This time it was Riley who wouldn't accept the pity. "No, we have Sam and Aunt Debbie and Uncle Tom and Barney and Brownie," he listed.
"Yeah!" DJ agreed loud and proud.
Hearing that list, Gloria had to agree too. "You do have two dogs so that's good."
"We are sad," DJ admitted to Wyatt once Gloria ran off with Riley so they could chase after the dogs.
"That's what hugs are for," Wyatt told him and got down so he could wrap DJ in his arms. "You're good, brave kids, but I know you miss your mom and dad. Go on now and tell you brother I owe him a hug."
As Wyatt was going back to the kitchen, Lara told him. "Sorry about that. I'll talk to her."
"It's OK. Gloria just speaks her mind," Wyatt said.
"Oh, God, does she," Lara huffed. "I have no idea where she gets that from. Or that red hair."
Wyatt smiled at her, and then felt a small hand grab hold of his fingers.
"You owe me, Uncle Wyatt," Riley said. "Gimme my hug."
Wyatt picked him up and spun him around. "There, you got a little extra."
The chicken parmigiana Wyatt made with tomatoes from the garden turned out pretty good, and now it was served up with some ravioli and everyone was taking their seats around the table. The kids were eating at the coffee table. While Wyatt was making sure they had plenty of napkins, Raquel was praising Lara's drink mixing skills.
"You make a great cocktail. If I wasn't driving, I could have one more," she said as she took a seat next to Lara. "I might just have to move here."
"Aha, see? She likes my cocktail," Lara crowed to Noreen then she turned to Raquel and threw an arm around her. "If you move here, I promise to make you my best friend and ditch Noreen," Lara loud-whispered to her.
Over by the drinks, Noreen made a face at her and mixed another drink for herself before she took a seat at the dinner table. "Good riddance to you," she said to Lara then turned to Raquel. "She tries to win every argument by telling me I'm built like a Popsicle stick."
"You are," Lara confirmed.
"It's not always relevant," Noreen snapped.
"You guys are fighting over my best friend. You know, I have no plans to give her up," Wyatt told them as he went to sit at the table next to Sam.
"You won't have a choice. I'll steal her away from you," Lara threatened.
"No stealing, Momma," Gloria admonished her from the kids' table.
DJ had a different take on it. "Grown-ups are weird."
Riley wasn't so dismissive though. He got up, went up to Lara and told her, "Gloria's mom, don't try to steal our uncle or Sam or our dogs."
"I only want to steal Raquel," Lara told him.
"OK," Riley said and went back to sit at the kids' table.
Stan and Yu laughed at Raquel and then Stan claimed, "I love girls."
"No, you don't," Yu told him.
Stan elaborated, "Platonically."
Wyatt leaned over toward Sam. "Did you hear that, Sam? No one is allowed to steal you," Wyatt said as he put an arm around him and kissed him on the cheek.
That's when Gloria spoke up again. "I know something. Momma said something," she announced loudly.
Lara covered her face with her hands. "Oh God, she's going to repeat something I said."
