Chapter 25

^SETH’S EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY^

He was buzzing.

Sitting on the tailgate of his beat-up truck on the edge of the lake with enough beers to get the baseball team drunk, Seth absorbed the stillness of the evening.

He had been avoiding his friends and family since he still had to tell his mother that he was going to basic training next Monday, after Thanksgiving weekend.

He remembered the lost look that had entered Sarah’s eyes when she realized that he had gone to Kansas City to the military entrance processing station.

She had asked him if he was enlisting because of Tereza, and it took him an hour to convince her that their mother was the inspiration.

~Tereza~… He grimaced when he thought about her. They still hooked up, not because they wanted to be together, but because they had an unhealthy attraction for each other.

They never spoke about anything, not the status of their interaction with each other, the future, or what they expect from each other.

He doubted that she even knew about him going into the military unless Sarah had told her.

He also doubted that, because Sarah had withdrawn from Terry over the summer as well.

He emptied the bottle of beer and tossed it into the flatbed, then lay back to look at the stars. It was a clear night and they hung heavily across the dark sky.

He knew his mom wasn’t going to be happy about him enlisting, and he wasn’t looking forward to ~that ~conversation.

He still needed to figure out if he was going to tell her before or after Thanksgiving dinner.

Nonna wasn’t in the best of health, and he didn’t want to spoil what could be her last Thanksgiving.

He closed his eyes as he thought about his Nonna. She was the one who had signed the forms for him to enlist.

She had supported him completely when he explained that he wanted to follow in his mother’s footsteps.

Being in the Marine Corps was what he wanted to do, and he wasn’t sure what else to do if he didn’t enlist.

She also promised that she would speak to Gabriella if there was any resistance.

Sick or healthy, his Nonna was a force to be reckoned with and was leaving his mother in her very capable hands.

***

He must have fallen asleep because a couple of hours later, he jerked awake when Austin knocked softly against the fender of his truck. That was uncharacteristic for the boisterous first-baser.

He peered at his friend from beneath his elbow as Austin slid onto the tailgate beside him.

“Come on,” he said, tapping Seth on the thigh. “This is no way to celebrate your ~eighteenth ~birthday, man!”

Seth sat up slowly, closing his eyes against the spinning sensation in his head. “How did you find me?”

“Sarah said you might be here, considering that you left your phone at the house.”

Seth nodded, reached behind him for a bottle of water, and handed a beer to Austin.

“I just needed some time alone.”

“From Terry?” Austin asked, shaking his head when Seth looked at him in confusion.

“I sort of figured it out that night with Michael’s party. Sarah wasn’t feeling well, and she went looking for you.

“Then she came back a few minutes later and asked if I would take her home. She was too quiet, even for Sarah, but I didn’t push.

“And then I noticed that she wasn’t spending as much time with Terry…but you were.

“Or maybe it was more like Tereza wove herself around you every opportunity she got, almost like she was staking her claim.”

“I’m glad you got accepted at art school, man. Your talents would have been wasted otherwise!” Seth laughed as Austin waved his hands in a twining motion. “I’m going to miss you, man.”

“You know, I’m not sure who I’m going to miss more, you or Sarah.”

“Hey! That’s my sister, you jackass!” Seth protested as he feigned a jab at Austin, who sprang to his feet.

They tussled a bit before settling on an old fallen tree at the water’s edge to catch their breath.

“You know you’re not the only one where Terry’s concerned?”

“You, too?”

“NO!” Austin protested. “When I saw the vibes between you, I washed my hands of her. Ain’t no way I’m mixing up your salad, bro. I just need you to know that.”

“You told me that about a week after we graduated. You were too pissed to remember telling me, and I’m too decent to remind you.”

“You’re just a decent guy, Seth. You’ve had my back since you got here. I grew up with some of these guys and they don’t treat me half as well as you do.

“That’s part of the reason why I’m going to transfer to Julliard. It’s not going to be the same without you around, man.”

“Olathe is the one place I was able to make some friends for a change. It’s not always easy with my mom’s job.”

