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“What? That’s normal,” he insists.
“Well, so was mine, for living in small town Indiana.”
“Inever said you weren’t normal, baby,” Nathan tells her, removing his hand from under her sweater and smoothing it back into place. “Someone else said that.”
“Why don’t you think I had a normal childhood?” Dani asks Crew as he gives up on trying to fold a napkin and throws it down haphazardly by a plate.
“This ought to be good,” I say, lifting the wine decanter from the drinks station. I pour the red into a glass for Dani and for myself. Crew doesn’t like to drink alcohol with dinner. “From the Book of Crew there’s no telling what his logic is going to be.”
Crew puts a fork on the lumpy napkin and shrugs. “That’s easy. You’re an only child.”
“So?”
“I think he’s saying we’re spoiled,” Nathan tells Dani. “Which is ironic.”
“Only children can’t have normal childhoods. It’s a rite of passage to trade secrets and insults with siblings, while both vying for your parents’ attention and working together to get away with murder.”
I go back to the kitchen and open the oven to pull out my lasagna.
Crew follows me, grabbing the platter with bruschetta on it. “Back me up on this, Doc.”
“I enjoyed having siblings for all the reasons you mentioned.” I put the pan on the stove and remove my oven mitts. “I think we’re different because of our different backgrounds, and that’s part of why this works. We all bring something to the table.”
“Except Nate,” Crew says with a grin. “He hasn’t brought a damned thing to this table tonight except his drink.”
Crew isn’t wrong.
But I know my role here. The peacemaker. The calm one. This is what I bring to the table.
“Nathan’s going to serve the lasagna.”
Nathan gives a mighty sigh, but he sets Dani off of him and rises to his feet, drink still in his hand. The man was probably born with a bourbon in his hand.
“At your service, Hughes.”
The kitchen is warm, and our vibe is relaxed as we sit down around the table.
“A toast,” I say, lifting my wine glass. I wait for them all to raise their glasses. Dani is flushed and smiling, her eyes sparkling. “To Cookie & Co.’s first meal together in our new house. I’m happy to be here with all of you.”
“To us, damn it,” Crew says, lifting his water higher in the air. “Because we’re awesome.”
“To Cookie & Company,” Nathan says. “And special thanks to Michael for cooking. It looks and smells amazing.”
“To Michael for being the dadandthe mom,” Crew adds.
That makes me laugh.
Dani does too, but she looks around the table, making eye contact with each of us one at a time. “To my favorite guys. Thank you for being you.”
“Cheers!” Crew says.
We all do the same and I sip my wine, both the rich red and my emotions warming my insides.
Our dinner is filled with good conversation and laughter.
I realize I’m fully relaxed for the first time in over a week.
Reaching under the table, I find Dani’s hand with mine and lace our fingers together and squeeze.
