AfterWife by Lauren Biel

Author:Lauren Biel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lauren Biel

From the moment Everett stepped out of the car, he could smell the scent of barbecue rising from a charcoal grill in the corner of the park. As the grass brushed his ankles, he cursed himself for wearing shorts. The lush green blades struck his skin with every step, and he reached down and scratched the forming itch as he swatted away mosquitoes.

“God, I hate the outdoors.”

His family absorbed him as he reached the pavilion. Long-distance aunts and uncles and cousins that he didn’t care for hugged him as if he ever mattered to them. Everyone kept apologizing for his loss, and the uncomfortable amount of sympathy pouring from people he didn’t even like made him feel sick. The only person who didn’t swarm him was his Aunt Marlo. Instead of acknowledging him and his loss, she sat at a picnic table, swigging alcohol from a flask like her life depended on it.

That’s a mood I can empathize with, Everett thought with a laugh.

He made his way through the thick throng of people and sat across from her. He didn’t speak, and her glossy eyes made him wonder if she would either. He wished he could be half as drunk as she was right about then.

“Sorry about your wife. Sucks.” She slurred her words as she twisted the cap off the small metal flask with one hand and leaned her head back for another sip.

“Sorry about your liver,” Everett quipped.

“Ah, piss on it. You gotta die from something, and with any luck, my demise will involve alcohol.”

Renee appeared beside Everett with a scrunched face. “Where am I?” she asked with panic rising in her voice. “Oh god, no. This isn’t the family function I tactfully miss every year, is it?” She looked around at his mom and dad and all their extended family. Everett gave her a sideways glance.

“What’s been going on with the fam?” he asked his soused aunt.

“Well, two of your aunts are estranged. They’ve claimed opposite sides of the pavilion and are defending their areas like a turf war.” She laughed as she gestured toward one aunt with a chair pulled to the very end of the left side of the pavilion, and his other aunt on the right. “It’s like The Punks versus The Warriors over here.”

“What was the fight about?”

“That piece of shit house our parents left us. They left it to me even though I told them I didn’t want fuck all to do with that dump. The thing would be worth more if we accidentally burned it down on purpose. Anyway, I told my sisters they have to fight for it, and whoever kills the other first, wins. Neither of them is happy with that, so they’re mad at me and each other. Shit, I’m good at tearing the whole family apart.” She smirked.

“I don’t mind her.” Renee looked around. “Oh god, is that your uncle?”

Everett followed her gaze and spotted Uncle Randall, shirtless, drinking beer, and eating hot dogs as he cooked on the grill.

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