Tia reached to tuck a napkin into Louis's collar as he shoved the hamburger into his mouth at full speed. Ketchup splattered, hitting the recently added bib and Tia's arm.
"Slow down, love," she told him. "Don't choke."
"I'm not choking," Louis said, his mouth full. Tia shot him a look, and he swallowed. "Sorry."
They were eating on Barney's deck. Caesar was bringing around the sausages from the barbecue where he and Barney were working side by side.
"Thanks, dear," Toll said to Caesar, winking. He got a swift kick in the shin in response, making him yelp but laugh soon after. Their alone time had gotten interrupted, unfortunately, and Caesar blamed Toll for that.
Lee was sipping a beer as he balanced a paper plate on his knee in his chair. Gunner was sitting on the railing, inhaling a burger.
"Alright," Barney said, joining them finally. "Everyone good?"
"Yes, thank you," Tia said, smiling at him. Caesar cleared his throat. "You too, baby."
"So, no fish huh?" Gunner asked, looking at Lee and Barney.
"Don't even start," Barney retorted.
"You must not be doing it right," Gunner commented.
"And what is the right way?" Toll asked, getting in on this conversation. "Winding a string around your toe and languishing on the riverbed?" Lee gave a snort, narrowly avoiding choking on the food in his mouth.
"Red and white Mepps," Gunner said. "And a minnow."
"See? No steel line," Lee said to Barney, who rolled his eyes.
"It works," he insisted, "when you try it for longer than five seconds."
"It was five minutes."
"Williams Wobbler was always my lucky lure," Toll said to Gunner. "I bet I can get more fish than you on it."
"You're on," Gunner said, pointing at him.
"Oh boy," Tia said, chuckling softly.
"Well, I need a whopper to cook up for y'all," Caesar said. "So whoever brings that to me gets a 100 bucks."
"Oho, now it's really on," Toll said, reaching to fist bump Caesar.
"Good luck," Barney said. "This lake is slotted, and there ain't anything that big in here."
"We'll see about that," Toll replied.
"So maybe if we can't get the biggest, we shoot for whoever gets the most?" Gunner offered.
"Biggest trumps all, though," Toll said.
"Deal."
"Alright," Caesar agreed. "Works for me."
"Can I go out fishing with you guys?" Louis asked Toll and Gunner hopefully. Toll caught Caesar's look over Louis's head and knew better than to say no, not that he would anyway.
"For sure."
"Don't be too late," Tia said. "Bedtime is 8:00 at the latest."
"Awww Mama," Louis whined. "But we're on vacation!"
"And you still get tired when you don't get your proper sleep. Sorry, love," Tia added. Louis sighed heavily but didn't fight it. He finished eating and waited for Toll and Gunner to get ready. Tia started to clean up, and Lee assisted.
"How you doing, English?" she asked him as he set his now empty beer bottle on the counter top. He smiled at the term of endearment she'd dubbed for him a long time ago. In return, he called her by where she'd grown up.
"Just fine," he answered. "How about you, Jersey?"
"Feeling like this is our last shot at seeing if this is gonna work," Tia said honestly. She started putting water in the sink as he leaned against the counter to her left. Sure, Hale was good in this moment and they'd almost had an intimate moment earlier before Louis interrupted, but these "good" days were few and far between lately, and being intimate was a rarity. She and Hale would argue more often than not, and Tia didn't know how much longer they could go on like this.
"Is it the job?" Lee asked her.
"No. It's how he just seems to disappear right in front of me, and I can't bring him back to reality anymore."
She added the dish soap and watched it start to bubble. Lee didn't say anything as she started washing the dishes. He did help her dry them, though.
"You know he'd be devastated to lose you," Lee said quietly after a while.
"Not as devastated as I'd feel," Tia countered. "Hale is the love of my life. I just can't do the silence and the moods and the fights anymore. He's changed."
"Have you guys talked to someone?"
"No."
"Maybe try?"
Tia could tell it was distressing Lee to have them end their marriage, and she knew how he felt. It greatly distressed her too. At the same time, though, it was sometimes appealing to think of being with someone who didn't struggle with their moods as much. She looked at Lee and moved her foot to touch his leg.
"I'll think about it," she offered. He nodded. It would have to do.
"Bye, Mom!" Louis called from the deck. She turned to give him a soapy wave as he clattered down the steps after Toll. Gunner was behind him.
Then Caesar and Barney brought in the rest of the food and dishes, and Tia kept her worried thoughts about her marriage to herself.
...
