Page 53 of Let It Breathe
June dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin and pushed her plate aside. “Even so, honey, make sure you give us plenty of notice if you’re considering it at all. Without you as our winemaker, I don’t know what we’d do.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Eric said. “Really, there’s no chance of it. It’s just Sheila being—well, Sheila. Who’s ready for huckleberry cobbler?”
Clay set his fork down and stood up. “Let me help clear some of these plates.”
“I can get it, Clay,” Reese said. “Let me.”
“No, sit down. Really. You’ve hardly touched your food, you’ve been so busy serving everyone else.”
Reese frowned at him but sat down and forked up the last of her salad. Clay began gathering plates, and Larissa stood to help.
“Hey!” she said as she grabbed Reese’s salad plate out from under her. “Anyone want to play a game over dessert?”
“What sort of game?” Eric asked.
“I brought a board game,” she suggested.
Eric grunted. “Bored being the operative word?”
Larissa rolled her eyes. “Fine, something else, then. Something fun.” She trudged to the kitchen sink looking more wobbly than normal on her high heels, and Clay made a mental note to keep an eye on her. The line between social drinking and a genuine problem could be squiggly and blurred, which he knew damn well from experience.
Clay set the plates beside the sink and turned back to the table to gather another batch while Larissa got to work running the sink full of soapy water.
“I think we’re out for the games,” June said as she stood up and piled her plate on top of Jed’s, smiling as she grazed her husband’s hand. “There’s a meteor shower tonight, so we’re taking a blanket out to the north pasture to see if we can spot any shooting stars.”
“Should be a great night for it,” Jed said.
June grabbed another plate and nodded. “I call dibs on picking the spot this time.”
“Deal,” Jed said. “I call dibs on making the cocoa.”
Clay watched the private smile that flashed between Reese’s parents, marveling at the intimacy simmering in that small exchange. He slid his gaze to Reese, wondering if she noticed it, too, but Reese had already glanced away.
“Let us help with the dishes before we go,” June said, brushing her daughter’s shoulder as she moved past her into the kitchen. “That way you kids can get started on your game.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mom. I’ve got it.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.” Reese swallowed her last bite of scampi and reached for her water glass. “Don’t you want dessert before you go?”
June slid her arm around Jed’s waist as the two turned toward the door. “I have all the sweet stuff I need right here.”
Jed beamed and pulled his wife closer, and Clay wondered if they’d be able to fit through the doorway linked like Siamese twins. Something like longing flickered in Reese’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly, Clay decided he’d imagined it.
“Goodnight, sweetie,” Jed called. “Thanks for dinner.”
As the door shut behind them, Larissa pulled her hands out of a sinkful of soapy water and rinsed them beneath the tap. “Okay, then,” she said. “Screw the board games. Let’s play something fun like ‘I Never.’”
“What’s ‘I Never’?” Clay asked.
“A drinking game,” Eric muttered.
“A sexy drinking game,” Larissa amended.
Clay shrugged. “Can’t say I remember it. Of course, I was probably too blitzed to play.”
“Don’t worry,” Larissa assured him. “It’s more about sharing secrets than getting drunk. You can have water.”