“I can imagine.” Austin went quiet for a while, then looked at Seth, his face more serious than Seth had ever seen it. “Don’t you think you’re being selfish?”

“Selfish?”

“Yeah…you’re out here, celebrating your birthday.” He knocked his shoulder against Seth’s. “Aren’t you depriving Sarah of celebrating it with you? The last birthday before boot camp?”

“Shit,” Seth hissed as he closed his eyes and dropped his head back. “You’re right. How did you get here?”

“My trusty wheels,” Austin nodded at the skateboard resting against Seth’s truck.

“Good, I’m too messed up to drive.”

***

Thanksgiving the next day was a quiet dinner.

Seth’s mom and grandmother had cooked the food with soft voices—no banging pots and pans, no whisks against the sides of baking dishes, no oven doors banging.

And no Sarah singing off-key at the top of her voice as she prepared the vegetables. Seth set the table, glancing at the women in his life, and he knew that he was the reason.

He wiped out a water glass and set it above the plate, accidentally bumping into his mom as he turned.

Gabriella Marshall was as dark as her children were blond and as short as they were tall.

Her dark brown hair was streaked with gray, but her green eyes were sharp and expressive, the only physical attribute they had inherited from her.

Seth’s stomach quivered at the arrows those green eyes were shooting at him. ~Yep, he was the reason~.

“I’m sorry, Mama—”

“Not before dinner.” Seth took a deep breath at the coolness of her tone, the Italian accent more pronounced.

She seldom used her commandervoice with them, but when she did, it meant they were in huge trouble.

After dinner, he got to his feet to help Sarah clear the dishes when his mom put her hand on his arm, and he returned to his seat.

“Gabriella, be gentle,” Nonna said in Italian, waving her hand when his mom wanted to protest.

She got to her feet and patted Seth on his shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen. There was a tense silence as the sound of the sink being filled with water came from the kitchen.

“Why did I have to hear it from the Colonel of Kansas City MEPS rather than my own son?”

Her tone was soft, but Seth saw the hurt through the anger. She reached up and cupped his cheek, and Seth leaned into the touch.

“I am proud of you, bambino. I’m just disappointed that you decided to enlist without speaking to me. How did you get the papers signed, anyway?”

“Um…Nonna—” Seth stuttered.

Gabriella slapped her hands down on the table, groaning in frustration. “It figures that she would be in the middle of this!”

“Mama! She was trying to help me. All she did was sign the forms. I don’t even think she knew what she was signing—”

“Sethford Andrew Marshall, ~do not ~try to cover for your grandmother! We both know that she scrutinizes ~every ~document that she writes on, even a crossword puzzle.”

Her frown changed from agitation to concern. “Why, Seth?”

“I thought you might try to change my mind. If not from joining the military, then maybe to join the Navy.”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t do that, Sethford. Just like I never dressed you and Sarah in the same style of clothes or colors.

“I believe that the two of you are individuals with separate personalities and different dreams, especially from my own.

“And I know you chose the Marine Corps because you hate tight spaces and would never survive in a submarine.”

Seth allowed a tiny smile to reach his mouth. “Thanks, Mama.”

“I’m proud of you, Mimmo. I only have two things that didn’t sit well with me, Seth. One was that you didn’t speak to me about enlisting. The other…”

He frowned when she hesitated. Gabriella Marshall ~never~ hesitated, not on her ships and not in her life. “What is the other thing, Mama?”

“Sethford.” She took his hands in hers. “You know that I’ve taught you what I could about treating a woman properly. And I try not to interfere with your love life because I trust you.”

Seth nodded.

Gabriella bit her lip, and then wiped a tear that escaped between her dark lashes. “This thing with Tereza is going to break your heart, Sethford. She’s not the person you need in your life.”

“Mama, it’s nothing serious. I go to boot camp on Monday, and we are done completely. I’m... I’m just…” Seth shrugged. “Filling time, Mama.”

She cupped his jaw again. “Just make sure that you ~can~ walk away before you actually make that promise, Mimmo.”