June 1970

Jo

Some days are just perfect. Perfect weather, perfect setting, perfect company.

I knew I was supposed to be stressed. Or nervous. Or something. But all I felt was happy.

Bits and pieces of conversations floated past me.

"I can't believe you had twins and you look like that. It's so unfair..." Audrey hadn't lost her baby weight the first time around, so why she was expecting a miracle this time, I had no clue. I'd relented and let her pick out her own dress, so she only had herself to blame if it was tight. Although I could see why she was jealous; for someone with nine month old twins, Evie did look pretty hot. I smiled, remembering how prickly things still were between Steve and Gary because Gary had visited Tulsa last summer when Evie was massively pregnant. He took one look at her and declared,

"Little doll, that ain't even funny. Want me to clock the asshole did that to ya?"

Unfortunately Steve overheard and didn't think it was funny. He was way more relaxed these days, but his hackles still came up, when it was to do with Evie or his boys. And, Jeez, who wouldn't forgive him for that, after what happened with Jay? But generally he was calmer, and he was doing right by Evie, no doubt about it. So it wasn't just the atmosphere of this particular day that made me think kindly towards him.

Soda had told me what went down. And since I ain't a complete bitch, I immediately had sympathy for what Steve had been through, of course I did. I even understood how and why the guys' friendship was as deep as it was; Steve's...'breakdown', I guess you could call it, had got Soda talking about how his friends Johnny and Dallas died, in more detail than he'd ever shared with me before.

I admit, I was a little hacked off when he insisted on staying home for Thanksgiving, so he could talk to Ponyboy about it all. I was fired up to see Audrey and the baby for the first time, so I went to the farm without him. And of course, I missed all the drama about Elle and Two-Bit getting engaged, on account of their own impending patter of tiny feet. But I came around. He was right. They did need to talk and, gradually, it was like all the guys relaxed a little, without anyone having noticed that they were tense in the first place.

When Soda couldn't convince Steve to love horses, it was my idea to have him try working at the warehouse. Well, mine and Darry's. Steve was supposed to work with the roofing company but he nearly passed out the first time Darry let him up on a roof, so that wasn't going to be his lifelong career. The warehouse seemed like a better fit; to be honest, it was obvious by then that it suited Darry better as well, since he was taking on more and more management stuff for Uncle Jim, but he was still juggling both jobs back then.

Steve seemed to be doing fine. Uncle Jim always appreciated a hard worker and he certainly had no complaints so far. Having said all that, I was still surprised when Steve appeared in the office one afternoon; we were nowhere near lunch buddies and although he'd been working in the warehouse for a couple of weeks, he'd still managed to avoid me almost every day.

He shot me a lightning version of what passed for a smile and asked if I would be able to give him a lift home. I probably hesitated for longer than was polite, but I was used to seeing Evie pick him up, or if he was working late he'd hitch a ride with Darry.

When we got to the Rambler, it was even weirder, because Steve seemed almost...nervous. And that made me more than a little wary.

"Is there a problem with the Chevy? Evie?" I asked, still puzzled as to why he wanted to car share with me, if he was so reluctant to get in.

He shook his head. "I need to talk to you," he said, as he dropped into the passenger seat.

Me? I paused with my hand on the key. Steve's eyes followed the few people leaving the lot.

"What's up?" I asked. "Is this about the job? You don't like working here?"

"Huh?" He came back to his surroundings. "Oh. It's okay. No, it ain't that. The thing is...Uh. Here's the thing..."

I waited.

"I didn't say anything yet. To Soda, or... I thought I'd ask you first. 'Cause I kinda been here before and I didn't handle that so well and—"

"Steve. What in Heaven's name are you talking about?"

He swallowed. "Lynette. You don't know about Lynette, do ya?"

"Know what about her?"

Steve held my eye for the first time in the whole conversation. "She's running around on Darry."

I stared.

"I mean, you're working with her an' all. Chicks talk. I mean—"

"No!" I sat back. "I wouldn't keep something like that a secret. What do you take me for? How do you know anyhow?"

He told me he'd seen her, cozied up in the stairwell with a guy, someone he described as 'some asshat in a fancy blue suit and pointy boots.'

"The paint guy." I clapped my hand over my mouth. Steve's eyes narrowed.

"You know him?"

I nodded. "I think you're right. What are we gonna do?"

"We ain't gonna do nothin'. I am gonna tell Darry."

I squeaked in embarrassment. "You sure? Why'd you ask me first?"

Steve motioned for me to start the engine. "Yeah. I'm sure. An' I didn't think you'd be like that. I was just...checking. Sorry. It gets complicated when it gets into 'who knew what' and 'how much'. Believe me, I know." He cracked the window and sucked in some of the cold air. "Better for everyone if the big guy only blames me."

Not that Darry was the kind to shoot the messenger anyhow, but it went some way to making me see Steve in a different, more favorable, light. As it turned out, Darry didn't even seem particularly upset. Part of me wondered if he'd known, or at least suspected for a while.

