Train Wreck

forty five

Remington POV

There were only two left.

I stared into the container and could feel my mouth salivating.

I mean... of course she can make more, but there's only two and I can't take one and leave a final red velvet cupcake.  That's just cruel.  Then someone else is left eating the Final Cupcake.  It's even more rude to eat the final one than it is to eat the next to last cupcake.

"Daisy... I just... what is in these?"

She snorted and shook her head, leaning into me while we stared at the platter on the table after saying goodbye to most of our guests. Kenny helped me get Dad to the bathroom and gave him a hand with some medication he needed to inject while Doc was passed out napping on the couch.  We said our goodbyes to the rest earlier after the ladies set up the chat Rebecca mentioned for our pool party.

It was an amazing evening. 

I felt like this was finally home again.  This felt like a community... a place where I could settle in and really put down roots.  Throughout the evening I caught glimpses of Alice and would imagine us in different scenarios like before.  Maybe it would be her holding our baby as she chatted with Rebecca, or wiping our daughter's face while they grabbed another cupcake.  My mind would not stop inserting these flashes of memories that had not yet happened.  

It's like I was suddenly psychic.  

I loved every one of these beautiful premonitions.

Benji was right about the food when he thanked everyone as we sat down earlier tonight. Each thing I ate was better than the last, even when I got seconds and had another serving of every item. I knew Rebecca was a great cook and spent the entire time I was at the grill either drooling over the chicken and veggie kebabs or drooling over Lissy.  Leah and Kenny brought amazing sides but conversation and dialogue that I loved having around as well.  It was clear to me that Kenny and I were going to be close friends.  He was someone I could connect to deeply, much like Liss does with Doc.  I knew I could trust him.

Now it was time to relax, though. Daisy nudged me and kicked her head back, "Hey, we got flan to eat, too...."

I groaned, "Ohhhh, shit, Dais!!"

She giggled and put the lid back on the cupcakes, moving them back into the kitchen. "I'll save these for Benji tomorrow."

"What's for me tomorrow?"

Benji looked up from his laptop where he sat with Alice at the counter, debating which smoker to purchase. I chuckled and moved back over toward them, peeking at the screen and pointing at one we discussed during dinner. "Which do you like best, Lissy? This was my first choice."

She looked at me and smiled while pulling her hair into a messy bun.  I always watched amazed at how she did that so quickly.  "I was thinking the Masterbuilt one you're pointing at now. It's kinda middle of the road and then we aren't spending too much but also know it's gonna be decent. I know we really want the Traeger but those things are so expensive. I just don't know if I want to shell out so much for something we don't know how to use yet when we can start off basic and then learn and figure out from there exactly what we want."

Lissy chewed her lip and was sitting with knees up against her chest, scrolling her phone while checking reviews from her stool at the counter. "Beep, what do you think?" His eyes looked toward her while he clicked on the propane smoker and I saw a glimmer of respect between them.

Benji made it clear on our overnight chat session just how much he appreciates moments like these.  Knowing how important his opinion is to Lissy means the world to him.  They have a symbiotic relationship, a word he used in proper context and without missing a beat as we had our long talks.  I was impressed that he knew what it meant and used it so seamlessly but I guess I shouldn't be, considering his sister is a genius.