Page 42 of Do It Yourself
The uneven numbers are giving me a headache and I’m very tempted to bow out of the whole thing. I’m not typically one togo against Mama D’s plans but this has become more trouble than it’s worth.
“You know what, I’m making lunch today and I think it might take awhile. Take me out of the teams.” Mabel tosses her hands in the air, stepping back. Mama D starts to protest but Mabel cuts her off, tapping on her lower stomach and faux-whispering, “I’ve also got cramps.” Paul lets out a fake gag that has all of his sister’s rolling their eyes.
With Mabel’s abdication, Patrick is distraught by the idea of either not being on a team with Elle or letting Lola join her twin in the opposing team. Lola, the kind soul, attempts to offer boys versus girls again but Paul shuts that down before she finishes her sentence.It’s clear as day that he wants to be on Anika’s team.
Finally, after too much discussion, Elle rolls her eyes and tells Patrick that twin telepathy won’t win over the combination of muscles between the three of us, and then with a very serious face flexes her arm until Patrick relents by squeezing her bicep.
“I didn’t think picking teams was what was going to hold us up so much.” Mama D chuckles as she stands from her spot on the ground, swinging Henry up onto her hip.
“Let the games begin!” Henry squeals in excitement and we all follow after the pair outside. I can’t stop myself from checking over my shoulder, trying to gauge the seriousness of Mabel’s reported cramps.
Also, probably, maybe, trying to see if I can get another smile from her before I’m forced to engage with the rest of her family while she starts prepping lunch. I don’t get a glance at her, though, she’s off somewhere deeper in the house, but it’s alright. We have time to be around each other, not just today but the rest of our weekend. Three more days.
I can only hope there will be time for us to betogetherwhile we’re here.
“Jude, dude, come on!” Patrick’s voice pulls me down the steps and to the side of the cabin where everyone else is, divided into our teams with Mama D and Henry standing right in the middle of what looks like a cornhole set up. “Now, since this game is usually played in teams of two, you’re all going to have to do some sharing and rotating turns.” A small smirk pulls at my lips at Mama’s words.
I’m no stranger to cornhole, in fact there’s a playset on the Farm that some of the workers at the Bunk House like to pull out after work when the weather allows. “Shit, we’re screwed.” Elle groans.
What? I want to assure her we’ll be fine but take a look over at the trio across the way. Paul’s face is painted with a shit eating grin, Lola is trying to fight a smile and Anika is palming one of the bean bags, tossing it in the air every once and catching it. It shouldn’t be intimidating but there’s a spark in her typically closed off expression that all but sends a shiver down my spine.
Chapter Thirty-Three
MABEL
Lunch prep is not going to take all morning and I don’t have cramps. I needed an excuse to get out of having to play cornhole against Anika. That girl is astonishingly good at that game.
When we were younger, we used to play all the time with our uncle while he tried to avoid work. As we got a little older and Paul met Anika, he attempted to show off his skills. She immediately wiped the floor with him and then the rest of the siblings. She claimed she never played a day in her life and even if I suspected she was lying at the time. I came to learn Anika never really did have the chance for games before she moved to Honeyville.
Luckily, I drove most of the supplies down and found that particular game set hidden away. Mama thinks she’s sneaky or something, maybe she thought I wouldn’t have unloaded everything once I arrived. Patrick’s frustrated groan reaches my ear and I can’t help the laugh that escapes me while I’m putting the bowl of chicken salad that I’ve just mixed all together. It needs to rest, let all the flavors settle together for a few hours.
Which means I can go out and join Mama and Henry to watch Anika destroy the rest of our family in games. If I’malso excited to watch Jude and all his muscles while they play games…well, that’s neither here nor there. Lola is testing her swing, her back to me, as I walk around the corner and rejoin my family.
“Come on, scooch over.” I bump my hip against Henry, making him giggle so hard he topples over into Mama’s lap. She scoops him up into her arms to make room for me.
“Lunch will be ready whenever we are all.” I tell my mother between her trash talking to her children. Patrick has his arms wrapped around Elle, his head resting on her shoulder and an over-exaggerated pout on his face. Jude towers behind the couple, arms crossed with a scowl but what looks like a hint of a smile trying to poke out. I have to remind myself that I can’t let my gaze linger on Jude for too long, only taking quick glances under the guise of offering advice to his team. Mostly, though, I tease.
Eventually, Jude’s team admits defeat. It comes with lots of whispered curses from Elle and a true smile from Anika. Lola and Paul do some complicated twin hand shake that I don’t even attempt to follow.
“Yay! Mommy and Daddy won!” Henry crawls off Mama’s lap and runs to his parents. His little arms trying to pull the much larger adults together in a bear hug might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Okay, losers, I require one of you to come and help me set out lunch while the other two clean up the cornhole boards.”
“And what do the winners get?” Paul yells out, he’s picked Henry up and is standing a little closer to Anika than he was a moment ago.
“Winners are Mama’s responsibility. Come one, who volunteers as my tribute?” Elle steps away from the trio of non-winners, leaving the men to clean up and lift the heavy boards. As she should.
Once she’s within reach, I swing my arm over her shoulders, “Can’t risk a splinter before the wedding, Bubs?” Elle allows me to keep contact with her until we round to the front of the house and out of the line of sight of the rest of our family.
Once we are vaguely alone, Elle shakes her shoulders to dislodge my arm. “Damn right. I don’t know if you knew this but I completely lied to Patrick about my muscle mass.” The sound that escapes me at my little sisters’ confession can only be described as a witch’s cackle.
We enter the cabin and make our way to the kitchen sink, making quick work of washing our hands. I head to the fridge to pull out the bowl of chicken salad, stacking a container of cut up veggies on the top of the bowl.
“Would you mind getting the rolls out?” I hadn’t really needed help getting lunch set up, I was hoping Mama would have volun-told Jude to come in and help.
“Patrick finally decided what he wants to do for his bachelor party. A game night with the guys,” Elle tells me while she arranges the rolls onto a platter.
“Oh yeah? Who are the guys?”
