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I roll my eyes. “Y’all are such babies.” But I smile at him indulgently. “What do ya want?”
Masen groans. “These fuckers are always gonna be stealing my food.” He keeps grumbling under his breath, but I can’t understand what he’s saying. It’s just punctuated with a lot of curse words. He gently grabs my cheeks with his palms. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, Little One.” His serious demeanor makes me somber.
“Okay Masen, be careful, please. I love you.”
His eyes close, and he whispers back, “Love you, too, baby.” He kisses my temple and turns to leave. “If anything happens to her, you all die!” He states truthfully. The room is silent as he walks out. It feels a little awkward that he threatened them right before leaving.
I put a big smile on my face and turn back to the room. “He’s just kidding?” I try. When no one speaks, I say, “So who’s hungry?” That at least gets a reaction. Sniffer and Sam both try and tell me what to make. While they bicker, I walk over to Mac who’s standing in the doorway staring into the kitchen, volleying back and forth between me and the boys like he doesn't know which is more interesting. “We didn’t really get an introduction earlier.” I extend my hand out to shake. “I’m Sophia. Masen tells me you’re Mac. I’m glad to meet you. Thanks for coming over on such short notice.”
He grabs my hand and gives me a short, firm shake. “It’s my pleasure, truly. I’m glad to meet the woman who’s got Mase tied in knots.” He smiles, and it makes his harsh face lovely. His twinkling hazel eyes are kind as he looks at me.
“Well, I better break up these two biddies before someone loses an eye. Then we’ll never eat.” He laughs and follows me into the kitchen where Sniffer and Sam are pointing fingers and shoving each other like a couple of toddlers.
I clap my hands loudly. “All right, children,” I say in my best kindergarten teacher voice. They stop, look at me, and speak at once so I interrupt, “Ugh, seriously. Sniffer, you go sit over there. Sam, you over here.”
“Why does he get to stay over there?” Sniffer sneers. What the hell is going on here? These two always argue, but I’ve never seen them go at each other like this.
“Sniffer, what’s going on here?” I look back and forth between the two of them.
His eyes narrow before he catches himself and tries to smile. “Nothing sweetheart, I just want something different than Sam. It’s fine. You make whatever he wants. Hell, we should probably be making you dinner.” He laughs lightly, but I’m not fooled.
When I look over at Sam, his head is down staring at the countertop. Sensing this is something they want kept private, I let them both off the hook. “Ah, okay then. Why don’t you both tell me what you were thinking, and I decide if I want to make either. Sniffer, you first.”
He looks at Sam, and I can see the hurt in his eyes. “How about burgers?”
Sam’s head snaps up. “That’s not what you wanted. You wanted spaghetti, and I wanted the burgers.”
Sniffer turns his head and looks out the window. “It’s fine, really. Burgers sound great.”
I don’t like this at all. “I’m not gonna make either! I want Swedish meatballs. I can make a big batch in case Masen’s hungry when he gets home. And you can both help me.”
Mac, who’s been quiet the entire time, says, “That sounds tasty. What can I do to help?”
“How about you start tearing up this bread so I can make some crumbs?” I hand him a loaf of white sandwich bread and a bowl. After washing my hands and instructing them all to do the same. “Sniffer, you want to help me gather some ingredients from the pantry?”
He smiles. “Sure Sophie.”
“Sam, can you grab the hamburger, eggs, and milk from the fridge, please?” He nods his head but watches Sniffer as he walks to the pantry with a sad look on his face. As soon as we’re behind the door, I reach up and lace my arms around Sniffer’s neck. “I don’t know what’s wrong. You don’t need to tell me, but are you okay?” I ask, concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just being a selfish butthead,” he says glumly, hugging me back, “But thanks for worrying about me.” He pulls back and gives me a small, genuine smile.
“Always, you were my first real friend, remember?”
He ruffles my hair. “Let’s hurry up and get what we need before my brother senses you’re too close to another male and comes home and kills me.” He chuckles while grabbing the ingredients that I tell him we’ll need.
When we make it back to the kitchen, Sam watches every move Sniffer makes with a small, sad smile. As we prepare the food, I try and keep everyone engaged, and it seems to work. By the time I put the meatballs and gravy in the oven, everyone seems much more relaxed. I’ve looked at the clock every five minutes, wondering when I’ll hear from Masen.
Sam’s phone rings and he disappears when he answers. Sniffer’s sad face returns, and I know he’s jealous. I just don’t know if he’s worried about losing his best friend or something more. I keep him busy peeling potatoes, and I start the water for egg noodles for anyone who doesn’t like mashed potatoes. Mac sets the table, and Sam returns with a vibrant smile on his face just before the oven timer chimes.
Everyone looks up when we hear cars speeding up the drive. Mac’s voice is grim when he says, “Sophia, head to your bedroom, and lock the door”
“Wait. It’s okay. That’s Mase’s truck,” Sniffer says, rushing back from checking the windows.
“Are you sure, Cass? That’s more than one car. Maybe she should go just in case.”
Too late now, the door slams open. Someone groans. “Fuck, it smells good in here. Please tell me she made enough for everyone?” Sid’s pleading makes me let out a nervousness giggle which causes Mac to start chuckling.
“No, you bastards, get out of here. We’ve been cooking since you left. It’s all ours. Damn, how many people are with you? No, no, you all need to go!” Sniffer’s face looks genuinely panicked. I’m scanning the men and waiting for Masen, so I reach over and rub Sniffer’s forearm.