It was past eleven, and it still hadn't rained. The clouds were hanging around, though, and Lee knew it was only a matter of time before they unleashed their load. He was sitting down at the dock, knees pulled to his chest as he thought about what the next month was going to look like. He hoped to be able to sleep better. Seeing Billy's face as the knife went into his chest every time he closed his eyes was getting harder and harder to get rid of. Remembering Lacy's words telling him she was so sorry for falling into bed with someone else again was the next problem. Barney was nice enough not to keep saying "I told you so," but Lee knew he was thinking it.
"Would you stop it?!" a voice shouted. He tensed, his skin prickling. What was going on? He turned his head in the direction of the shouting. It was coming from the cottage to his left. He could only see the solar lights on the dock. The cottage was farther back.
"We talked about this, Serena!"
"No, you talked. You never let me talk!"
Lee did his best to tune it out. He didn't want to get involved. If he heard the sound of someone getting hit, though, he wouldn't hesitate. He was trying to focus on his own thoughts when he heard a voice behind him.
"Hello."
He turned quickly, seeing a little girl standing there in the low lighting. Her dirty blonde hair had a bed head look to it, and she was wearing a purple nightgown with one of the Disney princesses on it that Lee had no idea of.
"Hullo," he said back. She was holding a stuffed dog in her hands. Lee wondered why she was out of bed and where she'd come from.
"You're in my spot," she said matter-of-factly.
"I am?"
"Yea."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. We can share," she said, coming closer before pausing again. "Mum says not to talk to strangers, though."
"I see. Smart Mum."
"We're only strangers if we don't know each other, so we should introduce ourselves," she reasoned, making Lee start to smile. This little girl was already starting to tug at his heart. He noticed a very slight accent blended with her American one. It made him wonder if her mother was British.
"You're right," he agreed. "I'm on board."
"I'm Maya," she said next. "Like Maya Angelou."
"That's cool."
"Maya Rose," she continued. "That's my middle name. What's your name?"
"I'm Lee."
"Just Lee?"
"Just Lee," he confirmed, chuckling a little.
"I'm not to call adults by their first name," Maya said. "It's impolite. What's your last name?"
"I don't have one."
"Everyone has a last name!" she insisted, sounding almost appalled.
"Alright. It's Christmas."
"That's a holiday," she pointed out. He bit his cheeks to stop from laughing out loud. Oh, she so had him wrapped around her finger, and he didn't even know her fully yet.
"You're right, but that's my last name," he told her. She looked at him carefully as she considered this. Then her eyes grew wide.
"Are you Father Christmas?"
It was too much. He turned his laugh into a cough so as not to make her feel bad. Once he got a grip on himself, he looked back at her.
"No, I'm not," he answered honestly.
"Right. You can't be Father Christmas. He lives in the North Pole."
"You're right," Lee agreed, biting his cheeks again.
"Are you related to him?"
"You'll never know," Lee said playfully. She looked so cute trying to put it all together, her brow scrunched together in the middle.
"If I'm good, will you pass it along to him?"
"Of course."
"I sometimes don't think he's real, but Mum said if I don't believe then he won't come, and I want him to come."
"Good thinking."
She was quiet for a moment, and then she straightened and looked at him again.
"Okay, Mr. Christmas," she said. "Can I sit with you?"
"Of course."
He moved over a little so she could sit to his left. He didn't want her sitting near the open water. She crossed her legs and hugged her stuffed dog. He noticed her face wincing as more yelling came across the water.
"Did they scare you?" he asked, wondering if she came from there.
"Yea," she answered, nodding slowly. "They yell a lot."
"You hide out here?"
Maya nodded again, not looking at him. Lee felt anger inside. How could her parents not realize she was running out in the dark to get away from their fighting?
"How old are you?" he asked.
"Six, but I'll be seven soon. How old are you?"
"It's impolite to ask an adult their age," he told her seriously. He was teasing her, but she looked so shocked and apologetic that he couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I'm kidding," he assured her. "I'm old enough. How's that?"
"Okay."
More yelling. Maya reached to cover her ears with her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. Lee wanted to wrap her in his arms and hide her away from it all, but he was still a stranger to her. He didn't want to scare her.
"Hey," he said, nudging her. She removed her hands and looked at him. "Wanna hear a joke?"
"Yes."
"A doctor looks up to see a man coming in with a duck on his head. When he asks what seems to be the problem, the duck says there's a man stuck to his butt."
Maya burst into giggles, understanding the joke.
"Tell me another one," she said after.
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."
"I get it!" she cried excitedly. "Cos fruit flies do like bananas!"
"You're a smart girl," Lee said.
"I skipped a grade," she said seriously. "I skipped grade one."
"Good for you."
"Mum says I'll graduate high school early if I keep it up."
"I have no doubt."
"I like reading," she said. "I can read chapter books."
"Wow."
"I have a higher than average skill for reading and vocabulary."
