake has told us so much about you.” Then, in one swift move, she had the dishes out of Sam’s hands and her arms around her in a welcoming hug.
Sam, a little taken aback at the intimate greeting, stammered out her hello and thank you. As Jake’s mother drew back, Jake put his arm around Sam’s shoulders and said, “Sam, my mom, Anna McCabe. Mom, Samantha Taylor.” When a smiling, red-haired man with bright blue eyes approached, Jake repeated the introductions with his father.
“Mr. and Mrs. McCabe, it’s a pleasure to meet you both. Thank you for having me today.”
“Please, it’s Sean and Anna,” Jake’s mother insisted. “And don’t you look lovely!” she added, stepping back to look at Sam. “Jake, you didn’t tell us she was beauty queen material.”
Sam didn’t know how to respond but was saved by Jake who hugged his mother and whispered, “Easy, Mom.”
Sean shook Sam’s hand and asked, “How are you settling in? Is Misty Lake starting to feel like home?”
His eyes sparkled and it appeared he had just come in from the sun as his cheeks and arms were pink and covered with freckles that seemed to spread before her eyes. He stood about an inch taller than Jake and, she guessed, outweighed him by thirty pounds. If she had met him elsewhere she knew she would have found him intimidating and guessed he had used his size to his advantage during his years as sheriff. But now, seeing him smile and watching him turn to put an arm around his wife and squeeze her shoulders, she instantly liked him.
“I’m adjusting,” she answered. “It’s a different way of life than in Chicago but I like it. I’m starting to enjoy the lake, have even started swimming again, and my dog loves it here,” she added and wondered where all that had come from, why she felt like she could tell him anything.
“I’m glad to hear that. We’re pretty proud of our town, aren’t we Jake?” Without waiting for an answer, he added, “If you need any help out there, you just let me know. The boys and I can take care of just about anything that needs taking care of. Isn’t that right, Anna?” Again, before his wife could answer he turned to Jake and said, “Round up a couple of your brothers and get the volleyball net set up. People will be arriving soon, there’s work to be done. Samantha, you make yourself at home and enjoy yourself today,” he said with a wink as he shooed Jake out the door and into the backyard.
Left alone with a kitchen full of women, Sam grew instantly uncomfortable but Anna came to her rescue. “Ladies, this is Sam. Sam, this is everyone. You’ll have a chance to get acquainted later but right now we’ve got food to get on the table. Sam, would you mind helping Karen with the fruit?”
Grateful for something to do, Sam headed for the sink. She washed, sliced, and plated fruit while Karen, keeping her voice below the level of the din, gave her the pertinent details on everyone in the room.
Before she knew it, Sam was in the McCabe’s backyard with over a hundred other people. Cars pulled up, people walked from down the block, kids came bounding from all directions, and everywhere she looked there was food. She met more people than she would ever remember. After she let herself relax and told herself she didn’t owe anyone anything more than she felt comfortable sharing, she enjoyed herself. Jake stayed with her as much as he could but he was often called away to help with something or to join in on a game of volleyball or horseshoes. She chatted with Kathleen and her husband, catching up on Kathleen’s summer with her kids from Project Strong Start and learning about the houses that were going up for sale in town and around the lake. Stu introduced her to Molly who was feeling well enough to join the party. She ran into Lynn, met her husband and her twins, and was a nervous wreck after ten minutes of watching her chase after two toddlers who each wanted to do everything except what the other was doing. How Lynn could always seem to be in two places at once was truly a mystery.
Sam also met the rest of Jake’s siblings and felt reasonably certain she had them all straight. In addition to Joe who was one year younger, there were the twins, Frank and Riley, who were three years younger and Shauna, who was seven years younger than Jake. They were a fun, noisy bunch and Sam felt welcomed by all of them. Shauna, in particular, went out of her way to make Sam feel at home. She chatted, telling Sam about graduating from the University of Minnesota in May with a double major in finance and art. She explained that while she was working at the bank right now, what she really wanted to do one day was open up her own antiques gallery. Sam was drawn in to the young woman’s plans and dreams and wondered if she had ever been so full of hope for the future. Shauna was a bundle of energy and Sam didn’t doubt she’d achieve her dream one day.
When Jake told her he wanted to introduce her to his great aun
ts saying they would never forgive him if they found out he had a girl there and they hadn’t met her, Sam thought she was ready. Jake seemed almost apologetic, started trying to explain, then just told her she’d see for herself. Sam was a little confused but she had met so many people already, what difference could a couple more make?
