Autumn's Light

by Aurora Rey

  Graham walked back to her apartment in an excellent mood. It was so much fun to team up with Nora and Will, especially for two people she liked so much. She hoped the whole wedding planning thing might make her closer to both Emerson and Darcy. She loved Jess, as well as her friends from work, but she liked the idea of having grown-up friends. She thought they saw her as the same, not just Nora’s niece or someone who might offer to babysit Liam from time to time. Not that she’d mind the latter. The kid was a riot, and not only because he seemed to idolize her.

  For at least the third time that day, Graham wondered what Mat was up to. Work, probably. She said she took at least one day off per week, but Graham wasn’t so sure. Unless, of course, the weather dictated it.

  As if summoned by Graham’s thoughts, Mat chose that exact moment to text her. What are you up to?

  Graham smirked as she typed her response. She wasn’t going to talk marriage with Mat, but there was no reason she couldn’t tease her a little. Planning a wedding.

  Not yours, I hope? Mat punctuated the question with a bride emoji, followed by the one that evoked Edvard Munch’s The Scream.

  Graham frowned. She’d been joking, but she was left questioning the apparent vehemence in Mat’s reply. She hoped it meant Mat didn’t want her marrying anyone else and not Mat being horrified by weddings in general. Sister of a friend. They’re doing it at my aunt’s inn, so I’m helping.

  That’s very nice of you. Another text came immediately after. Speaking of nice, how would you like to join me at a big family shindig? Completely casual, but definitely big.

  Graham’s brain dissected the invitation, trying to suss out any underlying meaning. Was the party casual, or the invitation? And why—after all her insistence on not overthinking things—did she continually find herself doing exactly that? She huffed, then renewed her commitment to be cool. Sure. Day and time? Local, I assume?

  Excellent. And, yes. Sunday at one. Come to my place at 12:30 and we’ll go over together?

  Graham waited for a moment to see if Mat added a comment about bringing a bag. She didn’t, but that was okay. She’d offered. There was no need to repeat herself. How casual is casual?

  Um, shorts or jeans?

  Graham shook her head. Not helpful. Casual dress okay?

  Of course.

  Something about the exchange felt off—not bad, but different from her usual back and forth with Mat. She shrugged it off. She’d just been invited to a family gathering. As far as she was concerned, that was a good sign. She let herself enjoy looking forward to it, along with the late summer sunshine, the rest of the way home.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Graham walked up Mat’s driveway and told herself for the hundredth time not to be nervous. This wasn’t a big deal. Mat had invited her by text, after all. If it was a big deal, they would have talked about it. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Don’t be nervous, she told herself.

  Before she got to the door, she saw Dom hovering nearby. Hopefully, that meant he’d be coming, too.

  “Hi.” He smiled, but something in his face mirrored the nerves she felt.

  She returned the smile, but wasn’t feeling it. “Hi. Is everything okay?”

  The smile turned into a grimace. “I—”

  His reply was cut off when Mat’s door opened. She emerged and gave Graham the strangest look, like she was surprised to see her. “Hey.”

  “Hi.” Graham let the word drag out, more question than greeting.

  “Are we supposed to have plans today? Did I forget?” Mat asked.

  What was happening? Graham’s nerves morphed into confusion. “You—”

  This time, Dom cut her off. “I have a confession.”

  Mat and Graham turned in unison to look at him. Mat’s gaze remained fixed, while Graham looked back and forth, trying to glean meaning from their facial expressions. “You didn’t,” Mat said.

  While Mat and Dom seemed to share some sort of understanding, Graham felt even more in the dark. “Didn’t what?”

  Dom offered her a smile. “I’m the one who invited you to come today.”

  Although she grasped the meaning of his words, understanding didn’t follow. “Like it was your idea?” Graham looked to Mat for confirmation, but she was busy shooting eye daggers at her cousin.

  Dom’s smile turned sheepish and he shrugged. “My idea, but also me doing the inviting.”

  “But it was Mat who texted me.”

