From Me to You [Complete]

51

As I thought, Andy and Robert take no more than a second to pause their game and join us in the kitchen. Mrs. Hanswell introduces herself to me and my brother, happy to have us for lunch. She is the woman from the photograph, with the same hair colour as Devy, but it's shorter, and she wears it up in a ponytail. She washes dirt off of her hands, letting us know she just finished weeding the front garden. I remember my view of it in the dark last night –glad that we didn't get caught sneaking around out there. While she prepares some turkey sandwiches with Mick's help, she asks us where we are from and how we are liking it here.

"Well, I know Amanda is having a great time," Andy says with a grin. I blush, and make a face at Andy behind Mrs. Hanswell's back.

"That's good," she says, somewhat absently, with her head in the fridge looking for a condiment. "What have you guys been up to so far?" she asks with a smile as she turns around.

I quickly jump in before Andy can say anything else. "We've gone for some walks around the Lyons' cottage, and been to the beach a few times."

"Except for the day it rained," Robert pipes in.

"Oh, that's right," Mrs. Hanswell agrees, "It's been rainy this August."

"There's always other stuff to do around here though," says Michael kindly. I glance at him to see what he's thinking.

"That's true. Sometimes even when it's hot it can be nice to switch it up," she remarks. "Stay inside in the A/C." She pushes a strand of hair back into place. "Mick can you grab the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge please? Here, take these outside." Mrs. Hanswell hands out our sandwiches to us, as Mick gets the lemonade. We graciously thank her for the food and drink. "Eat outside," she says, pointing Andy in the direction of the screen door leading outside. I carry Mick's sandwich for him as his mom hands him a stack of cups for the lemonade, and follow Michael out through the back door.

Since it's a waterfront property, the backyard is literally the beach. They have a short deck and patio with a green table and chairs set on one side. Mick drops his load off onto the table, and pours us each a glass of lemonade.

"Thanks," Michael says, grabbing up one for him and me. He walks to the edge of the deck and sits down. I hand Mick his sandwich before following Michael and sitting down beside him. Andy and Robert follow suit, sitting on my right.

The sand is warm underneath my feet, since we didn't put shoes on before we came out here. I bury my toes into the sand, and make a mental note not to tell my mom I was on the beach without her permission. It's a cloudier day than we've been having, so the sun keeps hiding away, but it's still nicely warm for a backyard lunch. The beach seems well populated as well, although this is a slightly different area than the one Michael and I have visited lately. More people readying boats, and I think the Hanswells's neighbours are the owners of the sea-dos I saw on Tuesday.

"Mmm," Andy says, having practically inhaled his sandwich, licking the last pieces off of his fingers. "What a great second lunch."

I stare at him, incredulous. "Second lunch?" I ask, "When on earth was the first one?"

"That does not count," Robert says, butting into our conversation.

"What doesn't?" I ask, confused and feeling a little left out.

"We had some snacks like an hour ago," Robert says innocently, as Andy tries to find a lost crumb in the folds of his shorts.

"So glad you thought to include me!" I remark, turning back to my sandwich grumpily. It suddenly doesn't seem as great.

"Oh, no problem, little sister," Andy says, finally finding the crumb. He stuffs it into his mouth and gives me a wink.

"Does anyone want to come to the grocery store with me?" Mrs. Hanswell has her head stuck out the backdoor in our direction.

"Yes!" Devy says, slurping down the rest of her lemonade. She waves goodbye to us and goes inside. I stare after her, a little sad to lose the only girl who isn't related to me that I've hung out with this week. All things considered our interactions weren't great. If I see her again I'll definitely be more receptive.

"So, should we finish the game?" Robert asks my brother, as he also finishes his lemonade.

"Well, I mean, only if you think you can win," Andy says challengingly. Robert springs to his feet as Andy grins at him.

They walk to the screen door. "We'll be back once we're done!" Robert calls back to us.

I finally finish my lunch, feeling like I need to step up my eating game since everyone else finished before me. While Michael and Mick gather up the rest of the dishes to bring them inside, I fall back onto the deck, letting a small ray of sunshine break on my face. I close my eyes and exhale, enjoying this sun, and trying my best not to think about my mother's disapproval.

"Want to throw a Frisbee around?" I hear Mick ask as he and Michael step back onto the deck.

"Sure," replies Michael. I hear him walk up and around me. I open my eyes. He sticks out a hand to help me up, which I graciously take. "You pick the spot," he says, moving out of my way.

"What about..." I walk a safe distance away from the cottage, with Mick and Michael following me, the former with a Frisbee in hand. "...right here," I conclude, settling my feet into the warm sand.