they go last.”
Janie nodded, picking up the bowl.
“You’re letting her grill?” Otto’s voice was tinged with outrage.
Janie glanced over at him, feeling Pete stiffen beside her. “Pete’s doing the vegetables, Otto,” she snapped. “I’m helping.”
“Vegetables? At a barbeque?” The outrage was definite now.
Janie took a deep breath, turning toward Otto’s grill. “Grilled vegetables are really good, Otto. Besides, Cal’s a vegetarian.”
Otto looked as if she’d just told him Cal was a devil worshipper. He would have been hilarious if he hadn’t been her date. After a moment, he recollected himself and pushed his shoulders back slightly. His naked chest gleamed in the late afternoon sunshine.
Pete had put his shirt back on again, Janie noted with a feeling of vague disappointment. The buttons hung tantalizingly open, reminding her briefly of his thick mat of chest hair.
Janie took another in a series of deep breaths. Okay, she was being unfair. Comparing Otto to Pete wasn’t right. Otto was Konigsburg. Pete was…somewhere else.
She glanced back at Pete’s grill. He was nudging the vegetables with his tongs, his forehead creased in concentration. Olive sat at his feet, watching him carefully. “Take a look at this, will you?” he muttered. “I can’t tell if they’re ready to come off or not.”
Janie studied the vegetables. “A few more minutes.” She turned slightly to look at his face. “So why don’t you guys like football? You all look like a high school coach’s dream team.”
Pete’s mouth twisted briefly. “Football was our big brother Erik’s game. We all went out for other stuff. The football coach wanted us, but we didn’t necessarily want him.”
Right. The big brother nobody liked. “So you played basketball?”
Pete nodded. “And baseball. Even wrestled one year.” One corner of his mouth rose in a half grin. “It was a small school.”
“Hey, sweet thing,” Otto called. “Come and get it! Burgers are done.”
Janie picked up a plate and started toward Otto’s grill, then stopped. Pete was flipping vegetable chunks onto a platter. They looked a little charred around the edges, but overall good.
“Got any extra eggplant there?” she asked.
Pete glanced at her, one eyebrow raised in question. Then he grinned. “Have at it, ma’am. My veggies are your veggies.”
Pete sampled the portabella with a certain amount of trepidation. He was okay on grilling, but he hadn’t ever grilled a mushroom before, particularly one that looked like it had a glandular disorder. Tasted good, though, in a mushroomy sort of way. He leaned back in the lounge chair he’d grabbed in the pool pavilion, reaching for his beer.
Cal looked like he’d recovered from being sucker-punched by Friedrich. At least he’d eaten a full plate of Pete’s veggies and gone back for seconds. Beside him at his table, Docia munched on a hamburger, along with a healthy portion of bacon-studded baked beans and potato salad.
Obviously a mixed marriage. Good thing Cal was Mr. Nice.
Lars reclined in a lounge chair next to Pete, poking a little nervously at a piece of zucchini. Pete wasn’t sure why they’d all decided to go for vegan barbeque. Some kind of nutsy Toleffson solidarity, he supposed.
“You can get a burger. I won’t be offended.” Pete grinned at Lars’s scowl.
“Naw, it would give that SOB too much satisfaction.”
Friedrich glanced up at them. Pete raised a piece of eggplant in salute, then popped it into his mouth.
Friedrich regarded him as if he’d suddenly grown an extra head. He took a bite out of a hamburger that might have fed three or four members of his team and quickly transferred his attention to the big-screen TV in the corner of the pavilion that was showing a preseason football game.
Beside him, Janie Dupree nibbled delicately on a piece of tomato. She hadn’t taken a hamburger, Pete noticed, but she did have one of the rib-eyes Billy Kent
Janie nodded, picking up the bowl.
“You’re letting her grill?” Otto’s voice was tinged with outrage.
Janie glanced over at him, feeling Pete stiffen beside her. “Pete’s doing the vegetables, Otto,” she snapped. “I’m helping.”
“Vegetables? At a barbeque?” The outrage was definite now.
Janie took a deep breath, turning toward Otto’s grill. “Grilled vegetables are really good, Otto. Besides, Cal’s a vegetarian.”
Otto looked as if she’d just told him Cal was a devil worshipper. He would have been hilarious if he hadn’t been her date. After a moment, he recollected himself and pushed his shoulders back slightly. His naked chest gleamed in the late afternoon sunshine.
Pete had put his shirt back on again, Janie noted with a feeling of vague disappointment. The buttons hung tantalizingly open, reminding her briefly of his thick mat of chest hair.
Janie took another in a series of deep breaths. Okay, she was being unfair. Comparing Otto to Pete wasn’t right. Otto was Konigsburg. Pete was…somewhere else.
She glanced back at Pete’s grill. He was nudging the vegetables with his tongs, his forehead creased in concentration. Olive sat at his feet, watching him carefully. “Take a look at this, will you?” he muttered. “I can’t tell if they’re ready to come off or not.”
Janie studied the vegetables. “A few more minutes.” She turned slightly to look at his face. “So why don’t you guys like football? You all look like a high school coach’s dream team.”
Pete’s mouth twisted briefly. “Football was our big brother Erik’s game. We all went out for other stuff. The football coach wanted us, but we didn’t necessarily want him.”
Right. The big brother nobody liked. “So you played basketball?”
Pete nodded. “And baseball. Even wrestled one year.” One corner of his mouth rose in a half grin. “It was a small school.”
“Hey, sweet thing,” Otto called. “Come and get it! Burgers are done.”
Janie picked up a plate and started toward Otto’s grill, then stopped. Pete was flipping vegetable chunks onto a platter. They looked a little charred around the edges, but overall good.
“Got any extra eggplant there?” she asked.
Pete glanced at her, one eyebrow raised in question. Then he grinned. “Have at it, ma’am. My veggies are your veggies.”
Pete sampled the portabella with a certain amount of trepidation. He was okay on grilling, but he hadn’t ever grilled a mushroom before, particularly one that looked like it had a glandular disorder. Tasted good, though, in a mushroomy sort of way. He leaned back in the lounge chair he’d grabbed in the pool pavilion, reaching for his beer.
Cal looked like he’d recovered from being sucker-punched by Friedrich. At least he’d eaten a full plate of Pete’s veggies and gone back for seconds. Beside him at his table, Docia munched on a hamburger, along with a healthy portion of bacon-studded baked beans and potato salad.
Obviously a mixed marriage. Good thing Cal was Mr. Nice.
Lars reclined in a lounge chair next to Pete, poking a little nervously at a piece of zucchini. Pete wasn’t sure why they’d all decided to go for vegan barbeque. Some kind of nutsy Toleffson solidarity, he supposed.
“You can get a burger. I won’t be offended.” Pete grinned at Lars’s scowl.
“Naw, it would give that SOB too much satisfaction.”
Friedrich glanced up at them. Pete raised a piece of eggplant in salute, then popped it into his mouth.
Friedrich regarded him as if he’d suddenly grown an extra head. He took a bite out of a hamburger that might have fed three or four members of his team and quickly transferred his attention to the big-screen TV in the corner of the pavilion that was showing a preseason football game.
Beside him, Janie Dupree nibbled delicately on a piece of tomato. She hadn’t taken a hamburger, Pete noticed, but she did have one of the rib-eyes Billy Kent
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