Fools Rush in(66)

The gift was actually a very pretty, very feminine scarf. “Thank you, Ethel,” I said, somewhat surprised at the loveliness of her choice.

“Shit,” she barked, scratching her head vigorously. “It’s nothing.”

From Danny and Sam came dangling little earrings in the shape of sand stars. I remembered admiring them at a craft fair we had all gone to last fall, when Trish had just left, and the idea that Sam had somehow remembered this…well. I kissed both Danny and Sam, a lump in my throat.

And then came the gift from Joe…

I smiled into his soft green eyes, my earlier doubts about our relationship now seeming silly. Joe Carpenter was here, he adored me, we had been dating for three weeks, and he was giving me a present on my birthday. The very important first gift. With a mixture of trepidation and joy, I struggled with the packing tape that sealed the box.

“I made this,” Joe murmured with a quick grin, kneeling at my side. He broke the tape so I could open the box. What could it be, I wondered? A jewelry box, maybe? I pulled out a large, heavy object and unwrapped the newspaper that covered it.

It was a breathtakingly ugly lamp. Large, bulky, weighing at least ten pounds, it was encrusted with rocks and shells that Joe had apparently glued on and covered with polyurethane. On the wooden base was carved the words Cape Cod and a rough-hewn fish.

“Oooh,” I breathed in horror, holding up the lamp. Curtis gave a choked squeak and bolted from the room, his hand clamped over his mouth, while Mitch stared at the ceiling, blinking impassively.

“Do you like it?” Joe asked.

“Oh. Wow,” I answered, feeling my cheeks grow warm, unable to pry my gaze from the object in my hands. I dared not look at him, or Sam, or Katie, or my mother. But at the same time as a rush of hysterical laughter wriggled around in my stomach, my heart was sinking. There was no getting around the fact that it was the tackiest lamp I’d ever seen in my life. I wanted to love it, I really did. His beautiful hands had wrought it, after all, and obviously, he thought I would like it. Why, I couldn’t imagine.

Aware that some kind of response was required, I managed to say, “You made this, Joe?”

“Yup,” he answered. “I thought it would remind you of the Cape.”

“She doesn’t need reminding. She lives here,” Corey said with the logic of the young.

“Oh, yeah, I know…I mean…” Joe said.

“I love it,” I lied, finally snapping out of my shock. I forced a smile and kissed his cheek. “Joe, thank you. You’re so sweet.”

“It’s goddamn gorgeous,” Ethel growled.

Trish rolled her eyes. “This is from Avery and me,” she said, plopping a large, flat box into my lap and mercifully removing the lamp from my hands. It was a cocktail dress. Black, shimmery, expensive, gorgeous, one size too small and with a neckline that dipped toward my navel. Nothing, in short, that would ever leave my closet.

“Wow, Trish,” I said. “It’s, um, wow. Beautiful.”

“It’s Calvin Klein,” she said smugly.

“Yikes! Thank you. I’ve never owned anything like it,” I said, standing up and holding it in front of me.

“I know. I thought maybe you could use a little glamour in your life,” she answered, not unkindly.

“Um, thanks, Avery,” I said, my toes curling in discomfort at actually having to thank him. Still, Mother had raised me right.

“That will be gorgeous on you,” Mom said. “Joe, make sure you take her somewhere nice so she can wear that.”

“You bet, Mrs. Barnes,” Joe answered, smiling his heart-stopping smile.

A few hours later, we’d decimated my beautiful cake and the party had dwindled down to just a few of us. I said happy goodbyes to my friends and family and then went to help clean up a bit. Katie left, and then Danny and Sarah went to catch a movie, and finally, only six remained. In fact, just three couples: Joe and me, Sam and Carol, and Trish and Pink Pants. We sat out on the deck and watched the sky deepen and stars come out.

“Remember my thirtieth birthday, Sam?” Trish asked, giving him her thousand-watt smile.

“Uh, sure,” Sam answered. He began picking the label from his beer bottle.

“Sam took me on a surprise trip to the Caribbean,” Trish informed the others. “Remember, Millie?”

“Of course,” I said. “I came home from school to stay with Danny.”

“Oh, that’s right. Well, it was so romantic. Wasn’t it, Sam?”

Sam just looked at her. “I guess so,” he answered hesitantly. Avery said nothing, just stared off at the sunset, obviously bored.

Trish turned to Carol with a pleasant expression on her perfect face. Oh, beware, Carol. “So how long have you two been dating?” my sister asked.

“Actually, this is our first date,” Carol said, giving Sam a little grin.

“Really!”

“Mmm hmm.”

“How did you meet?” my sister asked.

“I was going forty-nine in a thirty-five-mile-an-hour zone,” Carol answered.

“Oh, how typical!” Trish fake-laughed. “Has he strip-searched you yet?”

“Trish!” I rebuked.

“Maybe on the second date,” Carol said calmly. Sam smiled.