“He doesn’t look happy,” Tessa says, glancing at Reid.
Slate crosses his arms over his chest. “Trust me. He is.” Reid neither confirms nor denies.
“Moving on,” Tessa says. “What do we want to eat today?”
I look at her blankly. “Eat?”
“For the holiday. Labor Day.”
“Oh. Uh, usually the pack has a cookout for Labor Day. Do you want to go there?”
I watch as Tessa’s face falls the slightest bit, and I instantly feel bad. Slate wraps an arm around her. “What’s your plan?” Slate asks Tessa.
I jump on board. “Yeah, Tessa. What do you usually do for Labor Day?”
Her face brightens. “Every year, my mom and I order food and watch movies all day.”
All three of us stare at her. “What movies?” Slate asks.
“Oh man. All the classics.While You Were Sleeping, Two Weeks Notice, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, The Proposal—”
“Okay, I’m going with Tessa on her plans for the day. That sounds amazing,” I tell her.
“Right?” She says, eyes bright. “And we get snacks.”
“I love snacks,” I add.
“And we order pizza.”
“I love pizza!” I contribute.
“And I eat a whole bag of red and yellow licorice.”
“Uh, I have no idea what those are, but yes!” I say with a grin.
Tessa puts her hand on my arm. “We should invite Evie.”
“Yes! But not my brother.”
She pauses. “No Zane? Like no guys at all?”
Reid and Slate both let us know how they feel about that, and I level a look at both of them. “Only if you can stay quiet and not make fun of the movies we watch.”
“We won’t,” Reid’s quick to say.
“We should be allowed to at least add one movie,” Slate says.
“Like what?” Tessa asks.
He shrugs. “The Patriot, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan.”
“Ughhhh, why does every guy always want to watch those awful movies?” Tessa complains.
Slate wraps her in a hug. “Hey, if you make us watch a bunch of romcoms, we get to watch at least one action movie.”
I arch a brow. “Look at you, Slate, knowing they’re called romcoms.”
Slate tugs Tessa closer. “My girl’s taught me many things this past year.” He pulls her close for a kiss, and Reid and I both take that as our cue to leave.
