"Don't worry," Everly said, "I won't use any nicknames on your husband."

Tatum smiled, and then looked back at me. "Then who the hell invited Barbie's evil twin?"

"Noelle? You know that sister I have?"

Her eyes closed for a second. "Right. Noelle. Sorry, I didn't see her before I had to trot my happy ass half way across the beach to find Nick his Nectar of Life."

He pulled her hips into him so that she sat on his lap. "You're my Nectar of Life."

She kissed him before she broke out the six-packs.

A pair of tongs snapped in front of my face as I sat with Everly on the patio. "Callum's girl," Nick announced, "I need to steal him away for a second. He's on steak duty."

Tatum hollered, "Put Callum's girl on plate duty!"

Nick pointed the tongs at her. "Callum's girl, you're on plate duty."

"And leave her with Tot? No way. She can help me with the grill. You lovebirds can set the table together." My father half-stood, his mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but then he sat back down.

"Everything okay Pop?"

He nodded and I took Everly over to the grill. She held a plate as I slid burgers and chicken onto it until it was piled high. Noelle snuck in with a few of her friends as we cooked. They over took the pool and I noticed Everly watched them intently.

"You can go swim with them. I can do this," I told her.

She looked at me. "I'm having fun here."

"Noelle's not gonna bite you," I joked.

Everly turned toward the grill. "The blonde girl keeps staring at you."

"Yeah well . . ." I glanced quickly over my shoulder, "That's Amelia, the girl with the cancer fighting boobs."

"Right . . ." she was quiet and then, "the girl you dated. From Face2Face."

My stomach lurched when she looked at me for confirmation. "I wouldn't exactly call it dating. No."

She was quiet after that, and we worked in silence until it was time to serve. She sat with me near the pool, side-by-side on a couple of ocean-blue lounge chairs. Everly picked at her hamburger bun, eating mostly air while everyone else scarfed and drank.

"Topolina," I said.

"Looks like a burger to me, but fine, we'll call it whatever you wish, Callum."

I smiled. "You. You're the Topolina."

"I prefer Everly, but fine, call me whatever you wish, Callum."

"The way you eat," I explained. "Like a little mouse. A Topolina."

She smiled shyly at her food, and then we fell back into silence for a moment.

Everly was still quiet as she leaned closer and asked, "So, you don't ever drink?"

And I retorted, "So, you don't ever eat?"

And she smiled and shoved her knees into mine.

I was going to shove back, tell her another word I had reserved for her in Italian, but Amelia interrupted us with a barely-there hot pink bikini and two shots of Tequila.

"I poured a shot for you," she said, smiling bright. "Take one with me." It was an order, not offer. I felt Everly shift beside me.

"I don't drink." I stabbed a bite of potato salad. "You know that."