AllFreeNovel
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We went outside into the gloriously sunny day. Handily, Honey had gone home to my place during midday to swap her car for my big hulking black truck. She tossed me the keys, but I shook my head. “You want to drive?”
“Yeah. I do. I feel like a warrior maneuvering that big mama down the street.”
“I should’ve let you drive it to the store in the snow. It handles better than your little tin can.”
“Have you driven my little tin can? No, sir, you have not.” She opened the driver’s door before I could get to it, swung her long as hell legs up, and shut the door on my response.
“Burn,” Reagan muttered before she crawled in the backseat and slammed the door.
I walked around to slide into the passenger side. Honey’s carefully covered fruit tart was wrapped and waiting on the dashboard. I started to peel back the foil to see if I could snag some more kiwi, but Honey smacked my hand before she reversed out of the parking lot.
“That’s for after dinner, wise guy.” But she was smiling.
Was this what it was like being outnumbered by women? I supposed so.
A half hour later, we were seated around my mother’s enormous dining table that was currently crowded with most of my immediate family. The only one missing was Travis.
Shocker.
“I thought you said Trav and Care Bear were riding up with you, Penn,” my father said sternly.
Riveted by his phone, Penn jerked a shoulder. “Trav said something came up. He’d make it for dinner or not.”
My mother rolled her eyes and pushed her serving cart of three different kinds of potatoes and an assortment of fresh buttered rolls beside the table. You’d figure she’d save that kind of baking for Thanksgiving later this week, but you would be wrong. “Those are the two options, Penn.”
“Jeez, get off my case. I’m not my brother’s keeper. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“And in a sunny mood too. It’s a banner day,” Vee piped in, leaning over to steal a Parker House roll that she immediately slathered with butter and popped in her mouth.
“Look, the jerk is probably getting laid by some woman who he doesn’t even know her last name. He’s the one having the good day.”
I cast a glance at Reagan beside me and Honey on her other side, who was currently in a battle with Vee to get the most rolls. Reagan’s hands were clenched in her lap and her eyes were huge.
My family was not putting on their finest showing.
On Vee’s other side, Moose was trying to keep his son Brayden from swallowing a small plastic duck. He shoved it in his mouth anytime Moose looked away—like when he leaned around his not quite five-year-old son to jam his knuckles hard into our older brother Penn’s ribs.
Of all of us, Penn was the leanest and edged more toward lanky than the sheer bulk of Moose, me, and our father. “There are kids here, man. Have some damn discretion.”
Things were going off the rails early if quiet, sensitive Moose was demanding using swear words that Penn have discretion.
I cleared my throat. “I know not everyone is here yet and dinner still hasn’t been served—”
“If you want dinner already, go in there and grab a damn serving platter, son. You’ve got two hands and two feet.” My dad made a show of looking under the tablecloth. “Big enough for a damn clown.”
TWENTY-ONE
Okay,then. Guess the idea of putting on a polite face for our guests was out the window.
Good deal.
I aimed a tight-lipped smile at my father. “I hadn’t made my point yet, but thanks for that.”
Apparently having given up on her roll tug-of-war with Vee, Honey stood and whistled between her fingers. All the talking and squabbling ceased. Even Brayden’s toy chewing halted.
“I know everyone has a lot going on, but Christian brought his beautiful daughter to introduce to all of you. Reagan is really excited to get to know you all. Or she was until you apparently all lost your manners like you haven’t seen food or interacted with fellow humans in a hundred years. Okay, okay, that was just me. Delicious rolls, Mrs. Masterson.” Honey smiled sheepishly.
My mom beamed. “Thanks for that, dear. Old family recipe.”
