She chuckled.“Nothing bad.Konni’s dad is home, and since he and Kaya are reacquainting, Becky and Palmen suggested we go out for dinner.We’re heading to the pizza place next to our old house so we can do a drive-by.Are you and Konni interested in joining us?”
“Yep,” I said.“See you in thirty.”
After disconnecting, I glanced at Konni.“How long was your dad gone?”
“Almost two months, and it was killing him.”
“Why was he gone so long?”
The way he side-eyed me made me a little nervous.
“Mom likes the intensity of their reunion.”
Was it weird knowing that level of detail about Konni’s parents?Not really.I thought it was kind of sweet.Plus, I’d witnessed Wrenly’s relationship with Bennett and knew how open shifters were with their affection when it came to their mates.
Mom, Becky, and Palmen were waiting for us when we arrived at the restaurant.They empathized with us about the fire and tried talking Mom into accepting a villa in France as compensation.
“We would offer you something in town here, but Kaya would never speak to me again if you moved out,” Palmen said.
“Allowing us to live in your home is the best welcome gift we could ask for,” Mom said diplomatically.
Becky wisely shifted the conversation.
“Word of our return spread quickly, thanks to Kaya’s pictures,” she said.“And I’ve accepted a few invitations on everyone’s behalf.Nothing formal or too big.I still remember how intimidating it was to be in a room full of dragons, thinking I was the only human.”
“These are dragon social gatherings, then?”I asked.
“Yes and no.Dragon family gatherings.Most dragon pairings involve another species, typically human.And, since dragons tend to live in multi-generational homes, it’s very common to bring in-laws that are also human.You and your mother will fit in perfectly.
“Speaking of fitting in,” Becky said, looking at Mom, “how did your luncheon go?I wasn’t able to ask Kaya before Balak stole her.”
“We might have a lead.The woman we met remembered her husband talking about an offer to quietly blacklist someone from their company.She was going to ask him who had contacted him tonight.Hopefully, we’ll have a name soon.”
“Does that mean we should send out the invitations for the welcome party?”Becky asked.
“Not until we hear something definitive,” I said quickly.The longer we waited, the better the odds that people would have plans that day.
“A few more days shouldn’t matter,” Mom said, likely guessing my intent.“Plus, I know how excited Kaya is to send them out.She should be here for that decision.”
Becky sighed and agreed.
Then she and Palmen took turns telling us about the dragon families we would be meeting.Tuesday, tomorrow, was dinner at Seventeen Twenty-One in the Steele family’s room with a close friend of theirs.Wednesday’s dinner at a downtown hotel was with a different family.Thursday’s dinner included the Stonestocks, and the way Becky glanced at me said she’d cancel that one if I wanted.
“The world is filled with people who will rub us the wrong way,” I said.“If we tried to hide from them all, we’d miss out on living.”
Becky applauded my resilience and added that she’d also accepted an invitation to a formal gathering on Saturday that would require a new dress.
“That’s a hardship I’ll willingly endure.”
“Good.I already made an appointment for you at a boutique for Friday,” Becky said.
The only day they hadn’t scheduled anything.
“That’s the day Mom’s cast comes off,” I said.
“Don’t worry.She’ll have company,” Becky said.“You need to look the part for Saturday so Kaya can send out those invitations soon.”
Havingdinner plans wasn’t the end of the world.At least, that was what I told myself when I started feeling nervous at the end of the day on Tuesday.