  “Really, dude? You hijacked my phone?” Mat said to Dom.

  Graham resisted the urge to press her fingers to her eyes. She was all nervous about meeting Mat’s family, about what it might mean, and Mat hadn’t even invited her. She felt a sudden need to escape. “I’ll go home.”

  “Wait.” Graham just made out Mat’s statement.

  At the same time, Dom blurted, “They’re expecting you.”

  “What?” Mat’s tone pitched from incredulous to something resembling panic.

  “I invited Renata and mentioned to my mom that you’d be bringing your girlfriend, too. For the record, she seemed excited. And I’m guessing she’s told your mom by now.”

  Mat pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to process the last ninety seconds. What was supposed to be a laid-back family party at her aunt and uncle’s house had turned into something much more complicated. Part of her brain screamed that she needed to undo what Dom had orchestrated. Another part urged her to wring his neck. But a quick look at Graham quieted both those parts.

  She looked sad and, worse, embarrassed. Mat might not be the chivalrous type, but she also prided herself on being the kind of woman who did not put that look in another woman’s eyes. Even if Graham pretended to be okay with it, Mat knew better. And since Dom had already primed the pump, half the damage was already done.

  “You should come.”

  Graham narrowed her eyes. Mat couldn’t tell if it was anger or suspicion. “Really?”

  With less than a second of hesitation, Mat made up her mind. She’d deal. It would be fine. And she could always wring Dom’s neck later. “Absolutely. It’ll be fun. Assuming, of course, you forgive my cousin for being a total ass.”

  Graham looked over at Dom, who’d resumed his puppy dog look. Mat expected her to smile and let it go. That’s what people usually did when Dom pulled something. She figured it had to do with his charming nature and aw-shucks tendencies. But Graham folded her arms. “Why did you do it?”

  “I wanted to bring Renata and figured it would be less pressure if there was someone else she knew. And I knew if I asked Mat to invite you, she wouldn’t because she’s weird about stuff like that.”

  “With good reason,” Mat said.

  “Okay, that’s fair. But it was a long time ago.”

  The last thing Mat wanted to do was rehash her past in front of Graham. “Fine. You’re selfish, but for a good reason.”

  Graham nodded slowly. “Agreed. Your methods are suspect, but I support your cause.”

  “Does that mean you’ll come?” Dom looked at her hopefully.

  As much as Mat didn’t want to bring Graham to a family function, she found herself hoping Graham would now say yes. Which was kind of ridiculous, but here they were. She decided to add her own encouragement. “Please. I’d really like you to.”

  Graham looked back and forth at them. Mat feared she might ask more questions, but she didn’t. Instead, she shrugged. “All right. I assume Renata is expecting me, too.”

  Dom beamed. “She is. And she’ll be here any second.”

  Mat shook her head. “Bit of a dangerous game you’re playing, don’t you think?”

  Dom shrugged, his perpetual optimism showing on his face. “It worked, didn’t it?”

  Graham laughed. Mat hoped that meant she really was okay, and not simply faking it to avoid an even more awkward situation. “Should I be bracing myself for any other surprises?”

  “What kind of surprises? I want a surprise.”

&nbs
p; Mat turned in the direction of the voice. She’d not even heard Renata approach. She looked pretty and so happy to see them all. Mat sighed. It was a good thing she’d already decided Renata and Dom were perfect for each other. It made this whole thing much less infuriating.

  Dom slid an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise now, would it?”

  Mat chuckled. She gave him points for a quick recovery. “Shall we?”

  To Graham’s credit, she seemed to recover quickly, too. She complimented Renata’s dress and asked about who she’d be meeting. Mat made a point of taking her hand as they walked, since Dom and Renata walked ahead of them, fingers entwined. It took just a few minutes to get to her aunt and uncle’s house. A couple of her cousins’ cars were already in the drive, along with her parents’.

  “Don’t feel like you have to interact with anyone,” Mat said to Graham. “They can be overwhelming on a good day.”