And when he confronted Lynette, she up and left to go live with the paint salesman and damn, if she didn't up and leave the office too. Uncle Jim's old secretary wanted to come back to work, part time, so I was kind of in charge. That worried me—not because I couldn't do the work. I discovered I'd been doing most of it anyway; Lynette had spent way more time filing her nails than filing invoices—but because I didn't want to leave Uncle Jim in the lurch when I gave up work myself.

Soda and I were saving hard. He was determined we were doing it 'right', still. 'It' being marriage and a family. Admittedly, he also got a lot of mileage out of the fact that Two-Bit and Steve seemed incapable of planned parenthood – not one of their four children had been intended, even if they were all welcome now they were here. Still, it was tough, keeping to our saving-to-make-it-perfect schedule, when Elle gave birth to Kimberley and Evie had Matt and Curt. They were all so cute.

I pulled myself back to the present; I could hear a baby crying nearby but it didn't sound like one of the twins, who were pretty chilled little dudes. It was probably three month old Caroline, which would put Audrey on edge even more. I imagined a whole gang of my aunts helping out Cole as he juggled the baby and their two year old. Unless Paula had got Jacqueline in with her two and the other older kids—since Paula taught Sunday school, she'd probably have them all happily coloring or something by now.

There was a burst of laughter the other side of the door and Evie caught my eye and grinned; Two-Bit was treating the whole occasion like Thanksgiving, Christmas and a vacation rolled into one. And that was fine by me. I felt the same.

The only 'vacation' the guys had been on recently was actually more like a labor camp. At the beginning of the year, Barratt had thrown me and Soda for a loop, by offering us a house on his property. The ranch had always been a family concern, but Barratt's family wasn't getting any bigger; he'd lost two brothers and his uncles were either retiring or dying off. It didn't seem like he was getting married any time soon, so he'd probably just live in his parents' place until it became his.

At first I thought he was talking about the old bunkhouse, which I'd seen being used by the assorted wranglers who rotated through at busy times of the year. It looked like an overgrown shed and smelled—the one time I'd walked near enough—like the worst kind of locker room. But, once he got done laughing at me, Soda drove us down past the main house and out through the paddocks, almost looping back towards the road. There was a little farmhouse tucked in under some big old redbuds. It had its own meadow and a couple of toy barns. It was like a play set.

"This was the original ranch house. Think Barratt said his great grandpa built it, or something. The family moved on up to the big house when they got some money behind 'em, I guess. His great uncle lived out here, before he got sick." Soda was waiting on my reaction, I could see.

I climbed out of Soda's car and walked over to the house.

"I know," he went on, "I know it means you'd have to drive to work. But if we get a place in town, I'd have to drive out here, so unless we get somewhere in the middle—"

I turned around from peering into the window. "I don't think there's a stove in this kitchen."

"We'd fix it up. The rent Barratt's talking about is nothin'. We could get new ones, stove an' fridge, an'...whatever you want."

"Is there a key? To see the rest?"

His face lit up. "It's not locked."

"We gotta be married, for you to carry me over the threshold?" I barely got the words out before he scooped me up and barreled us through the front door. Even laughing and kissing couldn't distract us indefinitely from the fact that the place was filthy and there were rodent nests in every corner.

"I like cats," declared Soda, as he disturbed an actual mouse in one of the closets and very nearly jumped out of his skin. "I think we'll get a cat."

"At least one," I agreed. "I hope they won't mind the smell of paint."

And boy, was there a smell of paint. The guys camped out at the house—their 'vacation', complete with camp fire, until the stove was delivered—and put up new dry wall, new shelves, wallpaper, painted every single room. Uncle Jim grumbled that we were clearing out all his stock. Didn't stop him giving me a 'family discount' that was real helpful. By then the 'family' connection went for both of us since Darry was now assistant manager. He never got to be Steve's boss though. Once he was driving again, Steve went back to working on cars. He and Evie had plans.

Mom came down with a trunk full of kitchenware, that she insisted had been on sale and a quilt she'd been making since Soda and I got engaged. It was very similar to the heirloom quilt that Audrey and I both had our eyes on, and I smiled at the thought of another generation fighting over who would get this one of Mom's.

When she'd inspected the little kitchen and the littler bedrooms, she stopped in the smallest one of all, peering out at the blossom on the trees outside.

"Well now, this'll make a fine sewing room." Her eyes twinkled. "In the short term." I smiled back at her.

Someone had worked a little magic and quietened whichever baby it was that had been yelling. A face peeked round the side of the door in front of me. It was Chris.

"Mom says it's time." And Mom was right. The music started up.

I nodded and he disappeared again. Audrey kissed me, tweaked my veil and opened the door. Evie ducked behind her, flicked my veil back the way I wanted it, shot me a wink, and followed Audrey inside.

"You good to go, Joey?" Sam held out his arm. "I got the truck right outside if—"

I elbowed him. "Shut up."

He grinned. "Just checking."

Everyone was standing, faces turning, smiles growing, which threw me for a second as we walked into the church. It meant I had to take three paces before I could see all the way down the aisle. Suddenly 'stressed' or 'nervous' or 'something' seemed the way to go.

And then everything was okay. Everything would always be okay.

The only face I could see was Soda, waiting for me.