"I can tell," Lee said, resting his cheek against his shoulder as he looked at her. She was yawning, and he knew she was tired. He was thinking about going over there and ending the fight when she stood and moved to push his arms to let her sit on his lap. He was surprised that she was already so comfortable with him, but he wanted to help her feel better, so he didn't say anything. She tucked her head against his chest, and he saw her eyes fluttering shut.
"I like you," she said. "I don't think you're a stranger anymore."
"I like you too," he replied, resting a hand on her head. Something about holding this child was making him ache inside for something he knew he was never going to have.
"I don't have a dad," she murmured sleepily. He felt surprise. Then who was over there yelling at her mother? He figured it must be a boyfriend then.
"Me either."
"Did he die? Is that why you look so sad?"
Lee couldn't get over how intuitive this child was, but then again, he wasn't exactly hiding it.
"He died a long time ago, but that's not why I'm sad."
"Why are you sad?"
"I lost a friend recently."
"Oh. Are they in heaven? What was their name?"
"I hope so," Lee answered. "And his name was Billy."
"I think Billy is in heaven," she said confidently. Then she yawned again. After a few moments, he felt Maya grow heavier in his arms as she started to fall asleep. The voices slowly stopped yelling, and he wondered just how he was going to deliver Maya back to them when he heard shouting.
"Maya!"
He got to his feet carefully, carrying Maya in his arms. Her arm was dangling, the stuffed dog dropping from her grasp. He bent to pick it up too and headed towards the other cottage.
"MAYA!" the voice shrieked again. A woman came running into view, almost stumbling into him. She shone her flashlight on him, and he heard her intake sharply.
"Who the hell are you, and why do you have my daughter?" she demanded. He took in her British accent and flyaway brown hair from the light of her torch.
"She came over to get away from the yelling," Lee said calmly. "She fell asleep. I was bringing her home." He noticed that this woman's voice was not the same as the one who had been yelling earlier. His mind calculated that there had to be three people over here.
"Emily?" a man's voice called. It was different too. Lee felt confused.
"I'm fine," Emily said back sharply. She tucked her flashlight under her arm and reached for Maya. Lee handed her over smoothly, careful not to wake the little girl up. Emily wrapped an arm under Maya's legs and rested her against her shoulder.
"Here," Lee said, handing the stuffed dog over next.
"Thank you."
"Everything all right over here?" he asked.
"Fine," she answered, her voice clipped. "Thank you." She turned without waiting for him to say anything else and walked back to her cottage. Lee watched the man on the deck watch her. He watched how Emily pulled away from him when he reached to help. He had no idea what he'd walked in on, but he was beginning to think that this was not even close to being over.
...
Barney got up early the next morning and carefully walked across the creaky floor. He looked at Gunner's bedroom door as he reached the front door and paused, listening to the sound of snoring that was loud enough to raise the dead. He bit down his laugh, picturing Christmas sleeping with a pillow over his face to block out the sound. Gunner really should get some new nose strips or something.
He went outside and down to the boathouse where he slid the blue canoe into the water and climbed in, pushing off with his paddle. The wood gleamed in the sun, and he listened to the sound of his paddle slicing the water. There was no other sounds save for the occasional bird chirp and the waterfall down at the far end of the other lake. It had rained overnight finally, but the sky was clear today. He saw a man sitting in a chair on the dock at the cottage next to his, a coffee mug cradled in his hands.
"Mornin'," Barney said, nodding his head.
"Morning," the man replied.
Barney could tell the man looked exhausted. His sandy brown hair was swept to the right. He had a deep tan already, and his long legs stretched out in front of him. Barney said nothing else as he paddled by. He just wanted to mind his own business. He paddled around to the back of the second island into the shallow area. A lot of dead heads under the water caught his attention. It definitely was not a good place for a boat to come in, and some of them were high enough to catch a canoe if you weren't paying attention. It was called Stump Town for a reason.
A blue heron jumped, having been startled by his approach. It made Barney jump slightly, not expecting it. He watched it fly away and then resumed paddling. A loon was calling in the distance, and Barney felt like he was 12 years old again. He'd spent summers here with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, and he'd gotten up to no good and sunburned while not having a care in the world. He had no idea where the time had gone, no idea how things got so serious so fast and how he got to where he was now.
He made his way back to the boathouse, noticing the man was gone now. Instead, a woman was standing there. She looked like she had been crying. She wiped at her eyes and turned away from him, not waving or saying hello. Barney did his best not to care. It wasn't his business. He got out and hauled the canoe out after him. It was time to go wake up the sleepyheads and go for a fish.
Just fyi, I couldn't stop picturing McKenna Grace as being Maya because I loved her character in Gifted, and I know the accent isn't the same (I don't know how it works with accents and children anyway, just to be clear), but that's who I picture regardless, just so you know.