"There were some comments on it before it got removed, and I can't guarantee there aren't screenshots floating around. I'm sorry, Jade."
"I told you it was a bad idea for me and Coop to go. What if Addie saw that?"
"Two friends hanging out."
She gives me a pointed look and takes a swig from her Red Bull. When she pulls it away from her lips, it's with a scowl, and she crushes the can in her fist.
Why is that so hot?
God, Mateo. Pull it together.
Jade stands abruptly, and I follow suit, albeit at a much slower pace.
"Finally," Mom says when we walk into the kitchen. "Grab an apron and let's get to work."
"Ugh, with the cheeriness," Addie groans from a stool at the island. Her eyes are closed, and she's using a bag of flour as a pillow. What time did she get home last night? I don't remember hearing her come in.
I refill my coffee mug and place one on the counter in front of Addie. I grab another Red Bull out of the fridge for Jade, opening it before I hand it to her. She hands me an apron, and my hand brushes hers. The touch is innocent, but the way we linger isn't.
Mom clears her throat, and Jade pulls away. I sneak a glance at Addie, who has one open eye trained on me. Not knowing what else to do, I stick my tongue out at her. Yes, I'm a fucking child, okay?
Thanksgiving at the Hayes' house means pie. Four to be exact because we all like different flavors. Lucky for us, Cooper shares a favorite pie with Dad, and Jade's favorite is the same as Addie's. Which is fantastic for me because it means I don't have to share my apple pie.
The apron Jade gave me is a floral print with ruffles, and I tie that shit on with pride. She puts a hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh. I do a spin, and Addie throws a measuring spoon at me.
"Stop flirting, it's gross," she says, making a face.
If I had any doubt why I got roped into this instead of going with Dad and Cooper, it's gone now.
Mom and Addie start on the pie crusts, while Jade and I try to read Abuelo's messy scrawl on the recipe cards laid out in front of us.
Pumpkin for Addie and Jade, pecan for Mom, French silk for Dad and Coop, and apple for me.
We work in sync, moving fluidly around each other, no words needed, only a mutual awareness of what the other is doing.
Is this what love is like?
I shake off the thought, but it clings, hovering over me, like…like a fucking storm cloud.
We share a smile, and the cloud darkens over me, but it's the sun I see in her eyes. My sun.
I want to take her in my arms, Addie be damned. We're already close; one pull on her waist and her body would be against mine, my lips on hers.
"Earth to Mateo," Addie says.
I peel my eyes from Jade's to look at her. The expression on her face is stone, and I hold my breath waiting for what comes next.
She clenches her jaw and slides a prepared pie crust toward me.
"This is ready for the filling, if you're done eye-fucking my best friend," she says.
Jade and I spend the rest of my time in the kitchen as strangers, both of us so frazzled that whatever natural chemistry we had earlier fizzled and we ended up bumping into each other and spilling shit everywhere.
When I accidentally knocked the entire bowl of sliced apples off the counter, Mom exiled me to the kitchen table with a peeler and a bag of potatoes.
Thanksgiving is going to be a shit show.
Chapter twenty-eight
