AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Damn! It was quite a crowd: Gavin and Gen, Donovan and Ella, Jet and Abby, and Troy with Allison. And all of them were carrying fragrant dishes.
Connor shook his head ruefully. He shouldn’t have been surprised, he knew. In fact, when he’d mentioned his plan to Gavin this morning, he probably should’ve predicted that the community would turn out to come wish Grace and Serge (not to mention Luna) a happy Thanksgiving. But he still couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He’d been hoping for a smaller-scale, quieter gathering.
Hell, who was he kidding? What he’d hoped to get out of the visit was more conversation time with Luna.
As the group filed in and set their covered dishes down on the counter next to Connor’s turkey, they each greeted Grace, Serge, and Luna by turn.
As Ella, the last in line, finished giving Grace a hug, she said, “Don’t worry, we know we’re an overwhelmingly big crowd. We just came to drop off the food and we’re headed home.”
Donovan slid an arm around her shoulders and nodded in agreement. “Right. And mostly, we just wanted to check on you all and wish you a happy Thanksgiving.”
As they turned to go, Connor saw Ella give him a surreptitious wink. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared for the teasing. He wasn’t the kind of person who liked being at the center of attention. But at the moment, he couldn’t have cared less. All he cared about was more time with Luna.
“I guess it was nice of everyone to bring food, but it’s a special kind of torture to only be able to smell the stuff and not eat it,” grumbled Serge.
“Well, you’re going to have to be tortured, then. Meals like these are what put you in this situation, love,” Grace shot back. “But, I get it. I tell you what I’m going to do. I’ll get the nurses to come take all of this to the staff lounge. They deserve a special treat for working on the holiday, too. Then the kids and I can take turns going and eating our plates out in the waiting room.”
“Oh, Grandma, what a sweet idea!” Luna said.
God, Connor had forgotten about how she used to call him and Luna “the kids” or “you kids.” It had always made him feel so included in their little loving family, and it felt so damn good to hear those words again.
After Grace had bustled out, Serge said, “Luna-bell, you’re looking a little tired, my dear. Why don’t you go home and get some rest?”
Luna’s eyes widened. “I’m fine, I swear! And of course I want to be here with you!”
Serge gave a small smile. “Don’t be silly. Your grandma is taking good care of me.” His voice slowed and became more significant. “Now, come on, my girl. What say you let this nice young man walk you home?”
Luna blushed and Connor could see that she recognized Serge’s blatant attempt at matchmaking just as clearly as he did. Not that the old guy was being subtle about it. His intentions were as clear as a sunny summer day. But, still.
Luna looked up at him and was silent for a moment, then turned back to her grandfather with a small, indulgent smile. “Fine. Okay. As soon as Grandma Grace gets back, I’ll let Connor walk me home.”
“Make up a couple of plates for yourself,” Serge advised. “I don’t want you going hungry on Thanksgiving. Not on my account.”
