Page 49 of Dreams and Reptiles

“Uh-huh. Anyway. Yes, please, Finn. Give me a minute, and I’ll make introductions, okay?” They went to grab waters, and I turned to Kendall. “I have a very important job for you.”

“Besides saving you from a snake? I don’t know, we might have to renegotiate—ow. Whatever you want, baby.”

I found pinching his waist usually got his attention. “I’m serious. I’d really like it if you would dance with my mom? She loves to dance, and my father never would. I don’t want her and Auntie Judy slaving away in the kitchen all night.”

“Of course. I’d be honored.”

I grinned at him and let go of his hand, then stepped into the center of the room and pulled my phone out to turn down the music.

“Hey, everyone? Can I ask you to gather around? Thank you. Awesome. Hi! Thanks for coming.”

This is it. Maison De Reve is officially open for business.

“Welcome to Maison De Reve, the Dream House. I’m Francis Liang, and I want to thank everyone for coming tonight for the first of many gatherings to celebrate the arts in Foggy Basin.”

I struggled not to use one of my pet names for the town. That would come later, once people got to know me. I’d thought about giving a speech about my purpose behind this place, but I decided to let the activities speak for themselves. My mission statement was on my website. Tonight was about making everyone feel comfortable and excited about stepping out of their safe zones.

“I appreciate the warm welcome I’ve received since I came to Foggy Basin from the Bay Area for the first time, to celebrate your inaugural Pride event. I was inspired to establish a home for the arts here because y’all have a created a friendly and inclusive community. I hope you’ll join us for future events, but tonight, I’m going to turn over the program to Finn, who’s here to give us some basic instruction in partner dancing. This is the first of a series of socials, so if you enjoy tonight’s event, spread the word! Thank you. Finn, the floor is yours.”

I’d given him an iPad so he could control the music himself, and I returned to the kitchen as Finn addressed the group.

“Hey everyone! Are you ready to dance?” There were lots of cheers, and several people looked around for a place to put down their drinks.

“For our first social, I decided to start out with a little West Coast Swing. I’ll go over a basic box step and a few other moves, and then we’ll practice together. Normally I count people off to choose partners, but tonight, I’ll let you pick. Find a partner and join me on the floor.”

A few people hung back, but more than half of the group grabbed friends and significant others and led them to the floor.

I watched as Kendall approached my mom, and she gave him a smile that mirrored the one he called my saucy smile. Derek asked Auntie Judy to dance, and Rog and Arnie grabbed Mercy, one of the other firefighters, and her girlfriend, Arnold’s sister Ophelia, and brought them out to the floor.

The kitchen was spotless, so I made my way around the room picking up empties and napkins while I watched the progress on the dance floor.

“Hey, Francis?”

I turned to find a smiling guy wearing a red Carhartt shirt and blue jeans. He held out his hand.

“I’m Bart. Martin. Your neighbor.”

“Oh, great. Hi! Which direction?” I asked, as I pointed in all the directions.

He laughed. “The dairy farm out past the old Warren place. I just took it over from my uncle. I’m new here, too.”

“It’s something else, huh? Sog—I mean, Foggy Basin is pretty cool.”

“It is. Everyone has been real nice. I’m still trying to figure out all the aspects of the business, but I wanted to say hi, and if there’s anything I can do to support your work here, please let me know. It’s good to know there’s art around,” he said with a grin. “I moved here from Sacramento, which doesn’t seem that far, but it’s a whole world away, you know what I mean?”

“I do,” I said. “It’s been an adjustment, but you’re right, everyone has been incredibly kind.”

He laughed. “An adjustment. I’m still getting used to the cows, but you’ve got the reptile guy living next door.” He shuddered. “I’m scared to death I’m going to find a crocodile eating one of my calves.”

“I can put you at ease about that. He doesn’t have any crocodilians or venomous creatures, and no snapping turtles.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’ve been over there?”

I grinned proudly, as if I were a spokesperson for Chez Warren now after getting my tour last night. “I have. It’s incredible what he’s building. I wasn’t too sure when one of his giant tortoises came wandering into my yard, but they’re all amazing animals. Totally harmless. Unless you’re barefoot, I guess? They like toes.”

Bart looked at me as if I might need my head examined. “If you say so. I hope they all stay on their side of the fence is all.”

I turned to watch Kendall and my mom, laughing and moving together to Finn’s instructions. “Kendall’s got it under control. He’s great with them.” So great.