Page 17 of Grateful for You
My brother stepped back examining me up and down. “And you’re dressed… in atie—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Athena came charging into the room to greet Jackson. But unlike any other dog I’d seen who usually launched on strangers, jumping up to say hi, she dropped into a seated position at his feet, her tail swishing across the hardwood floors, waiting for him to pet her.
“When the hell did you get a dog?Whatis going on here?”
Piper poked her head out of the kitchen at that moment. “Athena! Are you our Thanksgiving welcome wagon?”
“Jackson, this is Piper. She got stranded here in Maple Grove yesterday, and instead of paying an exorbitant price to fix her car on a holiday, I convinced her to join us.”
My brother’s gaze swept over Piper, and her smile faltered, only momentarily, as she held out her hand for my brother to take. To his credit, he didn’t hesitate. But despite the way she had styled her hair to hide her bruise, I saw the flicker of awareness as his eyes landed right on the spot where a bit of purplish tint was peeking out from behind the swoop of her bangs.
“Well,” Jackson said. “If the way that pie smells is any indication, I can say pretty confidently that we, and byweI mean our stomachs, are so glad to have you here. Usually, we have to choke down the instant shit this guy calls a meal.”
“Hey,” I laughed and punched his arm. “You were more than welcome to take over hosting Orphan Thanksgiving any time you wanted.”
I curved my arm around his neck and dragged him into the kitchen, Athena trotting at our heels. “Oh, hell no,” he said. “If I had to cook a whole Thanksgiving meal, I’d find a way to ruin even the instant shit.”
“All right, then. I don’t want to hear it.” I handed him a beer to shut him up, and as always, it worked like a charm.
“I’m just saying… it smells like this year is going to be a hell of a lot better. And I think we owe it to your girl Piper here.” He tipped his beer to her before taking a swig.
Your girl. Heat swirled in my chest at the thought and damn if I didn’t wish that was true. That she truly was my girl. But she seemed pretty intent on leaving first thing tomorrow, which made her the farthest thing from mine.
A flush overtook her cheeks at his compliment. It was sweet and also tragic that a simple compliment from my brother about her cooking would cause her to blush so ferociously.
Piper busied herself with the gravy even though I knew for a fact it was already done. Standing in front of the warm stovetop, she stirred, keeping her head down. “How many people are coming today?”
The simmering milk on the stovetop was just about ready, and I poured it into the cocoa powder, giving it a stir before sliding it toward Piper.
“Wren will be here soon. And Carrie’s going to be a little late. Apparently, she got called into the shop for a few hours this morning and couldn’t turn down the time and a half. And Junebug won’t be coming this year. She met someone a couple of weeks ago and is going to his family’s house.”
Piper lifted her mug of hot cocoa, taking a sip. “Junebug?”
I curled my arm around her waist and tugged her in closer to me. “It’s a nickname…Pumpkin,” I whispered before brushing my lips to her cheek.
She giggled, angling her neck into me and squirming in my arms.
When she finally wriggled away, she cleared her throat, slapping away my pawing hands when she made eye contact with my brother. He looked at us, not with judgment… but wariness in his eyes.
“Do you need help setting the table?” he asked.
“Nope,” I crossed through the kitchen into the dining room where I had set the plates and silverware earlier. And of course, Piper had swept through, adding a tablecloth I didn’t know I had and a couple of candlesticks. “We are all set to go. All you need to do is enjoy your beer.”
He handed me the paper bag he’d brought in with him, and with a peek inside, I saw a few bottles of wine—his contribution to Thanksgiving every year. “For the first time ever, I feel like this isn’t enough.”
“Nah,” I said, pulling out the bottles and lining them up on the side table. “This is perfect. Besides, it’s all Piper. We’ve really got her to thank for everything this year.”
Jackson snorted. “Oh… I know. You couldn’t cook your way out of a paper bag. And God knows I’ve seen you try for the past four years.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Wren showed up with his sweet potato casserole in hand, and I introduced him to Piper. “Nice to meet you. I’m, uh, I’m starving…” he said, as his gaze shifted down her body, lingering over the dips and curves of her breasts pushing against her cable knit sweater before moving on to her tight jeans. It was clear he wasn’t only hungry for a Thanksgiving feast.
She arched a brow at my friend as I stepped closer to her side. “Unfortunately, I’m not on the menu, Wren.” She softened the comment with a grin, then winked at me. “At least not foryou, I’m not.”
God, I love this girl. The thought struck me so fast, so out of left field, that all I could do was freeze. Holy shit… love? I could barely use that word with Jayme, and we had been together for years. But now, it was just rolling through my thoughts like an easy ocean tide.
Wren laughed and put his one free hand in the air. “I’m not gonna argue with that.” Then with a quick elbow to my ribs, he whispered. “I like this one.”
