Page 33 of If I See You Again
Malcolm rolled his eyes. “In all fairness, we met before I knew he was a client.”
A weight lifted. This was great. He was admitting to someone that we were more than just coworkers.
“What’s going on out here?”
Another man I hadn’t met yet came out through the sliding back door, carrying two beer bottles. He handed one to Marisa, and I assumed that, since they looked so similar, this was another one of the cousins.
“We’re just embarrassing Malcolm by asking him questions about his love life and his friend here.” Marisa grinned as she took the bottle, tapping it against the one the other man held and her husband’s before tossing it back.
“Chris, by the way. I would have brought you one, but I didn’t know you were out here.” He held out his hand, and I shook it while Malcolm continued to pout about all the teasing. I liked it. My family gatherings were nothing like this. It was nice to see people getting along instead of fighting or, worse, treading on eggshells to avoid conflict.
“No problem. I’m just getting to know everyone.”
Chris grinned as he turned back to his sister, leaning in to whisper something in her ear. She laughed at whatever it was. Malcolm made a face at them before grabbing my arm and dragging me back into the house.
“Well, that’s enough of that.”
“What’s wrong? I thought it was cute.”
Malcolm huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe to you it is. I don’t know. It’s just strange to have them teasing me like that.”
“Why is it strange?”
When I didn’t get an answer and Malcolm looked off into the distance, it was clear he wouldn’t answer me. There was still a lot for him to figure out, and that wouldn’t change over the course of just a few days.
I ended up following him to the kitchen, where he picked up a bag of fresh cranberries. Dana gave him a smile, and he motioned for me to take a seat at the small dining nook where we had eaten breakfast for the last couple of mornings.
“Where did you go?” she asked as Malcolm fished out a small pot and then reached for an orange and a zester.
“I realized I ran to the store and left David by himself. Don’t you think he looks better decorating your kitchen while we work?”
That made me laugh. One of those full-bellied ones that made my stomach hurt by the end of it. I had to wipe tears from my eyes. “Is that what I’ve become now? Eye candy?”
Malcolm only shrugged, continuing to move around the kitchen with his mother. Dana gave me a smug grin, knowing that she was winning at setting up her son. If only she knew the full extent of things and the mischief we’d gotten up to on her couch the night before.
I didn’t have to sit by myself for long. Once Malcolm had the cranberries going on the stove, he brought over two bottles of beer and sat across from me. I took the drink from him and sipped the beverage. It was cool, and the hoppy flavor was relaxing.
“We have some time while that cooks down. Thank you, by the way, for talking me into asking her to help.”
I felt warm, like I’d done something good for him, which may explain why he was opening up more about this thing growing between us.
“David, why don’t you get up here and be my taste tester?” Dana asked.
Malcolm scoffed. “Really? That’smyjob.”
She laughed. “Well, if David is going to be a part of this family, isn’t it fair to give him some of the responsibility?”
The blush spread across Malcolm’s cheeks again, but he didn’t object when I stood from my seat and made my way over to the kitchen counter. Dana sliced off a piece of ham and held it up for me. I blew on the meat before biting into it.
The ham was absolute perfection. A balance of salty and sweet. Mrs. Fisher’s cooking far surpassed my mother’s. I’d never be able to eat hers again, and that was bad. Very bad. Looked like there would be more arguments in my future.
“That—that’s probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted.”
The woman practically preened. “You hear that, Malcolm? I’ve won him over through his stomach. You have to keep him now.”
I laughed until my phone went off in my pocket. Realistically, I knew I’d hear from someone today. It was more than likely my sister. Mom and Dad hadn’t really seemed bothered when I said I wouldn’t be home this year.
Sure enough, when I pulled the phone from my pocket, the text waiting was from her. I didn’t answer it because I knew what it would say. Audrey would be complaining about being left alone to deal with our parents while I was off having a good time. I would deal with it later. My current focus was the woman who was shoving a forkful of stuffing in my direction, not caring that I wasn’t paying attention.
