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Whatever the hell that meant. He’d always hated when Francesca played ignorant. His dislike took on an extra dimension now that he knew what a hypocrite she was.
Might as well break the news that Piper was staying over. His family could do the math. There were no more guestrooms. It was ridiculous that he even had to have this conversation. Zee should have broken down parental expectations, that was his duty as the eldest. Nope. Leaving Mikah to do the job.
Piper looked at him and arched her eyebrows.
They hadn’t even eaten. He didn’t want to deal with the fallout hour one. He said nothing.
* * *
Piper had to give credit to her cousin. Dahlia envisioned her life as one filled with a big, happy extended family, and she was making her vision happen. Every team member and office worker plus their immediate family members were invited to Wednesday’s pre-Thanksgiving dinner at the Austin event center she’d rented. From the lux gold and crystal cornucopia-themed décor to the three-course catering for two hundred attendees, she’d legitimately needed two assistants and a full wait staff to pull this off.
Piper arrived with Mikah, but she left his side when they got there so she could make sure Dahlia didn’t need anything. She spun in a circle to show off her outfit. “Thanks again for the dress.”
Her cousin hugged and kissed her. “Enjoy, everything’s perfect. Mom and Dad are with the Applebaums, but they want to know when your parents will get here.”
Her phone buzzed with a text from Calista. “Parking.”
Piper gave Dahlia a thumbs up and headed to meet her family. Her heart warmed as they came through the door. Today would be great. Dad wore a suit with a sienna tie that matched Mom’s dress. Calista looked lovely in her new hunter-green skirt and cream sweater. Today would be perfect for Calista to meet Ronan, but family time first. Piper took them directly to the photo area.
One of the professional photographers had them stand in front of a bale of hay with a faux red barn backdrop. Mom and Dad linked arms; Piper and Calista posed on either side. This was definitely a photo for the mantel. Maybe she’d even get a photo of her family and the Czerski family. Or was she pushing it?
She’d already redone their table assignments. Seating was a mashup of rectangular or round tables, depending on the group size. An electronic board listed names and table numbers. Piper had adjusted the seating arrangements last night. The move was a calculated risk, because she was dating a commitment-phobe, and their two families were very different, but her parents were easygoing. His family gave her more concern. They were a more unpredictable group. She’d know in the next hour if grouping them all together had been brilliant or a mistake.
She led her family over. The Czerskis were already sitting down—Mikah and his parents, his brother Zee with his fiancée Francesca, his sister Lily, and the twins: Conrad and Jakob. They did intros and then took the open spots. Hers was beside Mikah. He stood and got her chair for her.
So far so good, and the meal continued that way. Everyone acted pleasant, praising the team slideshow, the décor, and waving to other team member’s families they’d met over the years. When the main course had been eaten, and the servers had topped up their drinks, Mikah’s dad kicked off the Thanksgiving Day toasts. “I’m thankful for my beautiful wife and talented kids.”
Dad raised his iced tea glass. “I have to echo that.”
“Aww.” Mom gave him a smooch on the cheek, making Dad grin.
Mikah’s identical twin brothers sat opposite Dad. Dark-haired, handsome, broad-shouldered athletes. Both had shrugged out of their suit jackets. Jakob spun his iced tea glass between his hands. “I’m thankful for the option of trying out early for a spot with the Geels.”
That set off a series of “wows” and “congratulations.” His Dad clearly knew this was coming because he nodded hard, but there was no surprise on his face.
Jakob shot a quick glance at his dad. “But I’ve decided to wait for the regular draft.”
Mr. Czerski’s expression shifted into a frown. “No point in waiting, son.” He said the words as advice and a mandate.
The server took Piper’s plate, and Piper sent a mental push across the room for Dahlia to mention dessert in the next room so they could shift away from what was promising to be an awkward conversation.
“Dad,” Zee said, “The boys want to be drafted together.”
“Makes sense.” Mikah backed him.
Should she change the topic and throw out what she was thankful for? Piper was thankful for Mikah but didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by saying that. Should she nudge Mikah to give thanks? What was he going to say? That he was thankful the Snowers were winning? How would that make Zee feel? If he didn’t mention her, would he hurt her feelings? Yep.
Calista leaned forward to look at Jakob. “Why? A spot in the NHL is hard to snag, most guys would take the offer.”
Ugh, don’t fuel the argument with rational common sense.
Mikah shrugged. “Happiness matters. The twins share a brain.”
Jakob nodded, but Mikah’s dad gave him a deflating look. “Don’t be stupid.”
Ouch. Mom and Dad winced at Mr. Czerski’s harsh words. They didn’t speak to their kids like that. The Czerski family needed to shove their dysfunction down. Piper could say she was grateful for her job. But someone might tease her about being the Purity Minder. She didn’t want to discuss those duties, so she took a big drink of tea to keep quiet.
Calista looked from one dark-haired identical twin to the other searching for a visible neural connection between them. “How?” She had the gift of sounding fascinated and not intrusive.
