Chapter 31 #2
She smiled at me, and I almost confessed my sins.
East
Why does she look like she has secrets?
Wade
Because she does.
Lo Lo
She looks like the kind of woman who knows where the bodies are buried.
Sage
Don’t say that out loud.
Lo Lo
Out loud to who?
Sage
To yourself.
DO NOT TALK ABOUT BODIES AROUND HER.
I felt like my head was going to explode. Handing Hattie a root beer, I slid my phone to silent and prayed she wouldn’t notice how everyone was surreptitiously texting. Fucking weirdos. Maggie was shooting daggers at them. It was like we never had guests over.
Phiny
She asked where the bathroom was, and East panicked and pointed to the pantry.
East
I WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD!
I CAN SEE YOU WHISPERING IN THE CORNER
I need you all to behave.
Sage
[insert eyeroll] define behave.
No questions about her intentions, past relationships, or womb.
Lo Lo
That last one seemed oddly specific. Why would we be asking about her womb?
Sage
It did, Kippers.
East
She’s coming over.
Lo Lo
Everyone smile normally.
Phiny
East, stop showing your teeth like that, you look unwell.
If you ruin this, I swear to God—
Hattie
…hi?
YOU DID NOT ADD HER TO THIS CHAT.
Sage
I panicked.
Hattie
Did I just get added to a family group chat?
I am removing you. This never happened.
Hattie
Honestly, it explains everything.
Phiny
She can stay.
SHE CANNOT STAY. You’re all going to traumatize her.
Hattie
I’m honored. I think.
East
Welcome.
Wade
Welcome.
I am going to walk into the ocean. East is going to start sending dick pics or pics of him in faerie costumes with wings.
Lila
You’re jealous.
Hattie
I’m intrigued.
Hattie was removed from the chat. Lila was removed from the chat.
“Kids. Get off your phones and talk in person,” Maggie admonished.
Properly admonished, the talk shifted to the table, and I was able to pull Hattie down to the seat beside me, where I could keep one hand on her just the way I liked while watching her take in the chaos around us.
A smile nudged at the corners of her mouth.
“Sorry, my brothers and sisters are such weirdos.”
“I don’t know. I kind of like them.” She settled a napkin in her lap as I dished her up some salad and passed her some of Phiny’s homemade ranch. “Everything smells incredible, Maggie.”
“I honestly can’t take all the credit, dear. Phiny did the lasagna. Lo helped with the salad. Lila brought the dessert, which I’m sure is going to be incredible.” Maggie set a tray of lasagna on the table.
“Well, it all looks amazing.”
She wasn’t wrong, but dinner at the Holt’s was always guaranteed to please. Phiny’s lasagna was killer, and I’d say she learned from the best, but it had seemed like Delphina had come to us knowing how to cook already. She’d honed her skills in San Francisco, and everything was even better.
Dinner was loud almost immediately with all the chaos that I’d promised.
Sage demanded that Hattie rank them in order of trustworthiness.
Lo Lo insisted on hearing every detail about the investigation, which Wade attempted to interrupt with a dumb story about a crop circle that Jim Marshall had made out at his place for a laugh.
East kept his focus divided between his plate and Lila while teasing Wade about crop circles.
Lila immediately started in on Hattie about coming to the next book club meeting, which Hattie actually seemed interested in.
“I’ll text you the time,” Lila was saying. “We’re going to have two books this round.” She clapped her hands excitedly. “It’ll be like a choose your own adventure.” She pointed sternly at the table. “No hints to anyone else.”
Lila was very strict about keeping the titles a secret before the month started, to keep the mystery.
She always had people submit their orders in advance so that Lila could buy books for people who wanted to participate.
Hattie didn’t know it yet, but I had placed her book order just in case she wanted to join everyone for fun, but I figured she would.
I’d never been, but Maggie, the rest of my sisters, and East had a great time. Maybe I’d even go with her.
Throughout dinner, Hattie held her own. She complimented the food, shared a little bit of herself, and if I were honest, fit right in. My family liked her, and I loved that.
Watching her the whole time with my family, as her eyes softened whenever she looked at me, made me realize that I was falling for her. Every time she reached under the table and brushed her fingers against mine, I felt a quiet something rise in my chest.
After the dessert that Lila had spoiled us with, Maggie wrapped the leftovers before we could protest. My siblings tried to act casual as they said their goodbyes, but even I could tell they wanted to spend more time around Hattie, too.
They’d had even more questions about who she was and how she’d fit into the Holt family.
We all sensed that she belonged here with us in our chaotic little household.
“We were extremely normal,” Sage whispered loudly to Lo Lo.
“We were not,” Lo Lo whispered back.
Once we made it to the safety of the porch, Fish whining at our feet, I whispered to her, “They like you.”
“They tried very hard,” she said, smiling. “It was sweet.”
“They were annoying in our group chat all week. You have no idea.” That totally wasn’t a lie, but I didn’t want to break it to her how true it was. They were a bunch of weirdos.
The ride back was quiet in a comfortable way with Fish stretched across the back seat as the first stars appeared overhead, faint and scattered.
“That went better than I expected,” she said softly.
“I told you they would like you.”
“Do they always tease you like that?”
“Worse.”
“They’re all amazing. I loved every second of it.” She looked out the window for a long moment before speaking again. “Thank you for bringing me.”
My hands tightened on the wheel. “I wanted you there.” She turned toward me, slow and thoughtful, her knee brushing mine.
She reached across the console and laced her fingers through mine. I lifted her hand from the center console and raised it to my lips, brushing a kiss over her knuckles.