Page 55 of Claim to Fame

Julie swan dove out of his arms towards her mother, but Ethan was used to his granddaughter’s antics. He held her firmly around the waist until Tessa gathered her in her arms. “Let’s go, baby. We’ll leave the boys to talk.” Tessa placed a kiss on Ethan’s cheek as she went past, the double doors swinging closed behind her.

Jamie stood in the center of the kitchen, chopping herbs at one of the stainless steel counters and swatting Gavin’s hand away every time he tried to steal slivers of shredded cheese from the pile at the edge of his cutting board. Baz stood off to the side, always just far enough away from the food to ensure nothing could splatter on his suit.

“What’re we having?” Ethan asked, swiping some cheese.

“Chicken parm.” Jamie glanced at Ethan. “Your mom’s recipe.”

Ever since Jamie and Tessa had gotten together, they’d revived Ethan’s mother’s tradition of a regular ‘family dinner.’ While his mom had hosted those dinners every week, Ethan and his friends had settled into a rhythm of once a month dinners, and Jamie always cooked something from the family recipe box Ethan’s mom had gifted to Jamie when he started the restaurant.

“I hear Hannah made you dinner the other night,” Gavin said, grinning.

“You and your wife gossip too much,” Ethan said.

“It’s not gossip when it’s between a married couple.”

“Keep me out of your pillow talk,” Ethan said.

“Are you having yourownpillow talk?” Gavin teased.

When he didn’t answer immediately, Baz chuckled, shaking his head. “That didn’t take long.”

Jamie glanced up from his cutting board, grabbing a large heirloom tomato and began slicing it. “So you talked it out? The Jackson Hayes of it all?”

Ethan cleared this throat, unsure how much he could tell the guys without betraying Hannah’s confidence. “Yeah. I didn’t have all the information before.”

“See? I knew you two could work it out,” Gavin said. “About time you had a real relationship.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say we’re in a relationship.”

“Why not?” Jamie asked.

Ethan scrubbed his hand over his face as the ease of the last twenty-four hours disappeared beneath the onslaught of his friends’ interrogation. “We haven’t put a label on anything.”

“What, are we fifteen?” Baz asked. “You’re either together or you’re not.”

“I mean, we’re more together than not…I think,” Ethan said.

“You think?” Jamie asked.

“But you’re sleeping together,” Gavin said, his forehead furrowed.

“We’re… I’m not talking about this at family dinner,” Ethan said, grabbing another small handful of cheese.

Jamie swatted at his hand. “There won’t be a dinner if you don’t stop stealing my cheese.”

“I don’t understand,” Gavin said. “I thought you wanted something real with Hannah.”

“I did. I do. But I don’t know what she wants. I don’t think she even knows.”

“I heard you were spotted kissing outside of Plot Twist,” Jamie said between layering slices of tomato and cheese on top of perfectly fried chicken breasts.

“I heard it was outside The Silver Spoon,” Baz said.

“From who?” Ethan demanded.

“Mrs. Blumenthal told my mom when they saw each other in the grocery store,” Gavin said with a shrug.

“Mrs. Greene asked Tessa about it when she stopped by the bakery to pick up the pastries for tomorrow’s church coffee hour.” Jamie slid the sheet pan of prepared chicken into the oven.

---