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I cock an eyebrow. The house isn’t so much on a river bluff as it is a cliff. “Please tell me there’s a tram elevator.”
“There is, you princess. Don’t worry.”
I roll my eyes but am deeply thankful I don’t need to descend down a million stairs with a suitcase. I open the rear passenger door, and Chicken Salad jumps out.
“I’ll introduce you to everybody and bring our bags down after.”
I nod and follow him to the front door, mentally repeating the names of his family members in my head.Mom, Linda. Stepdad, Bruce. Sisters, Alexis and Hailey. Stepbrother, Logan.
We enter and are met with the delicious scents of roasted turkey and pumpkin pie. His mom strides toward us and wraps her arms around me and introduces herself.
“I’m so happy you’re joining us, Jordan! I’m Linda.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate you opening up your home to me.”
“And who’s this pretty girl?” she asks, scratching my dog behind the ears.
“Pretty girl? Sounds like Cam’s here!” a woman shouts from the kitchen—I’m guessing one of his sisters.
“This is Chicken Salad. Thanks for letting her come along too.”
“Of course!”
While she hugs Cam, I slip out of my boots and take in the space. The river side of the house has an incredible view. Cold, black waters flow below on a gentle current, and the bluff on the opposite side features beautiful rocky ledges. A few patches of yellow and orange peek out of the pine trees covering the side, showing off the leaves that haven’t yet fallen. I bet the sunsets here are extraordinary.
We follow Linda into the kitchen and are introduced to the rest of his family. His stepdad, Bruce, pauses from peeling potatoes to shake my hand. His sisters, Hailey and Alexis, are huggers like their mother. Both are very sweet, though I’m certain I heard Alexis call Cam an assface when she hugged him.
All of my Thanksgivings have been prepared by chefs or caterers. It’s fun to see his whole family involved in making their own feast. His older stepbrother, Logan, is microplaning orange zest into what appears to be muddled cranberries, he looks up to give me a curt nod before returning to his task. The sleeves of his beige sweater are pushed up to his elbows. One forearm features a brightly colored tattoo sleeve, the other is blacked out.
If it weren’t for the tattoos, I would get a different impression of him based on the sweater, ruffled hair, and black-rimmed glasses. He’s attractive in a dark, brooding sort of way. He looks up and swallows just as another woman enters the kitchen smiling. She’s my age with gorgeous, silky black hair and the best wingtip eyeliner I’ve ever seen.
“Hey, Kelly,” Cam says, giving her a hug. “I didn’t know you were joining us. Sorry to hear about your dad.”
“Yeah, I have a feeling Logan has adopted me for all future holidays.”
Cam nods and introduces me. “Kelly, this is Jordan. Jordan, Kelly. She works with Logan at his tattoo shop.”
“Oh, are you a tattoo artist?” I ask.
“I’m a piercer for now but am in my tattoo apprenticeship.”
“That’s awesome, you must be quite an artist.”
“I’m not terrible.”
“She’s exceptional,” Logan interrupts.
I’m guessing Kelly was the one to do Cam’s piercings, based on how familiar he seemed with her. I make a note to thank her later for doing such great work.
Hailey cuts in and hands me a glass of wine. “I hope you drink. I’m sure you could use one after being trapped in a car with Cam. He didn’t sing, did he?”
I smile and take the glass. My lower back hurts, probably from sitting in the car funny or something. I’m hoping it will numb the dull ache. “Only the entire time.”
“Oh God, you poor thing,” Alexis says. “Wine may not be enough, Hails. We should break out the good stuff.”
“On it!” she replies, ignoring him and grabbing a bottle of Tito’s. Cam laughs. “Fuck both of you.”
His mom puts a hand on her hip. “Cam, language. This isn’t the locker room.”