  Graham looked at her like she’d said the sky was green. “That’s silly. Of course I’ll interact. In case you forgot, I interact with people for a living.”

  “Right.” Mat squared her shoulders. She might have overcome the tension of Graham’s unexpected arrival, but it was quickly replaced with an entirely new case of the nerves. Her girlfriend—and when had she even started using that word to think of Graham?—was meeting her parents, something she’d avoided for the last fifteen years. She couldn’t decide whether to be nervous on Graham’s behalf, or her own.

  Dom led the way and they entered the house. Mat expected all conversations to cease and all eyes to turn their way. But they didn’t. Close to a dozen people stood in groups or sat on the sofa. Through the doorway leading to the kitchen, she could make out her mother and aunt bustling around. It felt like a regular family dinner. She took a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine.

  Dom took the lead in doing introductions, which made things easier. When they got to Mat’s father, she held her breath. Dom looked at her expectantly. Damn. “Pop, this is Graham. She works on the Dolphin Fleet.”

  He looked Graham up and down slowly. Mat couldn’t read his thoughts. Graham stuck out her hand and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pero.”

  “Afonso, please.” He took the hand, but didn’t return the smile. Instead, he lifted his chin. “Dolphin Fleet. You mean the whale watch outfit?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m one of the naturalists.”

  He sniffed. Mat cringed. Why did she have to mention the Dolphin Fleet? On top of her own regret, she wished she’d taken a moment to coach Graham on her parents, including the importance of avoiding any talk of religion, politics, gayness, or anything even tangentially related to fishing.

  “Huh. What exactly do you do? Chase whales, bet on how many you can spot in an hour? See how close you can get?”

  In spite of her own discomfort, Mat bristled on Graham’s behalf. There was little she found more insulting than having someone not take her, or her work, seriously. She opened her mouth to tell her father to knock it off, but Graham’s laugh interrupted. “You make it sound like a big scavenger hunt.”

  “Isn’t it?” His tone had a challenge in it, but it wasn’t dismissive.

  “I guess we try to make it seem that way for our guests, but it feels more like bookkeeping most days. Mixed with elementary school teacher.”

  “Bookkeeper? How so?”

  Graham smiled and seemed perfectly content to explain her work. “We pay the bills with tours, but the spirit of the Dolphin Fleet is conservation. We track migrations, breeding and feeding habits. We do our best to identify every whale we see and log the day, time, and location. Our data gets pooled with that of dozens of other fleets and helps biologists understand the entire north Atlantic ecosystem.”

  “Huh.”

  Mat laughed at the atypically brief reply. “I think you’ve left him speechless, Graham. That’s no small feat.”

  Graham glanced at her, then back at her dad. Mat imagined her trying to decide if this was teasing or if she’d inadvertently stepped in something. Before Mat could let her off the hook, her father spoke again. “I’m not speechless. I’m thinking about how much whales get babied these days. I wish some fancy scientist was looking out for me.”

  Mat groaned inwardly. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced over to find Dom hovering in the doorway, snickering. The second she got him alone, she was going to throttle him. Graham didn’t seem to notice. She nodded affably. “Actually, you do. I’m sure it feels like you’ve got a bunch of cumbersome rules and regulations, but part of what we do is try to keep fishing and lobstering sustainable.”

  “Ha.” He practically spat the word.

  “No, really.” Graham didn’t miss a beat. “You know how the fishing ban shrank by a week a few years back? That was our recommendation. Well, ours and some other scientists.”

  Mat didn’t know that. She was pretty sure her father didn’t either, based on his slow nod.

  “Most of the people in my line of work want the people in your line of work to thrive. When we get it right, everyone benefits.”

  She’d teased her father, but Mat found herself fairly close to speechless herself. She’d come around to thinking her work and Graham’s weren’t at odds, but she’d never have considered them on the same side. Paired with how impressed her father seemed, it felt like wading into uncharted territory.

  “Dinner.” Her mother’s voice carried from the kitchen into the living room.

