Deadline

by Judy McDonough

Delphine was recovering, but still on pain medicine and her arm in bandages. The kitchen, however, had not recovered. It had been a couple of weeks since the accident, and there were repairs still needing to be made before Delphine could use the appliances, so Eddie had gone into town to buy some live crawfish for a July fourth celebration. Caroline's first crawfish boil ever and she was excited to soak in as much of the Louisiana culture as she could.

  Eddie had invited Cade and his family over for crawfish, as well. She didn't ask, and he didn't explain, but she figured Eddie did it to persuade her to reconsider her engagement. No doubt he would love for her to be down here close to him.

  Caroline stared deep in thought at the blaze beneath the huge pot of boiling crawfish, mesmerized by the dancing blue and orange flames licking the metal to heat it. She didn't know what to think anymore. She loved Trevor. She was in love with him. She agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. She'd only known Cade for a short time. Less than it could've been if he hadn't backed off. They hadn't been hanging out as much, so there was no possible way the doubts running through her mind had any merit. Right?

  Just a silly crush reflecting her love for southern culture. She needed to convince herself that rather than 'absence makes the heart grow fonder,' it was more 'out of sight, out of mind.' She remembered the burning passion she and Trevor shared before she came down here when he declared his intimate promises. Caroline reassured herself about her decision to make a stronger effort to keep in touch with him. She'd talked to Trevor every day, not spent so much time with Cade, and most importantly, absolutely no more kissing him. Definitely a bad idea if she planned to immerse herself in all things Trevor. She told herself this responsible strategy had helped curb her forbidden desires for their powerful connection. Though it hadn't, really.

  Cade was her friend and she loved being around him. His interest in her was more than just physical, and that was difficult to ignore. She must continue to make the effort, though.

  Cade showed up with two of his sisters and his parents. He looked a lot like his dad, but Cade had his mom's smile. He hadn't lied, she was beautiful. Blonde hair, blue eyes and gleaming white, perfectly straight teeth. She stood tall and elegant, alongside her two daughters. The oldest, Catherine, and the youngest, Cameron, were the two that joined them. Caitlyn was stationed on a ship with the Navy, and Carly in Baton Rouge for summer school.

  Catherine was amazing. Tall, around five-foot-ten and curvy, she definitely could have been a model. She had long, reddish brown curly hair and her mom's blue eyes. Her infectious smile made her very easy to talk to and admire. Very welcoming and sweet, it was obvious she loved children and working as a teacher. Caroline couldn't help but think about what Ty had told her. She wondered if Catherine was the sister whose fiancé had raped her. Caroline didn't want to assume anything.

  Cameron, with straight, medium brown hair, was quiet. Not quite as tall as her older sister, but still taller than Caroline. Not curvy like her sister either. In fact, just the opposite. Cameron appeared very thin and built like a preteen boy. It didn't seem to bother her as it was obvious her confidence was healthy. She hoped to be a doctor someday. When Caroline discussed nursing school with her, she lightened up a little and asked a few questions regarding the medical field. Very sweet, and shy, Caroline gathered Cameron to be introverted, unlike her older siblings.

  Cade's dad was a very reserved and quiet man. With the same golden tan and hazel eyes as Cade, as well as the thick wavy hair, he stood shorter than Cade, but not by much. Slim and fit, but beneath his shirt she detected muscle definition. Cade's family was very physically fit. She wondered if they all worked out together.

  Caroline hadn't worn her engagement ring. Remy warned her how messy eating crawfish could be. The subject never came up, but she prepared herself this time in case anyone asked why she wasn't wearing her ring. Cade kept his word about stepping back and not tempting her anymore. This saddened Caroline. She missed having his attention, but she appreciated it just the same. Still, it did nothing to hinder the desire she felt for him just by being in his vicinity.

  Eddie dumped the large pot of red steaming crawfish onto a newspaper-covered table, and everyone ate like a pack of wolves on a feeding frenzy. Unsure how to eat them, she stood back and watched for a few minutes. Her dad came to her side after he set another batch on the burner to boil. He showed her how to hold them, twist the head off, pinch the meat from the tail and pull it out with her teeth.

  "What is that black strip along the back of the meat?"

  Everyone laughed.

