From Me to You [Complete]

54

We make it to the cottage in good time, although Andy and Robert ended up being way ahead of us somehow –I blame it on the pace Michael sets. When we get up the driveway, I see Joe's car tucked in behind my mom's van. Robert and Andy are standing at the bottom of the steps, laughing and exchanging what seems like tidbits from the event they must have just witnessed. When Robert sees us he waves us over and we pick up our pace again to join them.

"You just missed it," Robert says, disappointment is his voice, but a shiny excitement in his eyes and a bit of laughter still coming up whenever he glances at Andy.

"What happened?" I ask impatiently, wanting to get in on the joke.

"Man, oh man, this was a good one, Amanda," Andy says, wiping tears out of his eyes from laughter.

"You should have seen it!" Robert agrees, looking amazed.

"What happened, what happened, what happened?" I pout, feeling a little left out. Michael's lips twitch watching me.

"Well, after Joe met my parents and said hi to yours, he headed to the backyard. Unfortunately, guess who were sitting out there all alone?" Robert starts to laugh again, and I have to wait until he can catch his breath. "Anyway, so Joe sees Ann out there with Jean, and he starts walking over to them–"

"Robert Lyon!" Alice's warning comes from the steps above. We look up at her to see the disapproval on her face, and each of us shrinks a little bit. Robert and Andy's laughter stops abruptly, their smiles swallowed away. "That's enough," she says quietly. Robert looks down at his feet. "Did you find the drill piece that Tony asked you for yet?"

"No," Robert mutters quietly, flushing. He stomps away around the side of the cottage to the backyard, headed to find my dad's request in the shed. All of us avoid Alice's gaze as she gives us one more look to make sure we don't get up to any funny business.

"Michael can you get the nice napkins and tablecloth for dinner please?"

Michael nods, and Alice goes back inside.

"I'll tell you what I saw later," Andy tells us. His eyes twinkle. Clearly he is not one to hold grudges.

"Okay," I say, although I feel a little guilty about the whole thing after Alice's interruption. Andy follows Robert's path around the side of the cottage, leaving Michael and I alone for a minute.

"So, wanna help me find some napkins?" Michael asks with a small smile.

"Yes please," I reply. "Don't want to get into any more trouble."

"After you," he says, and I venture up the stairs. "Actually, let's go quickly," Michael says suddenly, and leans over me to open the door and sort of push me inside.

"Why?" I ask, and then I hear voices from down the driveway too. Ann and Joe must have gone for a quick walk to get away from everyone and talk, and were now coming back. I close the door. "Where are the napkins?" I ask, wanting to get away from the door just as quickly as Michael does. Although it's funny to watch Joe get upset, I know from experience he doesn't love being watched. And I don't want him to know that's what Michael and I just came here to do.

"This way!" Michael pulls me along by the handup the stairs.