CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
On Thanksgiving morning, Brody picked up his mom from the airport.
They drove straight back to Alex’s, where he found her in a metaphorical fetal position—surrounded by fresh produce and raw poultry, seemingly shell-shocked by the overwhelming task in front of her.
Pops arrived right after they did, and the influx of people appeared to snap her out of her daze.
“Mom, this is Alex and her grandfather, Charles. Aka Pops,” Brody said. “Guys, this is my mom, Violet.”
After Brody did the introductions, he suggested Charles and his mom get a drink and watch the parade while he helped Alex in the kitchen.
“You okay?” he asked once they were out of earshot.
“What was I thinking?” Alex whispered. “I blame you for this.”
He chuckled. “Hey, my mom and I usually order a pre-made meal from a local restaurant and eat while watching football games, so pretty much anything you’ve got going is better than that.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
Over the week, he’d seen her planning—she was big on lists—and knew she’d met with Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Walker for advice. It would just be the four of them, but it was still new.
He thought she’d been exaggerating her culinary deficiencies, but when a pot of water on the stove boiled over, he realized perhaps he should have taken her at her word.
She grabbed the hot lid and dropped it with a yelp and a curse.
“How can I help?” he asked.
Thrusting her hand under cold water, she looked around. “I don’t even know where to start,” she said. “Making pie crust from scratch was way too ambitious. Don’t ask me how I thought I could pull off an entire dinner.”
“Take a deep breath.” He put his hands on her hips. “Let’s pare back a little. And focus on one thing at a time. We’ll make sure the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes are good. If that’s all we get, fine.”
She relaxed in his arms. “I did buy a frozen pie. For a break-in-case-of-emergency type situation.”
“Perfect. I’ll pull it out to thaw and put away the pie fixin’s. Then I’ll start peeling potatoes. You focus on the turkey, and we’ll work on the stuffing once it’s in the oven.”
“I want you to know, I’m usually much cooler under pressure,” Alex said. “Who knew flour and dead fowl would be my kryptonite?”
“It’ll be fine.” He leaned down and kissed her.
Pops and his mom hit it off right away and gabbed like teenagers while he and Alex worked in the kitchen.
Cooking with her felt very domestic, and he kinda dug it. In the last week, they’d spent every night together, sometimes with her friends, sometimes just the two of them. Being with her was so easy. She made him laugh. She made him think. And she was a great kisser.
Once they got everything under control, they joined Pops and his mom, who had switched over to a football game.
“Anything I can do?” Pops asked.
“I think we’re way beyond that,” Alex said dryly.
“I’d offer to help,” his mom said. “But I’m positively worthless when it comes to cooking. If there’s anything dummy-proof you need done—and I’m talking, can opening level of difficulty—please let me know.”
“Pft. You and me both, sister,” Alex said. “I hope you have an iron stomach.”
“I’m sure it will be fine, honey.” His mom laughed. “I just really appreciate the invitation.”
They spent the next few hours chatting, watching football, and snacking on a charcuterie board. His mom appeared charmed by both Alex and Pops.
“Dinner’s ready,” Alex finally announced. “Please temper expectations appropriately.”
Pops took one look at the table, excused himself to run out to his truck, and returned with a bag of store-bought rolls. “It’s not that I didn’t trust you,” he said to Alex.
She went to a cupboard and pulled out a bag of the exact same brand. “But always have a backup,” she said with a smile, seemingly sharing some inside joke.
“Well, Martha Stewart I am not,” Alex said once they’d all been seated. “Let’s just pray it’s edible.”
“Smells divine,” Brody said, digging in.
Alex filled her wineglass and passed the bottle around. “Drink enough, and it might go down okay.”
Between the four of them, they kept the conversation flowing. Everyone picked at their food and danced around the fact that every dish was either over- or undercooked. Brody choked down a bit of raw potato, confirming he shouldn’t have underestimated Alex’s underestimation of her cooking abilities.
Mid-meal, they threw in the towel, split the store-bought pie four ways, and took their plates to the living room.
“I’m so sorry, everyone,” Alex said. “I’ve ruined Thanksgiving.”
“Nonsense, dear,” Brody’s mom said. “It was a valiant first effort. And pretty gutsy if you ask me.”
Alex took the whole fiasco in stride, just like she did most everything—her friend dying, her mother’s visit, her business floundering, and her sprained ankle. He added resilience to her list of admirable qualities.
Pops went home, and Brody drove his mom to her cabin. A lucky, last-minute cancellation meant he hadn’t had to give up his bed.
“So, what do you think of Alex?” Brody asked. “And don’t base your opinion on her cooking prowess.”
His mom chuckled and looped her arm in his as they climbed the porch steps. “She’s wonderful, honey,” she said sincerely. “Just the type of woman you need. The question is, what do you think of her?”
Brody exhaled forcefully. “I love her, Mom. Is that even possible? So soon after meeting her. So soon after Chloe?”
At his mother’s silence, he glanced down to see a smile spread across her face. “Yes, it’s possible.”
He was hoping for more, but she didn’t elaborate.
“You sure you don’t want to come hang out with us tonight? Alex said you were welcome.”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m going to read for a bit and then turn in. You go have fun though.”
“Okay. I’ll come get you first thing in the morning.”
“Sounds good. Good night, honey.”
After ensuring she was settled, he left again to meet Alex at the rec cabin.
Everyone arrived within minutes of each other, half-eaten pies and wine bottles in hand. Alex introduced him to Maddie Reed. She was tall and pretty, just like the rest of them. And despite her fame, seemed remarkably down to earth.
“How’d dinner go?” Juliet asked. “We missed you.”
“It was delicious,” Brody said at the same time Alex said, “It was a disaster.”
“You’re so full of crap.” Alex slapped his arm and laughed.