  Mat had never been more relieved to be called to the table. And given some of the awkward family moments in her life, that was saying something. Everyone moved at once, forming a line that extended halfway across the living room. Mat touched Graham’s arm. “Let’s eat.”

  “What about your Mom? I haven’t even met her yet.”

  Mat didn’t want to admit she was more worried about that interaction than the one with her father. “Oh, you will.”

  They joined the queue and shuffled closer and closer to the kitchen. When they reached the makeshift buffet, Mat handed Graham a plate. She described things as they went—migas with poached eggs and pataniscas and paella. Graham took a tiny amount of everything. Whether it had to do with being polite or being adventurous, Mat didn’t know. But she appreciated it either way.

  As was usually the case, the dining room table filled with the older crowd. Mat gestured to a sliding glass door that led to the backyard. “There are a couple of tables out back. Let’s go outside.”

  Graham smiled, looking cool and relaxed. “Sure.”

  Mat had her hand on the latch when she heard her mother’s voice. “Mattie, you haven’t introduced me to your friend.”

  So close. “You looked busy. I was going to after we ate.”

  She made a clucking sound. “I’m sure you were.”

  Without missing a beat, Graham shifted her plate and utensils to her left hand. She extended her right and smiled. “I’m Graham.”

  “Bia.” She raised an eyebrow, but took the hand. “I’m glad you were able to join us.”

  “I appreciate the invitation,” Graham said.

  Mat gave her points for the smooth delivery, especially given how the invitation had come about. “We’re going to go eat out back with the cousins.”

  Ma nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

  Graham’s smile came across both genuine and warm. “It was nice to meet you.”

  She nodded again. “You, too.”

  Her mother shooed them toward the door and Mat breathed a sigh of relief. That was one thing Mat could say about her—Bia Pero would never stand in the way of people eating.

  They escaped the noisy and crowded kitchen. At least a dozen people sat around the yard, but Mat felt like she could finally take a deep breath. They joined Dom and Renata at a picnic table, along with a couple of cousins who were chill and not overly interested in the fact that Mat had brought a girl to a family party. Fortunately, her brothers weren
’t able to make the trip. She wasn’t sure she could handle them on top of everything else.

  * * *

  Despite her apprehension over meeting Mat’s family, Graham thought the day went well. Mat’s cousins were friendly and laid back. Her dad was a riot, too. Blustery, but in the way so many dads are. Underneath the bluster, he was a softy. Mat’s mother was a different story. Pleasant, but Graham detected a cool reserve. She wondered if that was her general demeanor or specific to the situation and the girl her daughter was dating.

  Graham didn’t dwell on it, figuring there would be plenty of time to get to know them both in the future. Well, assuming Mat wanted her to get to know them. That part remained unclear. Mat seemed to relax as the day went on, but Graham couldn’t shake the feeling she was playing a role more than being herself.

  Still, by the time Graham said her good-byes, complete with hugs and thumps on her back and wishes to see her again soon, it was nearly seven in the evening. Mat walked her out, then offered to walk her home. Graham resisted the urge to accept. “It would be silly for you to walk all the way to my place when yours is three houses down.”

  Graham thought—hoped, maybe—that Mat might protest. She wasn’t looking for chivalry necessarily, but she’d have readily accepted an invitation to stay over. She’d have welcomed a sly observation that Mat could walk her home and not bother coming back. But Mat didn’t do either of those things. She kissed Graham on the cheek, thanked her for coming, and went back inside to help with cleanup.

  Graham walked with purpose until she was a block away from the house, then slowed her pace. There was a good hour of daylight left and she was in no hurry to get home, although she struggled to identify exactly why. At the very least, she should be relieved. Despite the questionable start to the day, she’d managed to have a nice time with Mat’s family. And most of them seemed to like her. Like, really like her. Based on what Mat had said about them, Graham should actually be elated.

  Yet, she wasn’t. Mostly, because Mat didn’t seem to be. The initial tension had melted away, sure. But just as Graham sensed her begin to relax, a detached coolness took over. It felt like she intentionally refused to have a good time.