EPILOGUE #2
Once I hang my coat up on the wall-mounted rack, I help Alex out of his, and we head to the kitchen to see the damage from Vince’s distress.
“Good! You’re here!” Vince beams, rounding the island to carefully hug Alex before coming to Lillian and me.
“We are! And Alex volunteered to help you out!” I lightly pat Alex’s arm. “Put him to work, but be kind. He is still healing.”
“Of course,” Vince says, turning towards Alex. “The food is all done, but you can set the table.”
Vince ushers him to where all the table settings are, explaining where each one will be placed while I snag a bottle of wine and Esther snatches up some glasses.
Alex looks over at me, a plea for help in his eyes as Vince goes on and on. All I do is grin and blow him a kiss before spinning around and going to the living room, where Amelia is already sipping on a glass of wine, the open bottle sitting on the coffee table.
Her eyes meet mine, and she smiles. “Is he still freaking out?”
“Seems like he’s calmed down.” I set the wine I grabbed on the table and take a seat next to her. Esther plops down beside me while Lillian sits across from us. “Although I think Alex might be the one stressing now because Vince put him in charge of setting the table.”
Amelia groans. “Good luck to him. I don’t know why Vince just doesn’t do it himself since he needs it to be perfect.”
“I’m surprised he asks for help at all.” I grab the open bottle of wine and pour myself a glass.
“I’ve been hiding from him ever since he yelled at Esther because he thought she was going to burn the sweet potato casserole.”
“I told him I wasn’t a good cook.” She shrugs, taking a sip of her wine.
“And where is Asher during all of this?” I question.
“You know how he is,” Amelia sighs. “He’s trying his best to be supportive without stepping on anyone’s toes.”
I shake my head with a laugh. “Next year, one of us will have to host. I’m not sure Vince will want to do this again.”
“Are you talking shit about me?” Vince asks as he strolls into the room, grabbing the bottle of wine and drinking directly from it.
“No. I was saying how next year, one of us will host.” I repeat myself.
He lowers the bottle slowly, his eyes dancing between the four of us. “Are you saying I’m a bad host?”
“Oh my gosh,” Amelia and Esther say at the same time.
“I’m saying that it would only be fair to have everyone host each year so it doesn’t put a lot of stress on one person.”
He nods. “Smart. I volunteer Amelia to do it next year.”
“Fine.” She huffs in annoyance.
“You’ll be a great host.” I nudge her with my shoulder.
“Yeah, because I’m not going to cook my own shit. I’ll get everything catered.”
Vince’s eyes go wide at the mention of cooking, like he is afraid something is burning in the kitchen. With the bottle of wine in his hand, he spins around and hurries back to the food.
“Yeah… after this year, I’m not sure Vince will want to host again.” I chuckle.
We all laugh when Lillian suggests, “I’ll host one year.”
“I’m sure we can all make time to come to New York for Thanksgiving,” I say with a smile.
“Well, it would be here.” Lillian takes a sip of her wine before elaborating. “I’ve been looking for places to live.”
“Really?” I ask with excitement. “Does Alex know?”
“No. I didn’t want to tell him until something was set in stone,” she explains. “It’s just, after everything that happened, I want to be closer to you and him.”
My heart swells at hearing his mom not only want to be closer to her son, but also to me.
Ever since we met in the hospital, she has become the mother I’ve always wanted.
She constantly made sure I was okay and getting enough rest throughout my own recovery.
Lillian showed me more love in the hospital than my own mother did her entire life.
“He’s going to be so happy.” I feel the tears lining my eyes.
She gives me a warm smile and asks, “When do you start your new job?”
“The head of Ortega Publishing told me that she wanted my focus to be on mine and Alex’s recovery.” I blink away the tears because I don’t want to cry. Not tonight. “They assured me that there will be a position open when I’m ready. So most likely after the holidays.”
I still couldn’t believe that after all this time, they are willing to give me a job.
Not only a job, but my dream career. They called Stanley Publishing and demanded all the books I worked on so they could see my qualifications.
With a little bit of negotiation and probably some yelling, Monica sent it over, and I knew that her finding out her rival was hiring me just pissed her off.
After reviewing my work and speaking with some of my former coworkers, Ortega decided that the Editor-in-Chief position was a perfect fit for me.
“After all these years, I’m so happy you are finally getting your dream.” Amelia beams. “I’ll still go and give that bitch Monica some hell.”
“It’s fine. Her being angry that I got a job at Ortega is enough.”
“If you say so.” Amelia shrugs.
We continue talking for a few minutes before our girl time is interrupted by Alex. “I’ve been sent in to summon all of you. Dinner is done, and the table is set.”
As we get up, Amelia snatches the unopened bottle of wine that was left on the coffee table to bring with her.
Once we are in the dining room, I take in the red tablecloth, which features a fall-themed runner down the middle.
Pumpkins are splayed out down the center with bowls of food placed between them.
The plates are cream-colored with three fall leaves in the center and a gold charger plate beneath them.
“Did I do well?” Alex whispers, sliding his arm around my waist.
“It looks great,” I look up at him to see a proud smile lining his face.
He pulls out a chair for me and then sits down to my right. To my left, Esther takes her place while Amelia sits across from me, and Lillian sits across from her son. Vince and Archer are at the head of the table, of course, and give us the okay to start digging in.
We pass bowls and plates around, piling the food high as we make small talk. At the first bite of food, a groan of satisfaction can be heard around the table, and Vince’s eyes light up with gratification.
“I think you missed your calling to be a chef,” Amelia tells him, shoving a piece of turkey in her mouth. “All of this is so good, Vince.”
I chime in. “You really outdid yourself.”
“You know me,” he shrugs nonchalantly, then throws a wink down to where Asher is sitting. “I’m just good at everything.”
Asher chokes on the wine he’s drinking, triggering a coughing fit. Once it has subsided, Vince smiles his way as the rest of us laugh and continue to eat the delicious home-cooked meal.
All of our plates are cleared, dirty dishes sit around the table while we sit back in our chairs and drink another glass of wine.
Doctor Allen arrived mid-meal and took a seat next to Lillian. Being around us all in the hospital for so long, he understood our dynamic, and tonight just proves how well he fits in with the group. And how good a fit he is for Lillian.
As the chatter around us quiets down, Vince suggests, “We should go around and say what we are thankful for this year! I’ll start. I am thankful for Asher and the ability to live in this house together. I am also thankful for my best friends, especially Celine.”
Amelia gasps. “Uhm, rude!”