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Inappropriate!

While I was lost in thoughts of Sage’s behind, she once again is being helpful and explaining the situation to Reese, and the rest of my family. I note that she’s not accurately describing her role in all of this. Mainly that she was the one to notice and save all of us from disaster.

“Wow.” I can tell Reese is surprised but there’s something else in his tone that’s hard to distinguish.

“Yeah, I think York’s trying to get double coverage before he throws it out. To be safe.” Right, that’s what I was doing. I turn away from the view of Sage and return to my search for a garbage bag. It’s not a long search, I pride myself on being as organized as possible.

“Oh my dear, what would we have done without you.” Mother wraps Sage in a hug that looks like it squeezes all the air out of her lungs as I wrap and rewrap the disaster disguised as a side dish as much as possible. My knees crack as I stand, which seems to draw attention back to me.

“York, darling. I think taking it outside would have been sufficient.” Mother steps around Sage and grabs my arm in a loving grip.

“Can never be too careful.” I slink away from the rest of my family with my wrapped package, stomping back out the door.

18

SAGE

I’ve never been one to seek out attention. No, I’m much happier in the kitchen whipping up something delicious while everyone else is focused on each other, occasionally commenting on how great everything tastes. Since becoming Bea’s personal chef, even having to hide away in the kitchen had become less common, usually only cooking for the two of us and the occasional friend.

Now with every member of the Snyder family—outside of York—standing in front of me, showering me in praise, I want to disappear. I’ve done nothing to deserve the praise. Literally anyone could have read the label of ingredients. Everyone else in the family would have seen there were nuts included.

I only knew from my earlier conversation with Sybil, I’m sure there was an alternate universe where that conversation never happened or even one where I never joined this family for the holiday.

Then what?

Someone else would have noticed, I’m sure of it.

“It’s nothing, really.” I squeak out, begging everyone to return to whatever they had been doing, getting along with their day. Thankfully, a timer goes off and attention is mostly moved to finishing cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

I take the opportunity to escape the kitchen, wandering down to the juncture that connects the kitchen, stairs to the family room and the hallway that leads to the front door. The desire to walk outside and seek solace in York’s arms to calm down my embarrassment is strong.

So, naturally, I walk into the family room and take a seat on the cozy loveseat in the corner. The couch is the perfect amount of squishy but still somewhat firm. I can’t stop myself from closing my eyes and let the cushions cradle me into a sense of calm.

It’s hard, not impossible, to ignore the shifting of the cushion as someone decides to sit next to me. I don’t open my eyes, instead I opt to relish in the silence for as long as I can. Maybe whoever has joined me will think I’m sleeping. Being here with the Snyder family has been a whirlwind.

“I wanted to say thank you, properly.” Reese’s voice fills my ears, answering the question of who has joined me for my brief respite. I don’t mind the company, so I open the eye closest to him and offer a small smile. “Of course. I’m just glad I caught it.” A shrug follows my statement.

Before I can close my eye again, Reese’s warm hand covers mine, the hand that was resting on my thigh. He gives it a quick squeeze before removing it and standing up.

“I’m really glad Mom talked you into joining us.” Reese leaves me with those words and I’m not sure how to react to that interaction. Bea is overly physical, always hugging me or tapping my cheek, must be something she passed on to Reese.

My family has never been the lovey-dovey type in any shape or form, it took a little bit to get used to Bea’s displays of affection and I guess it’s still something I need to work on.

Outside of the nut debacle, dinner goes well. I’ll admit the caterer did a pretty good job with the spread. I smile across the table at York as we’re finishing up our meal. I can’t deny the excitement that thrums through my veins at the idea of rounding out the night with York in my bed again, or with being in York’s bed.

Reese, who’s sitting next to me, leans over and bumps me with his shoulder. It makes me jump slightly, thinking he may have caught the way I was looking over at his older brother. “Would it be okay if we went for a walk sometime tomorrow?” His voice is hushed, this question just for me.

“Oh, um, yeah, sure.” I offer a quick nod.

Reese smiles at my answer before pushing his chair back, grabbing his plate and gesturing to mine, “All done?”

I nod again and thank him, feeling more fidgety than I did a moment ago. I twist my fingers in the hem of my t-shirt as the other Snyder boys stand and clear the remaining plates from dinner.

I love that it’s actually a dinner at dinner time. Not a late lunch that is much more common for the holiday around these parts. Bea explained that they do it this way to help keep the children on a regular schedule, stopping them from complaining about being too hungry right before bed. “And who wants to eat that early anyway?” She had insisted. It’s another contrast, showing me how truly different the Snyder’s are from the Bergen family.

Every difference has been a point in the Snyder family's favor. When you look at the scoreboard, I realize that I’m extra grateful to Bea for forcing me to join her family.

Dinner is cleared, dishes cleaned, and conversations have died down. Everyone’s sleepy with a full stomach. Everyone except for me. My stomach is full…of butterflies.