  Cade's dad spoke up, which surprised her. "That's the protein, the good stuff."

  Everyone burst into laughter again except for Caroline. She didn't get the joke.

  "The good stuff? No, seriously, what is it?"

  Claire finally let her off the hook. "It's poop. I don't eat it, I peel it off with the shell."

  Ugh. If she could manage to get past the whole mudbug, poop-filled, open circulatory system thing, the meat from the tail really did taste good. One thing she refused to do was suck the juice from the head once she pinched it off. So gross.

  She noticed a few times, when she glanced at Cade, he was already looking at her. He would smile and then look away. Caroline knew she shouldn't, but she felt really depressed. She sensed a sadness in him as well. He was still friendly and didn't avoid her, and it wasn't awkward, but the flirting had stopped. He wasn't quite as playful and attentive, and she missed that. She was bummed he wouldn't be pursuing her anymore, and she didn't understand why. She had no right to want his affections.

  After dinner they sat on the back patio around the fire pit and Cade sang a few songs for them with his guitar. He had such an amazing voice, and Caroline had become completely enamored with his talent. Though he stared at his guitar while he sang, there may as well not have been anyone else around. In her mind, he sang only to her. While lost in his music, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Trevor. She excused herself to the bathroom to answer it.

  "Hey. What's going on?"

  "Not much, we had a crawfish boil tonight with some friends."

  "Cool, a crawfish boil, huh? I've never had crawfish before. What's it like?"

  "Dirty, but delicious. I wouldn't suck the head or eat the poop, though."

  Trevor let out a hefty laugh. "O-kay. That just sounds gross. I'm glad you enjoyed it though. So what's on your agenda for this week?"

  "Nothing that I know of. I'm going to try to hang out with my sister some and get to know her better, but other than that, not much. Why?"

  "Just curious how you'll be spending your time away from me. Have you bonded anymore with your dad?"

  "Not as much as I would like. He goes out of town a lot, and his wife is a little stingy with him. I haven't gotten to talk to him much."

  "Well, when you do, let me know what he says and how everything goes."

  "Okay. . .am I supposed to be asking him something that I'm not remembering? You sound like you know something I don't know?"

  "No, no, no. I'm just eager. . .to see what you guys, um, you know. . .to see how you guys grow closer. You know, father and daughter bonding and all that."

  "No, I don't know much about that since I never had a father figure in my life, but I suppose I follow you. I'll, um. . .keep you posted, I guess."

  "Okay. I'll give you a call later."

  "Okay. I love you."

  "Love you, too."

  That was strange. Trevor was acting weird again. Why must everything be so freakin' confusing? For this to have been such a fantastic summer, Caroline now had a terrible case of the blues. She hoped the next few weeks would get better.

  She'd slipped back out on the patio hoping to listen to more of Cade's singing, but disappointment flooded when he wasn't even present. Everyone stood in the yard chatting while Eddie prepared to light some fireworks. Caroline wandered up behind the crowd, thankful the dusk could hide her sulk as she absently searched the faces of the cro
wd.

  "He's not a fan of fireworks."

  Caroline jumped in surprise, mildly annoyed with herself for being in such a bad mood, and Catherine giggled.

  "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. You know, you shouldn't frown like that, it'll give you premature wrinkles."

  "Sorry, I'm not trying to frown. Just a little moody."

  "No, I get it. Trouble in paradise?"

  "No, no trouble. Cade and I are fine, just friends."

  A knowing grin slowly stretched across Catherine's face. "I was talking about your fiancé, but it's interesting how you associate paradise with my brother. Something you should probably think long and hard about before you say those two life-changing little words." With that Catherine squeezed her in a side hug and walked away leaving Caroline to wonder what the heck just happened. Had she lost her mind?

  Caroline huddled beneath a tree in the shadows and watched the explosion of colorful lights in the sky. The popping and booming of celebration echoed through the trees sounding like a battlefield. A perfect representation of the war raging within herself. What was up with Trevor? Cade? Herself?

  Maybe it was her overactive imagination again, but her gut told her there was trouble on the horizon. She had a bad feeling that her horrible observation skills would allow her to get punched right in the face and not see who did it. It was a shame Rachel couldn't give her a heads up about her own life.

  Twenty-Five