Kate and Rose, the widowed sisters of Anna’s mother, were sitting together under a big umbrella on the patio, sipping drinks and both talking at the same time, seeming to be on completely different topics. Sam heard one of the women talking about the turkey gravy their mother used to make while she swore the other was talking about bunions.
“Aunt Rose, Aunt Kate, I’d like you to meet Samantha Taylor,” Jake interrupted.
“What’s that, Jacob? You’re looking for Seth Taylor? I think he died sixty years ago, didn’t he, Rosie?”
“Oh, I think so. At least sixty years. I remember his funeral. It was raining like crazy as we walked from the church to the cemetery. Seems to me—”
“No, Aunt Kate, I said I want you to meet Samantha Taylor. She’s a friend of mine, she just moved to Misty Lake.”
“Oh, a friend of yours?” The woman looked Sam up and down and nodded her approval to Jake. “She’s a pretty one, Jacob, don’t you agree, Rosie?”
“Real pretty,” Rose answered. “You like our boy, do you? He’s a good boy, our Jacob. Did he tell you about the time when I was minding him and the neighbor dog bit him right on the behind? I had to take him to the emergency room, took twelve stitches to patch him up. I bet you still have a scar there, don’t you, Jacob? Let me have a look.” Rose leaned forward in her chair and, with her free hand, reached for Jake.
“Now, Aunt Rose, I’m sure Sam doesn’t want to hear about that,” Jake said as he quickly jumped back out of his aunt’s reach.
Sam had to turn her head and stifle a laugh as Jake’s blush rose up his neck and all the way to his ears.
Kate held up her empty glass and looked to Jake. “Be a dear and go get us refills. Do you need a refill, Rosie?”
Rose looked at the glass in her hand and said, “Well, I’ll be darned, looks like I do!” Both the women started howling with laughter and held their glasses out for Jake who gave Sam a helpless look as he took them.
Sam murmured to Jake, “Do you really think you should get them another drink? What’s in their glasses anyway?”
Turning his back to his aunts, Jake answered, “They drink Old Fashioneds, have as long as I can remember. We all learned years ago, though, that after their first ones, their drinks are strictly of the virgin variety. They never notice.”
Sam sat down with the women as Jake went to refill their glasses. “So, Samantha, how long have you been in town and when did you meet our Jacob?”
“Almost four months now but I just met Jake recently.”
“Do you think she knows Lois?” Rose asked Kate. Then, seeming to forget Sam was there, continued to her sister, “You missed Harvey Wallin’s funeral on Tuesday.”
“I told you I had a dental appointment I needed to keep. Was Lois there?”
“Of course she was there. She wouldn’t miss a funeral.”
“Up to the same old tricks?”
“You know Lois, she’ll never change. She had to sample all the dishes before the family arrived, said she needed to make sure everything was okay to serve. I think she sampled Helga’s macaroni and cheese about a half dozen times, that old bat. Then before the family was done eating she was wrapping up leftovers to take home.”
“Did she bring her horrid green Jell-O again?”
“That’s all she ever brings, that awful Jell-O that no one ever eats, then she takes home enough food to keep her fed for the rest of the week.”
“What about Midge? Was she there?”
“She was, tried to get us all to feel sorry for her saying she has so much to deal with now that Wally’s sick.”
“Ha!” Kate barked. “Sick my foot. She likes to say sick thinking she’ll get more sympathy that way, like the man has cancer or something. She’s convinced he’s crazy but she won’t admit it. Did you hear what he did last week?”
“Dodging grenades behind the gas pumps over at the station? I heard. He’s doing one hell of a job on Midge. He’s got her believing he thinks he’s back in Korea, running around all the time looking for his gun and shouting about rear attacks. I heard he squeezed into his uniform the other day and accused Midge of stealing his medals.”
“She deserves everything he’s dishing out. That mean old nag has been after him for almost sixty years, it’s about time he figured out a way to shut her up.” Then after a pause Kate added, “She cheats at cards, too.”
“Everyone knows that, Kathryn.”
The conversation rolled on with Kate continuing to talk about their card games and who was cheating and Rose talking about her singing group, even starting to sing to herself a couple of times. It was mesmerizing watching them, like some sort of bizarrely choreographed dance. Neither seemed to notice the other wasn’t talking about the same thing, they both just carried on, occasionally even asking or answering a question. The topics changed, changed again, and still neither noticed the other was on a completely different subject.
