Chapter 35 Anna
ANNA
The first thing I noticed was the smell of crawfish.
The second was the unmistakable sound of my Aunt Delores hollering, “Where’s the hot sauce?”
Before I could fully register what was happening, the doors to the library burst open, and my cousin Lucy marched in, holding a tray of corn and sausage. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. So, they don’t have enough bedrooms in this place, and you have to sleep on the couch?”
I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I sat up on the library sofa, the blanket Luke had draped over me slipping to the floor. “I fell asleep down here, okay?”
Aunt Delores bustled in just as Lucy was leaving, and my aunt carried a massive tray of crawfish. “Don’t worry, honey, we’re making do. Now, grab a tray or something useful. Let’s head outside. Your cousins are setting up the folding tables.”
“Wait, what?” I blinked, still groggy. “Why are you all here?”
Then it hit me. The music, the smell of boiled seafood wafting through the open window. My family had come to throw me a surprise crawfish boil. How very New Orleanian of them. Nothing says we love you quite like 30 pounds of crustaceans and a folding table covered in newspaper.
“We couldn’t miss an opportunity to see this fancy mansion of yours,” Aunt Delores said matter-of-factly. “And your uncle thought it was a great idea to bring the boil to you since you’ve been so busy.”
“Great idea? You realize this is how people end up on neighborhood Facebook groups, right?”
Aunt Delores waved a hand. “If anybody complains, we’ll just invite them over. Nothing diffuses outrage like a plate of hot crawfish. Grab the hot sauce, and let’s go.”
I padded into the kitchen, stopping short at the sight of my entire family swarming the backyard like they’d been air-dropped in. Tables, coolers, and crawfish pots had materialized out of nowhere. How had I slept through this?
Luke stepped cautiously into the room, his hair a little tousled, eyes soft when they found mine. “I think our place got invaded.” His lips were twitching.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, crossing to him. “I didn’t know they were coming. Go hide upstairs. Save yourself while there’s still time.”
He smiled, the kind of smile that made my heart stutter. “I think we’re ready for a little ‘meet the family,’ don’t you?”
“Normally I’d agree,” I said, peeking through the window at the chaos unfolding. “But not my family. Maybe we start small, like just my cousin Lucy or Mary. They’re basically normal. The rest of them, especially all together, are like Mardi Gras on espresso.”
He chuckled, brushing a piece of hair from my cheek. “I’ll take my chances. Though, I did want to talk to you about something. But it can wait.”
Before I could ask what, the back door banged open, and my Uncle Ray appeared, clapping Luke on the back with enough force to knock him off balance. “Well, look at this guy. You must be the one who’s been keeping our Anna so busy. Welcome to the family boil, son.”
Luke straightened, still smiling—somehow. “Uh, thanks. Big fan of seafood.”
My uncle beamed. “Grab an apron and make yourself useful.” My uncle shoved a gaudy, oversized apron into Luke’s hands. The bold, glittery letters read Pinch Me, I’m Cajun.
Luke held it up. “This is incredibly sparkly.”
Then, my cousin Mary appeared, shrieking as if she’d spotted a rare animal in the wild. “Holy moly cannoli, it’s Luke Fisher,” she yelled, nearly dropping her tray of drinks. “Lucy, LUCY. Look.”
“Oh, for the love of…” I muttered, shaking my head.
Aunt Delores swooped in, eyes sparkling as she gave Luke a once-over. “Well, aren’t you even more handsome in person?” She patted his arm. “Anna, honey, you didn’t tell us you were friends with a movie star.”
Uncle Ray squinted at Luke. “Wait a second… are you the guy from that movie? The one where you’re, uh…” He gestured vaguely with his hands. “Doing all that dramatic running?”
Luke hesitated. “Uh, probably?”
“You know,” Uncle Ray continued, snapping his fingers. “The one with the explosions. And the car. Or was it a boat?”
“Yes.” Luke nodded.
Uncle Ray nodded sagely. “I knew I recognized you. Great work.”
I buried my face in my hands while Luke shot me a grin that said he was absolutely loving this.
More family poured in, hugs and handshakes flying as people jostled to greet Luke. One of my aunts wrapped him in a bear hug, while my cousin James took a selfie with him before he could protest.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to Luke as Uncle Robby—who hadn’t connected the dots—clapped him on the back.
