Tasha bit her lip, her eyes darting to the long road ahead of them. “I hope your brother will like me,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
They were on their way to Treasure Bay, where his brother, William, and his wife, Annie, lived with their two kids. It was a twenty-five minute drive from Berkeley. Grant’s elder brother and his wife had invited them over to an evening of barbeque in order to meet Tasha.
She was so nervous, her stomach had been twisting into knots since they started the journey five minutes ago. Her mind was racing with questions: What if they don’t like me? What if I say something stupid? What if they think I’m not good enough for Grant because I’m a single mother?
“Why not?” Grant took her hand and intertwined their fingers. “My brother cannot dislike any woman I love.” He brought their linked hands up and kissed the back of her hand. Besides, you are lovely. William and Annie are going to like you. Just relax.” He smiled into her eyes, squeezing her hand.
“If you say so,” she nodded with a thin smile on her lips.
Grant made sure they engaged in light-hearted discussions until they got to their destination to calm Tasha’s nerves.
“It’s the last house on the bend,” Grant said twenty minutes later when they turned into the serene, secluded cul-de-sac.
“Here we are.” Grant’s green Toyota Prius came to a stop a few seconds later. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden glow over the tidy houses lining the street.
“Okay, we are here,” Tasha said with more confidence than she felt.
Grant looked over at Tasha with a fond smile. “They’re going to love you, Tasha,” he assured her before they stepped out of the car.
Tasha’s fears dissipated as soon as Annie opened the door for them.
“Tasha, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” she gushed even before Grant introduced her. She pulled her into a big hug. “You are welcome into our abode.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Annie,” Tasha smiled back at her. “Grant had told me so much about you and William.” Annie’s warm smile and welcoming hug made Tasha feel instantly at ease.
“I’m glad to hear that,” she beamed. The sound of her voice was like a soothing balm on Tasha’s frayed nerves.
“Don’t I deserve a hug?” Grant made a puppy face at his beloved sister-in-law.
“Oh no,” Annie chuckled good-naturedly. “Come here, don’t be jealous.”
He walked into her arms and they all burst into hearty laughter.
“Come on in. William is on the deck at the back.” She opened the door wider and led them through the cozy house to the backyard.
Grant’s older brother, William, stood by the grill, basting the fresh chicken and fish with marinade. His back turned to them, his broad shoulders made him look like a man who was homely, just like his younger brother, and comfortable in his own skin.
“Yo, bro!” Grant said excitedly to catch William’s attention.
The older brother turned around.
“Hey hey, who do we have here?” He dropped the basting brunch into a bowl. “This must be Tasha!” William boomed, his deep voice carrying across the yard. He gave a hearty laugh, his eyes twinkling with warmth.
“It’s great to finally put a face to the name!” He said when they got to where he was.
“Yeah, it’s nice meeting you too, William.”
Tasha replied with the same enthusiasm.
Grant made the proper introductions. William hugged Tasha and his brother. The two couples chatted for some time before Annie said with an infectious smile, “we’ll leave you guys here. Tasha and I need to take care of some things in the kitchen.” She took Tasha’s hand and led her back into the house. She then guided her to the kitchen.
“You go grab two beers from the refrigerator while I start this grill.” William told his brother, who went inside. Grant returned with two bottles of beer; he opened both and handed one to his brother.
“Thanks bro,” William accepted the drink and took a swig of the local brew.
“Do you need any help there?” Grant asked as William stacked up the grill rack.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind,” William said. “You can put the corn on the other end.”
“Sure,” he put the six corn on the grill.
“No wonder you are smitten with Tasha,” William said, basking the proteins on the grill with more marinade. “She is so beautiful,” he winked at her brother. “And not to forget, intelligent too.” Williams couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in his younger brother’s choice of a woman.
“Thanks,” Grant nodded at his brother. “It’s just how mom is skeptical about Tasha, because she’s a single mother.” Grant shrugged.
“Don’t you worry,” William looked into his brother’s eyes perceptively. “She surely will be charmed like the rest of us when she meets Tasha.”
“I hope so,” Grant dipped his hands in his pockets, furrowing his brows with worry. He quickly changed their discussion to their favorite team’s last game.
In the kitchen, Tasha finished chopping the vegetables and said, “my bad, I should have asked about the kids, where are they?”
“Oh,” Annie dropped the wooden spoon she just used to stir the gravy on a small plate. “They are away for summer camp.”
“I see,” Tasha smiled. “Guess I will be around when I visit next.”
“Sure,” Annie replied. “The two of them will be around. They are actually going to return tomorrow, Sunday evening. They’ve been gone since Monday.”
They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments as the two ladies worked together.
“Grant told us you are writing a book,” Annie said, breaking the silence as she turned down the heat under the gravy. “He says it’s your seventh.”
“Yes,” Tasha smiled proudly, tossing the vegetables for salad into a bamboo bowl. “It is, and I am co-authoring this one with a senior colleague of mine.”
“That’s good to hear?” Annie collected the bowl of vegetables from Tasha and stuck it into the refrigerator.
The two women found common ground in their love for teaching, Annie, being a high school teacher herself. And their shared fascination with the young adults as they worked side by side.
Tasha’s phone rang in her jeans pocket, and she brought it out. It was Maggie, calling her. She smiled and swiped across the screen.
“Your car is in the driveway,” Maggie started as a way of greeting in her usual youthful exorbitant. “But I’m knocking on your door and it seems you are not around.”
“Good evening to you too, Maggie,” the older woman started chuckling. “No, I am not around. I am in Treasure Bay.”
“Oh no,” Maggie whimpered. “I thought we could talk now.”
“Is everything okay?” Tasha asked. “Your voice sounds somehow.”
“Yeahhh,” she drawled. “I guess so…it’s about Kevin. I really need to talk to someone about it.” She exhaled deeply.
“So sorry, I’m not around now,” Tasha leaned her back against the kitchen cabinet. “Just relax, and take it easy, I will call you immediately when we come back. What about that?”
“Yeah, sure,” Maggie’s voice came up brighter. “I will like that, thanks. You are a lifesaver, Miss. Tasha.” Tasha laughed slowly, “okay, see you later.” She said and ended the call.