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"Your sister is driving me up a fucking wall," she declared, shaking her head. "I apparently didn't wash the lettuce correctly. Who knew there was a wrong way to wash lettuce? Seriously..."
"Hey Alex. This is Elsie."
"Hey Else," she said easily, shrugging off her anger at Kenzi. "I hope you know how to properly wash lettuce."
"I have never washed lettuce in my life. Maybe you could... spread that around. Let everyone know not to expect much of anything from me when it comes to the kitchen stuff..."
"Don't count on it. I can't cook for shit either but they still have me in there slaving away. You're screwed," she declared, taking off down the hall that I knew from my house tours, led to the kitchen. The majority of the commotion was coming from that direction.
"Ready?" Paine asked, giving me a little squeeze.
"Yep," I agreed, feeling reasonably better. Everything seemed casual, familiar, easy-going.
Besides, I'd already met Gina and, sort-of, Kenzi. Plus Amelia and Alex. All that was left was the aunts and grandmother and the other sister.
We rounded the dining room, a huge table with a ton of chairs taking over the entire space, all the places set and I got the impression that Gina entertained on this scale often. There was a passway into the kitchen and I could see all the women except Alex inside, moving about. Alex was standing next to Breaker who handed her a beer. "I'm banned," she explained, tipping her beer up at me before taking a sip.
"I should go offer a hand at... um... something," I declared, moving out of Paine's hold and making my way into the kitchen, looking for Gina. She was standing at the stove, scooping something out of a pot and into a piece of serving ware for the table.
"Hey Gina," I greeted and her head popped in my direction, giving me a genuinely warm smile.
"Elsie! So glad he didn't fuck things up," she declared, making me choke on a small laugh.
"These are for you," I told her, holding out the flowers. She put the bowl down, wiped her hand on her half-apron, and took them from me.
"You're so sweet," she said, giving me a hug with a back rub that gave me flashbacks to my own mother. "Steer clear of Kenz. She's like a Nazi in the kitchen. Tell her you burn everything you put your hands on," she warned close to my ear.
"Good plan," I agreed and she gave me a small squeeze before moving back to her task.
"Mom," she called to the older woman who was putting rolls into a basket. "This is Paine's girl, Elsie. Elsie, that's Cora. And those are my sisters," she added, gesturing with her spoon toward the two women who looked like slightly older versions of herself who were picking up trays to carry to the table, "Geri and Georgie. You've met Amelia and the recently excommunicated Alex, I assume."
Technically I hadn't met Amelia but she gave me a sweet smile as she lifted a huge jug of sweet tea. "Hey, Elsie," she said. "Welcome aboard."
"You," Kenzi said, pointing at me. "What's your specialty?"
"In the kitchen? Um... handing someone the take-away menu?" I offered and everyone chuckled.
Kenzi smiled. "Good to know. Reese, where the hell are you?" she yelled.
Reese. She was the other sister. The shy librarian.
"Hiding from your bossy ass, no doubt," Gina said in a motherly way.
"Excuse me for handing out drinks to our guests," a quiet voice said from behind me in a way that was both sweet and firm, like she was used to dealing with her outspoken sister and was not about to get run over by her all the time.
"Well... fine. Grab a bowl and help us serve. The men are going to start barking if we don't feed them soon."
"You know, in case it hasn't escaped you all with your nineteen-fifties sensibilities," Alex called from the doorway, "I know for a fact that at least two of those men cook better than some of us."
"We get it, you're not a 'waiting on a man' type," Kenzi said, handing her a bowl. "Now help us set the damn table," she added with a smirk.
I grabbed a plate full of roasted vegetables before I could be yelled at and high-tailed it out of there.
I had just put the plate on the table when another big figure made his way into the room. His face was less swollen than it had been a few days before, but he was still bruised and favoring his ribs. Enzo nodded at his brother, Breaker, and Shoot before making a beeline for me.
"Hey honey, how you holding up?"
"Better than you, I imagine," I said, tilting my head to look up at him. "How are your ribs?"
"Busted. Will continue to be for a good while still. Yours?"
