After the mountains of food were demolished and the clean-up completed, Joe, Adam and Matt got to the business of building a campfire on the beach. They had a blaze going by sunset. Rhi tucked Sophie into bed and with the baby monitor nestled next to her in the sand, the bunch of us sat around the fire, laughing and telling stories.
For the most part I kept quiet, content to listen to everyone recount the events of their week. The conversation drifted to tales about the Tanners as children and when Lilly told the story of how she and Matt once filled a large cardboard box with water to make a swimming pool in her bedroom, I laughed so hard tears streamed down my cheeks.
"Matt and I were in our swimsuits," Lilly recounted through her own giggles. "And I think we both thought we were pretty clever for coming up with the idea. Everything was going fine for about three minutes, until the box became so saturated with water that it disintegrated into a pulpy mess. We were just sitting in a huge, sloppy puddle in middle of my bedroom and Mom starts yelling from downstairs... Our swimming pool had leaked clear through the ceiling and started dripping on her."
Matt was sitting beside me and in the dancing firelight I saw his grin grow. "It was your idea Lil, and yet I somehow took the blame. Dad made sure I couldn't sit for a week after that!"
"Matt was always taking the blame," Lilly confided in me.
"To be fair, it
was
usually his fault," added Joe in his languid voice.
"Why am I not surprised?" I said with a laugh.
"I'm sure there's a lot you don't know about Matt," Violet chimed in. "But we'd be happy to fill you in on every gory detail. Let's see... Hmm... He's annoying,"
Lilly said, "He has a big mouth."
"And a big heart," Adam pointed out.
Chuck grinned. "And he always has to have the last word."
"And he tells bad jokes," Joe said.
"He loves babies," Rhiannon put in.
Adele smiled over at me. "He's always the first person to offer help if you need it."
"He always sees the bright side in things," came from Nate.
"And he makes eyes at all the women," Violet added, keen to go around again. "Why this one time I watched him try to pick up
two
women at the same time! The first one shot him down, so he just turned to the other and said—"
"Don't you dare!" Matt blushed as he pointed at Violet. "I'll tell them all about Rob Harvey."
Violet, already so fair, blanched before she glared at Matt. "You wouldn't!"
"Wanna bet?" He gave her a mean frown but couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice when he spoke.
"Hey!" Joe called out in a big-brother tone which brokered no argument. "That's enough."
There was silence for a moment as Violet and Matt sat like chastised children.
"Why don't you play somethin' for us Rev?" Joe suggested, effectively changing the subject.
Matt had once mentioned in passing that Nate was a musical fellow, but I had no idea just how much until he reached for the guitar resting nearby and strummed a couple of chords. I sat mesmerized like the others when Nate began to sing. His rich baritone sent shivers down my arms.
"Cold?" Matt asked in a low whisper.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapped my arms around them and nodded, not wanting to interrupt Nate's singing. The warmth of the fire touched my face and arms but provided little comfort from the chilly breeze at my back. Had I known we'd be sitting outside in the dark, I would've brought a jacket with me.
Matt reached back and without waiting for me to protest, he draped his sweater over my shoulders. His scent, a potent combo of fresh air and soap, enveloped me.
"Better?"
I nodded again, feeling very, very warm as I pushed my arms into the sleeves. My fingers barely peeked out from under the cuffs.
I glanced up to find Adele watching me with a shrewd smile. Nate played a few more songs, building from a slow start to more raucous tunes. He played everything from rock to folk to country, without prejudice. He'd treated us to several songs when all of a sudden everyone froze, including the Reverend. All eyes turned to me as the melody halted mid-note.
I realized in horror that I'd been singing along without meaning to.
In my panic, I looked up at Nate.
"You can sing?" he asked, his voice gruff with use.
"I can?"
Nate chuckled. "Sounds like it." He struck up the chord he'd paused on and began singing the song from the middle. With a dip of his head he encouraged me to join him again.
It was an old Beatles standard, a song I loved. I tried to ignore the myriad of faces around the fire and concentrated on the lyrics.
"Keep singing," Nate said softly to me as his fingers danced over the strings. "Can I make a suggestion?"
I kept my eyes on him and nodded.
He tapped his sternum in-between notes. "You sing from here. That makes it hard to breathe. Sing from deeper down, from your diaphragm."
I did as he advised and succeeded in sputtering. "Sit up straight," he told me then took his hands off the guitar. "Keep singing." Nate reached over and tapped me, just below my ribcage. "From here," he suggested. "Feel the note here and you'll sing it from here."
I did. The next three words came out at twice the usual volume. I was so surprised I stopped.
Nate laughed. Lilly, Rhiannon, and Violet applauded.
"You should practice that," Nate said gently. "You're really very good. Want to do another?"
I glanced over at Matt to my right, expecting to see him grinning at me. Instead, he wore the same blank expression I'd seen before dinner. I turned my attention back to Nate, all the while feeling confused.
"What would you like to sing?" he asked.
"Whatever you want. Play whatever you like, I'll know it."
Nate's brown eyes lit up. "A music aficionado?"
"Not really," I admitted. "I just listen to the radio a lot when I'm in the shop, which is pretty much all of the time."
"Probably drowns out Matt's yammering," Violet remarked to Lilly. The two sisters giggled. I half expected Matt to say something droll in return, but he remained uncharacteristically silent.
The Reverend laughed. "Okay then," he said as he strummed a few chords in succession. I smiled as I recognized the tune. We both took a breath and began to sing.
After more than five songs, my throat felt sore. Nate must have heard the strain in my voice because he tucked the guitar away.
"I think that's enough for one night," he suggested softly.
Everyone around the fire looked like they'd drifted off into their own private universe. Violet sat cross-legged with her chin in her hands, staring into the fire. Chuck had his back against a piece of driftwood, his head tilted upwards while he studied the stars. Adele had her long legs tangled with Nate's as she lovingly nudged his toes with hers. Joe had slid down to lay his head against Rhiannon's thigh and she had her fingers buried in his thick auburn hair. Lilly sat curled up between Adam's knees while he rested his chin against the top of her head; I watched as he planted a little kiss there.
For the first time in all the years I'd know him, Matt didn't command the centre of attention. He hadn't even cracked a joke in more than an hour.
