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Her sister grudgingly helped by tearing the lettuce into pieces and tossing them into the spinner.
By the time the salad was finished, the guys were back.
Of course, things were never as simple as they planned. That was a running theme.
When she entered the room, she was surprised to see her father coming in behind Brad.
“Did you just get here?” she asked, smiling in greeting.
“He was at the liquor store too! Buying wine.”
Eyeing the bags both Dave and Jaxon were carting in, Teagan chuckled. “Buyingallthe wine, Dad?”
“Your brother informed me that you didn’t have any. And you wouldn’t want what he and Dave can afford,” he laughed, pulling off his coat, which Brad snatched from his hand and carried to the hall closet.
“You’re definitely right about that,” Jaxon huffed, eyes locking on Teagan as he tilted his head questioningly towards the hallway. A flick of his eyes told her that he hadn’t forgotten that she needed to talk to him.
She held up one finger but tilted her head as well before turning to properly greet her father.
“Hey Dad,” she smiled when she saw him, maybe lingering a bit in the hug because he could still make her feel like she was the only thing in the entire world. So small and safe.
If she told him, he’d make all of this go away, wouldn’t he?
It felt like a very easy solution, but she knew there would be some kind of consequence for bringing him in right now. She’d do better to stick to what Eric had said and not divert because she’d already stolen his mobile. He was likely furious.
Dad squeezed her a little before letting go. “How are you?”
She smiled up at him and leaned in to hug him again. “I’m okay.”
“Just okay?”
“Spectacular?” she tried again, laughing at the twinkle in his eye. “Sorry, had a bad day.”
Not a lie.
“School problems?” he asked.
“Nah, it was at work.”
“I thought you liked working with Brittany?”
“It wasn’t her, it was just a tough customer.” She pressed her lips together before smiling in what she hoped was a brave way. “Still not used to customer service.”
Owen gave her a warm smile and then Shea elbowed her out of the way. “Quit hogging Dad.”
Teagan rolled her eyes and stepped back, jumping a little when Jaxon slipped his arm around her waist, hauling her closer and dipping down to whisper in her ear. “You said you wanted to talk?”
“Yeah, I-”
“What’s beeping?” Brad asked.
“Oh shit, the chicken.”
Teagan dashed out to pull it from the oven to pull out the chicken and vegetables. By the time she returned, Jaxon was helping Brad set the table.
“Do you need any help, Teagan?” Owen asked, gesturing to the kitchen.
Before she could respond, she heard Jaxon’s phone chime. Considering that nearly all the people who texted him were here in this room, she had a pretty fair guess as to who the sender was.
