Chapter 11
Tired. That wasn't a strong enough word for it. Exhausted was close. But Joci had never been so tired.
She scraped the last of the mashed potatoes into a bowl and snapped a lid on the container. She had a big stack of leftovers on the counter for the boys to take home with them.
JT brought a stack of dirty bowls from the table to the counter. "It was a great day."
Joci smiled. "I agree."
She opened the dishwasher to begin putting the dirty dishes inside when Jeremiah stepped forward. "I've got this."
Grateful, she stepped aside. "Thank you."
He smiled, and she watched the boys gathering together the silverware and plates still on the table.
"Okay, lightning round of what are you grateful for. JT, you go first."
He looked up at her, his eyes round. A grin formed on his handsome face, and he said, "Family. You. The food we ate. Dad. Ryder and Gunnar."
Joci's heart swelled. "Nice. Thank you. Ryder."
His cheeks turned pink, but he took a deep breath. "Same. Family. All of you. Molly."
She nodded at him. Molly stepped in from the garage with a stack of glasses. Her eyes met Ryder's. "That was nice. Thank you."
Joci nodded to Molly. "Okay, Molly, your turn."
"I'm grateful for your friendship. I'm grateful for Ryder." She glanced at him, and his face turned bright red. Molly smiled. "I'm grateful for JT and Gunnar and Jeremiah. I'm grateful you invited me today to share Thanksgiving with you."
Joci hugged Molly briefly. "Thank you."
She turned to Gunnar. "Okay, Gunnar. What are you grateful for?"
"You know it's hard going toward the end because I don't have anything new. But, I'll say, besides all of you and the gathering today. I'm grateful you're healing and you weren't hurt more than you were."
Her eyes welled, and she blinked quickly to dry them. She moved toward Gunnar and hugged her son tightly to her. "Thank you," she whispered.
He chuckled.
She turned to Jeremiah. "Your turn."
"I have the same complaint as Gunnar. But..." His phone rang, and he held his forefinger to hold his place as he answered. "Hello, Detective."
Joci watched the look on his face as he listened to the detective. His features showed little emotion, and her stomach tightened.
Jeremiah said, "Thank you. I appreciate it."
He ended the call, then said, "I'm grateful for everything everyone else has said, and I'm grateful that Detective Jones left his family today to arrest Mercer for breaking the terms of his parole and took him to jail pending a hearing."
"Oh, thank God. I've tried not thinking about it today, but every so often, I'd think about him and wonder where he was."
Jeremiah smiled at her. "I did too. It's all good. They're also asking the judge for a restraining order to keep him away when he gets out again."
"Good."
She took a deep breath and let it out.
Molly came to stand near her. "Tomorrow night, Ryder and I are going to the Cedar Creek Town Square for the Christmas tree lighting. We'd love it if you'd all like to come. There'll be live music, hot cocoa, some vendors on the square, and of course, the tree lighting."
She looked into Molly's pretty blue eyes. "I'd love that." Glancing around Molly to Jeremiah, she lifted her brows.
He chuckled. "I think that sounds fun."
Molly turned to Ryder and smiled. The smile he bestowed on her was magical. JT and Gunnar both shrugged and were noncommittal, but Joci knew they'd come too. If only for a while before they went out elsewhere.
Gunnar grabbed a bag from the closet and put their leftovers inside it. He kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom. Everything was fantastic today."
"You're welcome."
JT followed Gunnar to the garage, kissing her cheek on the way. "Thanks, Mom."
She smiled, her eyes traveled to Jeremiah's. He smiled brightly and nodded.
Ryder and Molly were last. Hugs from both of them. Ryder said, "Thanks, Mom."
She hugged him back and said, "You're welcome, son."
She hugged Molly, "Thank you for all of your help today, Molly. And thank you for coming."
"You're welcome. Anytime. And thank you again."
After the door closed, she turned to Jeremiah, her heart full, her feet swollen, her belly full, and said, "How about a break?"
He laughed. "I thought you'd never ask."
He walked with her to the living room, where they both slouched on the sofa, with their feet up. He turned on the television. "Do you want a holiday movie or something else?"
"How about a bit of both. Die Hard, please."
He laughed and turned on the streaming channel, then they settled in for a quiet Thanksgiving evening. Nothing felt more right.