Page 46 of WASP

“No need,” Drew said. “Jack added it to his tab for us.”

It would have been nice if Jack had given her that heads up, but there was very little Max could do about that now. “Great, well, thank you for visiting Norwich Winery today. I hope you have a pleasant afternoon.” With one last look at Annie, Max turned on her heel, moving away from the table.

Not even five minutes after the Dillingers had left, Max’s pocket was vibrating with a series of incoming texts.

Annie 3:46 PM

I’m mortified.

I 100% apologize for my mom being her weird self today and for you having to deal with it.

Annie 3:47 PM

Your ass looked great in those jeans though.

While the first two texts from Annie gave her something more to consider, it was her final text that left Max with a smile firmly in place.

Mid-week, Max found herself sitting by the fire pit in Jack’s backyard, enjoying an unseasonably warm evening for February in coastal Connecticut. Everyone was here—everyone except Annie. Drew had invited her, but there had been something about having plans with some friends from high school, and while Max knew that shouldn’t upset her, she found herself missing Annie’s presence.

“Earth to Max,” came Jack’s voice as he waved his arms at her from his spot on the sofa opposite her.

She blinked, shifting her gaze away from where it had been fixed on the dancing flames. “What?”

“I was asking you what the plan is now that you’re not at McCallum anymore.”

She shrugged, returning her eyes to the fire. “Fuck if I know.”

There was some truth to that statement. Max didn’t know what was next. Willis paying for her sommelier accreditation had been her ticket forward, the next step in her plan, but now that plan was gone, and all she had left was the looming question of what to do with the land her grandparents had left her. But that was something she didn’t want to talk about, and especially not here, not when the vibes of bonfire night had been so good.

“Why do you two still keep your relationship a secret?” she asked the boys, something Max didn’t quite understand. “I mean, especially since Annie is also gay and your parents seem fine with that.”

Jack looked at Drew, eyes silently asking if he wanted him to answer or if Drew wanted to answer for himself. Drew patted Jack’s thigh gently.

“Because Annie is a force of nature and when she makes up her mind about something there is very little anyone can do to stop her. Coming out for her was the same way. She didn’t really give our parents space not to allow it.” He smiled fondly, and Max could practically feel the admiration Drew held for his sister. “But also notice how she didn’t live here? She left for college and never looked back. And I always respected the hell out of that. I’m honestly surprised she’s still here. She’s always had an easier time going toe-to-toe with our parents, but even Annie gets tired. I know I do,” he said softly, disappointment lacing his words as Jack rubbed his back in soothing circles. “We’ve found a balance that works for us, one where I get to live the way I want to, where I can keep my parents happy and keep the peace in my life. Is it perfect? No. But it works for me right now.”

Max sat with those words, using Drew’s context to reframe what she’d seen of Annie’s interactions with her parents over the last few months. But it wasn’t Drew who spoke next—it was Dani.

“You didn’t grow up here, Max,” she said, red hair shifting over her shoulder as she took a long drag from the joint she and Lynn had been passing back and forth. “There is something about Wellington Point…something I don’t think any of us can really put a finger on.” Her voice was gravelly as she released a cloud of thick smoke into the night sky, passing the joint back to Lynn.

“Oppressive,” Drew said.

“Staunchy,” Jack added.

“Aggressively traditional,” Lynn piled on.

Dani grinned. “Like everyone has one collective stick up their asses. It’s truly exhausting. Fuck. I’m the great-granddaughter of the town’s founder, and I feel that shit in my bones. But I do think that’s how we all found each other. We were tired of the bullshit and the expectations that came with it.” She reached for the joint again, inhaling deeply, once again handing it back to Lynn. “Adding you to the group was a fun little bonus. You’re the only outsider, but you did bring Lynn and her cookies, and for that, we are forever grateful.” Her smile was lazy as she finished her sentence, eyes slightly unfocused.

Max grinned, mumbling her response. “The length of that stick must be infinite with the number of pretentious douchebags who live here.”

Jack snorted into his own glass. “You could say that again.”

Max still had so many questions. “Why do you all still live here then? If you don’t like the people, why stay?”

To Max, who, at this point, had lived in more places than she had fingers to count, moving had never seemed like a limiting factor. The world was full of city after city, small town after small town, endless places that had the potential to become home. She didn’t understand the feeling of being connected to a single place.

“Because it’s home,” Lynn said quietly as she popped the lid off a container filled with her lemon basil cookies. “And home is hard to leave when it’s the only place you’ve ever known, even if it might be what’s best for you.” She took a thoughtful bite of her cookie, passing the container to Dani.

“And you’ve been here the longest,” Dani pointed out.