“You here for the crawfish, son?” Uncle Robby asked. “Let’s get to the backyard and grab a plate. We’ve got plenty.”
Luke opened his mouth to respond, but Aunt Delores cut him off. “He’s not here for the crawfish, Robby. He’s here for Anna.”
Someone handed me a tray of hot sausage, and we headed to the backyard, where tables had been arranged.
It didn’t take long for Luke to get swept up in the chaos. Within minutes, he was standing by the boiling pot, cracking jokes with my cousins and peeling crawfish like he’d been born to do it. He seemed entirely at ease, wearing the apron as if it were part of his everyday wardrobe.
“Hollywood’s not bad at this,” Uncle Tony shouted, clapping him on the shoulder.
My grandma Nonna looked him up and down. “You’re skinnier in person. Do you eat? Sit down. I’m making you a plate.”
Aunt Mona leaned in beside me, her voice low and conspiratorial. “He’s a keeper, that one. Down-to-earth, you know? Not like that other one. What was his name again? Ben? Boo?”
“Beau,” I muttered.
“Right, him,” Aunt Mona said with a cackle. “He was always struttin’ around.”
Uncle Charlie chimed in from the other side of me. “This one’s got a good head on his shoulders. Not like that trust fund guy. Bet that guy wouldn’t even know what to do with a crawfish if you boiled it, peeled it, and handed it right to him.”
I forced a smile, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Yeah, well, Luke’s different.”
Uncle Ray leaned over, grinning. “So, Anna, what’s it like dating a movie star? Do you get free popcorn every time you go to the theater?”
Before I could answer, Aunt Sharon cut me off. “What about his house? Or does he have more than one? Is one of them a castle? I bet one of them’s a castle.”
“Sharon, be reasonable,” Aunt Delores interrupted, rolling her eyes. “Castles are expensive to heat. He probably has, like, a yacht or something.”
“Does he have a yacht?” Aunt Sharon pressed, turning her full attention to me.
“I don’t know,” I stammered, but they weren’t done.
“Wait, wait,” Uncle Charlie added, his tone dead serious. “Is he one of those method actors? Like, if he plays a knight, does he ride a horse everywhere for months?”
“Oh,” Aunt Delores exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “And does he do his own stunts? Because I bet he could. He’s got those arms.”
“Do you think he could get me a walk-on role in one of his movies?” my cousin Mary asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’d even settle for background. I can stand in a crowd really convincingly.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. It was like being stuck in the middle of a popcorn machine, except instead of buttery morsels raining down, it was a barrage of absurd questions.
“Has he met Meryl Streep?” Aunt Mona gasped suddenly, as though it had just occurred to her. “That’s the big one, Meryl Streep.”
“Does he know how to cry on cue?” My cousin Lucy leaned in with genuine curiosity. “Because I could use that to get out of parking tickets.”
At that, I couldn’t hold back a groan. “Guys, he’s just… a person. Like everyone else.”
Uncle Ray raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t seem like everyone else to me. Everyone else doesn’t peel crawfish that fast.”
“Or look that good doing it,” Aunt Sharon added with a wink.
“You’re cute together.” Mary hip-checked me.
Aunt Mona gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. “Heavens to Betsy, you’re dating a movie star.”
“I—“
“Don’t listen to her. She’ll deny it,” Aunt Sharon said.
“I’m not denying—“
“Of course they’re dating,” my cousin Lucy said. “Two beautiful people sharing a house like this? It’s like one of those romantic-comedy movies he stars in.”
Aunt Mona grabbed my arm, her face serious. “So how serious is this? Because he seems like a keeper.”
I nearly choked. “We’re... it’s still pretty new.”
“Anna, you’re blushing,” Aunt Delores teased. “That tells us everything.”
Uncle Charlie leaned in. “I like him. He's got good energy.”
I looked across the yard where Luke was peeling crawfish and laughing with my uncle like he’d been part of the family for years.
He caught my eye and grinned. My chest felt too full.
He fit here, somehow. In the chaos and the noise and the complete lack of boundaries that was my family, he just.. . fit.
And watching him there, sleeves rolled up, completely at ease, I realized how much lighter everything felt with him around. How much happier I’d been these past few weeks. How right this all felt, even when my family was being completely overwhelming.
He looked over at me again, and this time he mouthed, You okay?
I nodded, smiling despite the interrogation happening around me.
Yeah. I was more than okay.