He slung an arm around her shoulder. “You’ll get ’em next time, slugger.”
“Alex has a lot of talents,” Tess said. “But cooking ain’t one of ’em.”
“That’s why God made bakeries and restaurants,” Alex quipped.
“All right, y’all,” Maddie said. “What are we playing?”
Choices were limited, but after a round of voting, they decided on Monopoly.
“You certain you want Brody to witness this?” Tess asked Alex.
“Shut up,” Alex hissed.
“Your relationship is kind of new,” Faith added.
“We could watch a movie instead,” Juliet offered.
“What are they talking about?” Brody asked.
Her friends drowned out Alex’s “nothing.”
“Alex can be un poco competitive,” Maddie said.
“She does not like to lose,” Faith said.
“Which is great on the court,” Tess continued.
“But can get wild during board games,” Juliet finished.
Brody glanced at Alex, who looked like she wanted to dig a hole and climb in. “You a sore loser, Gray?” he teased.
“Saddle up and find out,” she said, eyebrows narrowing.
“This should be interesting,” Nick said. “Glad you’re here, Brody. This is my first year being a part of this tradition. I’m not sure I could bear it without some male companionship.”
An hour and a half later, everyone had gone bankrupt except Brody and Alex. They’d all remained in their seats but were having side conversations and losing interest in the game.
“Les go, Collins,” Alex slurred. “Your turn. Hit Boardwalk, and it’s game over, baby.” She was on the verge of drunk, and her attention vacillated between the game and yucking it up with her friends. A distraction he intended to exploit.
Brody was on Community Chest and rolled a seven, which would have put him one square past Boardwalk on “Go.”
He made eye contact with Nick and mouthed, “Should I?”
Nick’s expression screamed, “Please, for the love of God, yes. End this!”
Brody picked up his tiny wheelbarrow and counted out loud, hitting the railroad twice without Alex noticing and dramatically landing on Boardwalk at seven.
“Yes!” Alex threw her hands in the air. “Boardwalk with two hotels.” She studied the card but was too sauced to do the math on what he owed her.
“I already know it’s too much,” Brody said. “I concede. You win.”
“Finally,” Tess said.
“Thank goodness.” Juliet pushed her chair back and stood. “My butt’s numb.”
“I know we say this every time,” Faith said. “But we are never playing Monopoly again.”
“It’s a good thing she won,” Maddie said. “Or she’d make us play until she did.”
“I do hate to lose.” Alex laughed.
Nick leaned over to Brody. “Never confess what just happened,” he whispered.
The women topped off their glasses, moved to the couches surrounding the fireplace, and begged Nick to start a fire.
“When’s Holly coming?” Tess asked.
“Week from Sunday,” Alex said. “She and Cole are staying for a week. I can’t wait.”
“How long are you here, Maddie?” Faith asked. “Any overlap?”
“I have to go back Sunday, so no.” Maddie frowned. “Unfortunately, I’ll miss her again.”
“Thas a bummer,” Tess said, then tried again, realizing she’d slurred her words. “I mean, that’s a bummer. Um, how we getting home?”
“I’ll drive you lushes home,” Nick said, approaching from the kitchen with five bottles of water. He handed them out. “Get started on these though.”
With so many people, it was hard to get a word in, but Brody was content to sit back and listen. He was jealous of their tight-knit group. They’d known each other their entire lives, and the casual camaraderie was enviable.
Alex looked beautiful, and Brody couldn’t wait for the night to end so they could talk. So he could tell her he loved her.
Around midnight, Nick rounded up the women and corralled them into his car. Brody and Alex waved goodnight from the threshold of the rec cabin.
“I’m gonna walk you home,” he said, not asking. She wasn’t so drunk she couldn’t find her way, but he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to spend a little more time with her.
“Yeah, all right. I’ll clean up tomorrow.” She grabbed a flashlight and locked up. “Let’s go.”
She gripped his arm for balance as they walked over the back trail to her place. At her door, she flashed him a tipsy, sultry look. “You coming in?”
“I’ll make sure you get to bed,” he said. “But first, there’s something I want to say.”
They entered, and he shut the door. It was dark except for the dull glow of the microwave and oven lights.
“S’up?” she asked, throwing her arms around his neck and relaxing into him.
“Alex, I’m falling for you.”
“Falling in love?” Her brows knit in confusion, and he realized he probably should’ve waited for total sobriety to have this conversation.
“No, falling off a cliff,” he said. “Of course in love, silly. I know it seems soon, but I’m in love with you.”
She tensed as the words danced around mutely for a suspended minute. The silence was far from golden.
“Alex?”
“I heard you,” she said, sobering instantly. “I, um, I’m not sure what to say to that.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he blurted quickly. “I just wanted to put it out there.”
“Okay, well, um. Thank you.”
“We don’t have to talk about it.” Why had he brought it up now?
He’d gotten caught up in the fun, festive atmosphere.
And after watching her all night—laughing, winning, teasing—his amorous feelings had solidified.
Though he felt like his heart might burst if he didn’t say his piece, he should have kept it for another time.
“Good,” she said, letting him go. “Because I think I’m gonna be sick.” With that, she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door. He sat on the couch and waited for her to come out.
“I hope that was from too much wine and not revulsion at my declaration of love,” he deadpanned.
She chuckled. “Too much wine. Too much sugar. Not you.” She walked to the fridge, grabbed a water bottle, and brought it back to the couch. Plopping down beside him, she chugged half of it and then curled up next to him.
Now what? He’d dug his hole and wasn’t sure where to go from here. Before he could worry any more about what to say or how to fix it, she fell asleep in his arms.
Once she was good and out, he carried her to the bed, removed her shoes, and placed her under the blankets. Then crawled in next to her and dozed off listening to her soft breathing.