Page 24 of Fractured Hope
Atticus flashed me an amused look. “Don’t worry about bringing anything. There is always more than enough food. Mama and Yaya love to cook, and there’ll be enough food to feed an army.”
“I’ve never been to a big family event.”
Reaching over, Atticus took my hand and interlaced our fingers. “It’s okay. They’ll love you.”
My cheeks heated as I forced a smile. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” My insides felt warm with embarrassment as well as his sweet sincerity. I glanced down at his hand in mine and couldn’t help but smile.
We headed to Katerina’s house around eleven on Sunday morning. As we rounded the corner a large rustic Craftsman-style house came into view. I admired the house’s charm as Atticus parked the truck and we got out. I glanced around at all the cars in front of the house and on the street.
“Are these all for your family lunch?” My voice came out a little shaky as I gestured at nearly a dozen cars nearby.
“Probably. All my brothers are here, my cousins, and some friends, too. Most of the street will drop in at some point.” He took my hand and guided me up the front steps. We didn’t bother knocking as Atticus led us inside.
“We’re here!” Atticus shouted in greeting as we moved through the foyer, past a small sitting room, and then out toward the back of the house. I could hear the crowd already; it did sound like a lot of people.
As we stepped into the spacious, open-plan kitchen, the delicious smells made my stomach growl. Kat popped up from behind the kitchen island, startling me.
“You made it!” she exclaimed happily as she came around to greet us. She bypassed Atticus and swept me into a hug. “I’m so glad you decided to come! Welcome to our home.” She was practically vibrating with excitement.
“I’m here, too, Mama.” Atticus smirked at me.
She took the dish towel off her shoulder and swatted him with it. “Shush you. I see you all the time. Bodhi, here, is our guest of honor,” she said with little reprimand.
I shot Atticus a look.Guest of honor! What!?
She linked arms with mine and somewhat awkwardly guided me to the back door, Atticus following in our wake. As we stepped outside, I was able to take in the reason for all the noise. The patio and backyard were full of people. Most were on the deck, chatting around the few patio heaters, while kids of various ages ran around the adults and through the backyard. I could see a fire pit flickering through the people, a safe distance from the house. A group of older men were sitting around it, all laughing animatedly about something. I recognized a few people from Jolt, including Kay. Smiling, I sent him a little wave. He waved back, and the person he was with turned around.
“Finally! Atty and Bodhi are here. Does that mean we can eat now?” Lyric shouted as he bounded over to kiss his mom on the cheek, then punched Atticus’s shoulder in greeting. He had some very similar traits to a golden retriever that one of my foster families had owned. He was always full of energy and a little whacky. You couldn’t help but notice his shenanigans and whatever he was up to with how loud he often was. Smiling to myself, I had to giggle as Kat swatted at Lyric, just like she’d done to Atticus in the kitchen.
Shaking her head, Kat added, “O ómorfos tarachopoiós mou.”
“Aw, thanks, Mama!” Lyric turned to me. “She just called me her handsome troublemaker.” He sent me a puckish smirk.
Kat introduced me to a few people as we made our way around the crowd. Many asked about my injuries. I was just going to say it was an accident, but every chance Kat got she would start the full, rather dramatized story of how Atticus had injured me, then had to nurse me back to health. The first time she told the story Atticus tried his best to correct her. He seemed so embarrassed and remorseful, but eventually, he gave up and let his mom rib him with every new introduction. There were a lot of them. By the time she’d done a lap of the yard, everybody knew the story of my injuries.
I sent Atticus a reassuring smile. I didn’t blame him for startling me. The accident wasn’t his fault and I hope he knew that.
Eventually, after I’d met just about everyone at the party, a stout older woman with short salt-and-pepper hair came onto the back deck with a large platter of what looked like meat, and she set it on one of the many tables nearby.
“As fáme!” she exclaimed as Atticus and his brothers followed her out with large platters and set them around the other tables. There wassomuch food.
Everyone was bustling around, grabbing plates, then loading them with all sorts of deliciousness.
Atticus came over to me, where I was standing off to the side watching the chaos. “Come on. Let’s eat, and I’ll introduce you to Yaya.” He guided me to one of the food tables, handed me a plate, and filled it with a variety of meats, salads, dips, and breads. He went through each dish I was unsure about until I had a plate full of Greek delicacies.
We headed to one of the picnic tables that had been laid out for this occasion and sat with his Mom and the lady who had started the rush of people serving themselves.
“Yaya, there’s someone I would like you to meet,” Atticus said as we reached the table. “This is Bodhi. He’s new in town.”
“Bodhi, my dear, I have heard a lot about you. Come sit by me and let’s have a chat.” She spoke with a hearty accent as she smiled up at me, her bright brown eyes sparkling.
I quickly obeyed and sat down. Atticus sat across from me next to Kat.
“Hi.” I smiled politely and held out my hand to shake, even though my wrist was in a cast. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh dear. My Katerina told me all about your injuries.” She patted my cast with a delicate hand. “Are you feeling better? Is my engonós taking good care of you?” She shot Atticus a serious look. Leaning in conspiratorially, she sent me a wink. “You tell me if he’s not, and I’ll set him straight.”
“Fat chance of that,” Lyric called from where he was sitting nearby.
