Page 58 of The Catch

Sarah didn’t have a big family. Often times it was just the two of them for holidays, or occasionally they would travel to North Carolina to spend Christmas with her sister’s family. The first few years he enjoyed it—the family atmosphere, the table full of food and laughter—but after a while, when he and Sarah began the slow, steady descent into the end of their relationship, the entire affair felt forced and uncomfortable. It was like there was a buzzer clock counting down the time they had left as a family, and they all knew it.

Before that, in the years following his grandfather’s death, he would sometimes accompany Dylan home for holidays. Dylan’s mother was a fantastic cook, like Josh’s own mother had been, and she would greet him as enthusiastically as she would her own son and daughter. Eventually, though, Dylan’s sister began taking over hosting holidays when she had her own husband and kids. She always made sure to extend an invitation to Josh, but he’d never felt right about accepting. Dylan’s mother genuinely enjoyed having another honorary child to dote on, but his sister was just being kind.

Last year, two months after his divorce was final and six months after he’d been living alone in his house, he’d made himself a turkey sandwich and spent the day watching football in his pajamas. Now he was wearing a shirt and tie, standing next to a beautiful woman who he was completely head over heels for, preparing to meet her extended family. He never could have predicted it.

Cat looped her arm through his, leading them down a paver path and up a set of stone steps where she paused in front of a frosted glass front door to fluff her hair. Cat’s father opened the door before they even had a chance to knock, pulling Cat into a hug immediately. When he released her, Josh shifted the bottle of wine he’d brought into his left hand and accepted a hearty handshake from him.

“Josh, it’s so nice to meet you,” he said, his eyes sparkling with genuineness. “We’re very pleased you were able to come.”

“Thank you for inviting me, sir.” Cat took his arm again as they stepped into the house, and he was more grateful for the support than he’d anticipated. He wasn’t nervous exactly. He had plenty of experience mingling with people he didn’t know, but he was struck by the feeling that maybe this was a place he wanted to be more than just a guest someday.

As soon as they closed the door behind them, they were rushed by Cat’s mother Cynthia, a finely aged version of Cat with a crown of grey hair pinned up around her head and a frilly, holiday-themed apron tied around her middle. Cynthia greeted Josh with a hug, and when she pulled away, she brushed the lapels of his coat in that way only mothers do. He couldn’t deny the touch and the smell of nutmeg and sage that wafted from her warmed a place in his chest he hadn’t felt in a long time.

A woman whom he assumed was one of Cat’s sisters rounded the corner next. He recognized the honey-brown eyes that seemed to be a Roday family trait, as well as their shared smattering of dark freckles. This woman’s skin was a few shades darker than Cat’s, making the marks less noticeable, but they were there.

Cat’s probable sister offered her hand. “You must be Josh.”

“This is my sister, Maria,” Cat said, letting her arm slide down his until their fingers were intertwined. Maria stole a glance at the gesture.

A strange energy radiated from Cat as soon as Maria spoke. Her shoulders straightened, and her lips pursed—she began obsessively smoothing her skirt with her free hand. There was definitely some tension between the two.

“Nice to meet you, Maria.” She had a firm handshake that reminded him of the women he knew professionally. It was all power suits and pumps, and he wondered what Maria did for a living, assuming it was something corporate. Maybe the two were competitive in their careers. Though, Cat was certainly no disappointment on that front.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Olivia is in the kitchen, pulling pies out of the oven. Cat, bring him in.” Maria turned on her heel and waved them along behind her.

Cat squeezed his hand, and with a roll of her eyes, they followed into the kitchen, finding Olivia where Maria had said she was.

“You must be Josh,” Olivia said, pulling him in for a hug. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hugged this much. “Cat has told us so much about you. It’s so good to finally meet you.”

Olivia was obviously much closer in age to Maria than Cat, but she had a big smile and warm eyes, that were more reminiscent of her younger sister. She also had a very large pregnant belly that was completely undetectable from the back. It surprised him when she’d turned to greet him, and given their similarities it was impossible for him not to picture the way Cat might look someday.

“It’s good to meet you too,” he said, pushing aside the daydreams. “Thank you for having me.”

The three older Roday women stood in a semicircle in almost matching posture, taking him in until Cat interrupted them. “Josh, would you like something to drink? I’m sure my mother was just about to ask you.”

Cynthia seemed to snap back to attention at that, shaking her head and rushing to the refrigerator. “What can I get you, sweetheart?” she said. “Coffee? Iced tea?”

“Are you driving, son?”

Carlos appeared then, and Josh spun around to face him. “No, sir. Catia drove.”

“In that case, skip the tea and come have a drink with me.”

Josh didn’t get the impression he was asking, so he squeezed Cat’s hand then followed her father out of the room and down a dim hallway with rich, antique-looking wallpaper.

“Beer or whiskey?” Carlos asked when he’d led them into a parlor with leather furniture and an enormous, polished-wood bar. It was a retirement hobby for Carlos, Cat had told him. He’d built it himself and was learning how to make exotic cocktails from around the world to impress his friends and family.

There were a few other men gathered on the couches watching the Cowboys game, and they looked at him with mild interest as he passed. Josh quickly scanned their drink choices, noting an array of glass tumblers and amber liquid.

“Whiskey is good. Thank you.”

“Boys, this is Josh,” Carlos called to the group of men as he set about selecting a bottle from the top shelf. “He’s Catia’s boyfriend. That’s Antonio, Rick, Daniel, and Eddie.” He went down the row on the couch, and each man nodded in response. “The little one in the chair is Jaime.”

Jaime waved sheepishly, then glanced at Antonio, who Josh assumed was his father.

“Nice to meet you all,” he said, holding up the glass Carlos had pushed in front of him.

“Woohee,” Rick said. “Would you listen to that accent? Cat found herself a Yankee.”

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