When Jake returned with their drinks both women paused, took their glasses, and looked surprised to see Sam sitting next to them. “Now dear, what was it you were saying about moving to Misty Lake?” Rose asked.
“I…I was just saying how much I like it here,” Sam smiled.
“That’s good, that’s good. Jacob, where are your manners? You show her around, introduce her to some people,” Rose scolded.
“Yes, Aunt Rose, I will. Can I get you anything else?” But the sisters had already forgotten Jake and Sam and had resumed their conversation that now seemed to center around blood pressure medication and a sale on cat food.
Sam chatted, ate, and enjoyed herself. She was talked into a couple games of volleyball and helped her team to victory once she worked some of the rust off the techniques she had honed during a three-year stint on her junior high team. She didn’t fare as well pitching horseshoes but had fun trying. A couple of times during the day Sam had caught sight of Karen, sipping water and looking a little green. When she asked her about it, Karen said the combination of the heat and the Mexican food she had eaten the night before seemed to be doing a number on her. Sam had tried to convince her to go inside where it was air-conditioned but Karen hadn’t wanted to miss anything. Some of the older folks did head home earlier than they would have otherwise, giving up the battle with the high temperature and humidity.
Later that evening when everyone but Jake’s family had left to watch fireworks in the park, Sam sat on the patio, sipping on lemonade and listening to the inside stories and jokes that all families seem to share. They all went out of their way to recall embarrassing stories about Jake and Sam found herself laughing so hard at times she had tears in her eyes. She heard about everything from split pants on the little league field to throwing up on his fifth grade teacher to taking the car out onto a frozen Misty Lake and, while trying to impress the girls in the back seat by doing donuts, knocked over the high school principal’s fish house. Every time Jake tried to turn the conversation to something one of his siblings had done, it just served to remind someone of another Jake story.
“Okay, okay, enough! That’s all ancient history,” Jake pleaded. “And I seem to recall I wasn’t the only one to get in trouble with the car. When Frank and Riley got their driver’s licenses they both managed to get into accidents the first time they were allowed to take the car out by themselves. Remember, Dad?” Jake added when no one commented.
“Nice try, Jake,” Riley said, shaking his head, “but that just doesn’t compare with The History of Jake, now does it? I think everyone would rather hear about the time you tried to get Megan Perkins to sneak out in the middle of the night and her dad caught you outside her window. Nothing like the sheriff answering his door in the middle of the
night to find his son, escorted by one of his deputies, on the doorstep.”
Finally, Anna took pity on her oldest and announced it was time to head to the roof for a better view of the fireworks.
“The roof?” Sam asked Jake, slightly alarmed.
“It’s a McCabe family tradition. There’s a spot on the garage roof we’ve been climbing up to for years. It gets us just high enough that we’re above the tree line but not so high that Mom gets too worried.”
Just as everyone started to get up Karen said softly, “Um, can you wait just a minute?” When Sam looked at her Karen was smiling but seemed nervous at the same time. She reached for Joe’s hand and said, “I don’t think I’ll climb up on the roof this year.”
“What’s up, Karen? You’re not suddenly afraid of heights, are you? I have a few Karen stories I could share, especially about the time you and some of your cheerleader friends tried to climb the water tower. You weren’t afraid of heights that night!” Frank seemed ready to launch into a story but paused when he caught a look pass between Karen and Joe. Then, more concerned, he asked, “Seriously, what’s up?”
“Well, we were waiting for the right time to tell everyone…we’re going to have a baby!” Karen beamed and, in the way of all expectant mothers, rested a hand on her still-flat belly.
All at once, the group erupted. Shauna shrieked and did a little pirouette. Joe’s brothers seemed to whoop in unison and engulf their brother, who looked a little dazed, with hugs and high fives. Anna was on her feet in a flash, her hand flying to her mouth as her eyes grew wide and she gave a little gasp. She made her way to Karen, wrapped her in a hug and fought for composure as the tears started to make their way down her cheeks. Sam could hear her stammering, seeming to struggle to get the words out, and guessed it was one of the few times the confident, in-control woman had been at a loss for words.
It was wonderful seeing the family so happy, so united by joyous news. Sam felt a little pang thinking that over the last couple years the times her family had been so united were to grieve, not celebrate. It seemed like it had been a long time since her family was caught up in a celebration like the one playing out in front of her.
Misty Lake: Book One in the Misty Lake Series Page 13
