Page 86 of A Whole New Trick

Hand in hand, we walk up to the tall mahogany door. Morgan steps inside without knocking. I follow her lead and kick off my black sneakers, leaving them lined up next to hers.

Then, Morgan retakes my hand and takes a deep breath. “You ready?”

“Absolutely.”

“So, Dane,”Morgan’s mother begins, passing a plate of mashed potatoes to Miles on her left. “Morgan says you’re from Minnesota.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I pick up a piece of corn on the cob with a pair of tongs and put it on Morgan’s plate before getting one for myself and passing the plate to Mason.

We’re all seated at a large dining room table in the Caldwell house. I sit between Morgan and Mason. Miles is across from me, next to his mom. Mr. Caldwell is seated at the head of the table.

I’ve been holding my own since Morgan and I arrived an hour ago. Mason and Miles are still cool, and we talk about doing a Mario Kart rematch the next time we get together. Miles tries to boast about his victory, but we all know if Morgan and I hadn’t been distracted by the realization our entire dynamic had been based on a misunderstanding, one of us would have won.

“Please, call me Diana,” Morgan’s mom insists with a genuine smile. “Warren and I love Minnesota,” she continues. “Are your parents still there?”

“They are.”

“How often do you get to go back?”

I shove down the image of my mom in a hospital bed. “Not often enough.”

“Why is that?”

“Mom,” Morgan interjects with a laugh. “What’s with the interrogation?”

“What?” Diana blinks innocently. “I’m just getting to know your boyfriend. Is that a crime?”

Morgan shakes her head. Mason and Miles set the potatoes and corn plates on the table. All dishes have made their way around the table.

“It’s all right, Morgan.” I place my hand on her thigh. She looks at me with a raised brow, and I shoot her a confident grin.

“Charming,”she mouths, her lips twitch.

I wink.

“Barf. Can you two stop flirting? I’m trying to eat here.” Miles holds up a forkful of potatoes in demonstration.

“So mature, Miles.” Morgan shakes her head.

“Mature Miles is my nickname.”

“Knock it off, you two.” Diane admonishes then turns to me. “I am so sorry, Dane. I swear, I raised my children better than this.”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything!” Mason feigns offense.

“We all know it’s only a matter of time,” Mr. Caldwell speaks. I expected his voice to be gruff from disuse, but he sounds like a normal guy with a deep tone.

The family around me laugh. I smile and pick up a rib. I take a bite, careful not to make a mess. “Wow.” I swallow. “These ribs are great, Mason.”

“Thanks, man.” He motions to his father. “But they aren’t as good as my old man’s.”

Mr. Caldwell shakes his head as he swallows his own bite. “That’s not true. You nailed it, son. I look forward to you taking over the grilling from now on.”

“Hey, I didn’t sign up for that.”

Morgan and Miles laugh at their brother.

“Can you say, ‘sucker’?” Miles jokes.

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