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the flesh –
and him seeing me.

 
    The years had
melted away within minutes. A few hours later, we were still sipping beers and
chatting on the back veranda, watching the fish spring above the water’s edge
in the pond.

 
    My stepmother
left us alone, probably out of applying some misguided weight to the evening.
She was just as welcome here, as I had missed her as well. In fact, I would
have loved to see the two of them together again, holding each other as we
caught up.

 
    Saffron
remained scarce.

 
    She had seemed oddly pissed.

 
    But I wasn’t
too worried about that. We had an entire summer to spend together –
something that never escaped my thoughts.

 
    I wondered
how I was going to do it. Even after the years I’d led and the things I’d seen,
I’d hoped that she would become a footnote in my life; something only rarely
thought of, relegated to a few brief moments here and there.

 
    But that
hadn’t happened, and it hadn’t helped now.

 
    Saffron was
just as fucking beautiful as ever. No, actually, let me back up a second.
Saffron Samuels was even more beautiful
now. She was a scrawny little twerp back in the day, just starting to fill out
when I saw her last. But my stepsister had grown up in my absence, and I could
barely stand to look at her – afraid that my gaze would linger too long, maybe
even unnerve her.

 
    I still loved
her, just as much as the day I’d left.

 
    That was
going to be a problem.

 
    But it was a
problem for another day. I pushed it out of my head as my father and I sat in
silence now, sipping from our bottles.

 
    “So,” I spoke
up suddenly, “how are we making the arrangements?”

 
    “The
arrangements?”

 
    “For the
trip. You two are heading off to Paris…do I need to book flights for–”

 
    “Oh, no,
that’s all taken care of,” my stepfather answered. “As soon as you confirmed a
few weeks back, your mother and I booked the flights for both you and your
sister.”

 
    “Sounds good
to me. When do we leave?”

 
    “Friday.”

 
    I almost spat
out my beer. “Dad, it’s…it’s Wednesday. It’s Wednesday night. Why are you
just telling me now? What if I was
late?”

 
    “Oh, we would
have sent you on a second flight, of course!” Dad chuckled, taking another
swig.

 
    I shook my
head. It was typical him. He had enough money to smooth anything over that he
just didn’t understand things sometimes.

 
    “Of course,
we’ll have to take you shopping for some clothes…surely you’re not planning on
wearing that to Florida? It’ll be way
too hot down there!”

 
    “No, I…I
figured,” I answered begrudgingly. “I’ll take a drive and pick a few things up
tomorrow.” I timed my answer so that he was in the middle of a mouthful of beer
– sidestepping the inevitable Son,
let’s go shopping and I know Tabitha
at a great place that carries some crisp button-ups.

 
    I switched
gears quickly. “So, what do we do when we arrive?”

 
    Dad pulled
the beer down from his lips, swallowing. “Hensley will pick you up from the
airport. Do you remember him,” my father smiled mischievously, “or have all
those years in the ring knocked him out of your head?”

 
    “Hensley…he
was the one with the weird teapot collection, right? And those little ceramic
bears?”

 
    “What? No,
that’s Mrs. Nesbitt. Do you seriously mean to tell me–” He paused, seeing
the coy smile on my face. “You had me worried for a moment there! Don’t do that to your old man!”

 
    We shared a
small, hearty laugh. It felt good to laugh again.

 
    “Of course I
remember Hensley,” I assured Dad. “Old friend of yours. It’ll be great to see
him again.”

 
    “That’s the
one. You’ll be in good hands. He’ll remain nearby for the duration of the
summer – just in case either of you need anything.”

 
    “Sounds like
you could have just had her stay with him ,
then,” I observed. “Seeing