Page 140 of Forever

It felt like the letters all over again. My mom had never seen any of them. Maybe that’s what was happening here. “Just because Tanner got messages to my dad’s boat doesn’t mean my father saw them though.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Matt said. “I know you dad would be here if he knew he was wanted.”

I nodded. My dad wanted to be part of our lives. That I knew for sure. I took another deep breath. “Let’s just be happy.”

Matt smiled down at me. “Oh, I’m very happy. I’m marrying you tomorrow.”

I laughed. “Come on, let’s get inside.”

He put his arm around my shoulders and guided me toward the bridge.

Wait, what?“Why is there a moat here?” I shook my head.Wrong question.“Howis there a moat here?” No wonder Jacob thought this was a castle.

Chapter 31

Thursday

Brooklyn

“I think Tanner owns the apartment beneath his or something too,” Matt said.

“That doesn’t really answer my question.” I paused on the footbridge and leaned on the railing to look at the water. A few fish swam by. “Is this even like…to code?”

Matt laughed. “Probably not. At least he took the tarp off. Usually it’s covered. I thought there were sharks under there for the longest time.”

“Hm.” I watched another colorful fish swim by. “No sharks. But it’s very cool.”

“A little flashy if you ask me,” Matt said.

I laughed. “Come on. I can’t wait to see the rest.” I pulled him across the bridge and knocked on the apartment door.

Nigel threw the door open. “Happy Thanksgiving!” He was wearing an apron that said “Kiss the Chef” with a little turkey stitched to the side. He was also wearing an Indian headdress, which was a pretty bold move. The feathers trailing down his back almost hit the floor. None of it made any sense over top of his lederhosen.

Matt shook his head. “What are you wearing?”

Nigel adjusted his headdress. “I couldn’t remember if you wanted a traditional Thanksgiving or a modern day one. I forgot to write it down. So I did a mix. This is my war bonnet.”

Matt shook his head again. “You maybe shouldn’t be wearing that, man.”

“Why? It’s a celebration! And this is a sacred headdress.”

“Not for you though.”

“It’s very sacred to me,” Nigel said. “I keep it with all my bonnets in locked boxes. I treat all my relics with respect.”

A strange smell suddenly hit me. My nose scrunched up and my stomach churned.Oh no.“Nigel, what are you cooking?” I took a deep breath through my mouth to try and calm my stomach.

“Like I said…it’s a mix between a traditional Thanksgiving and a modern day feast. So we have your classic turkey with all the fixings, including my world-famous biscuits. I even made a Jello mold which was all the rage in the 60s. One of my favorites. The dish. Not the era.” He shuddered. “And I also have the classics. Fresh hand-caught and butchered venison of course. A variety of fish. Cod and bass have been highlightedheavily. And eel. Those slippery devils were hard to catch. We also have an assortment of other wildfowl besides the turkey, fully plucked by yours truly. And so much corn. Corn bread, corn on the cob, corn off the cob, and corn porridge of course. There is no feast without a porridge if you ask me.”

Well, that explained the warring smells in the air. Especially theheavilyhighlighted fish courses. “Wow that sounds…yummy.”

Nigel smiled. “There’s a little something for everyone.” He straightened the straps of his apron, seeming to emphasis the “Kiss the Chef” written there. “I wanted it to be special for you, mademoiselle.”

“Thank you, Nigel.” I gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.

He was smiling ear to ear when I released him from the hug.

An alarm started going off.

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