Page 18 of Shifted

"Thanks," I felt an arm wrap around my leg and looked down at her.

"Mummy," she smiled and looked at Theo, confused. Moments later, she poked his leg. "Who's you?" She looked back at me as I glanced at Theo.

"This is Aunty Bella's brother Theo." She peered up at him as he stood tall.

"Teo?" She replied, and he bent down to her level.

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Joely." He offered his hand, and in return, she wrapped her arms around him, which he accepted.

"Does he like Charlie?" she asked me as she let go to face him. He was obviously confused by what she meant. I didn’t take Theo to be a Peanuts character kind of guy.

"Charlie?" He asks, confused.

"Brown," I note, to which he nodded in understanding.

"My favorite character is the bird, Woodstock," he mused, causing her to laugh. But she moved her attention to Grayson.

"We have serious business to continue,” he stated earnestly and motioned towards the white door. She gives him a curt nod and takes his hand, exiting the kitchen.

"Is it the Thanksgiving puzzle?" Bella questions as Theo stands.

"Exactly. They have a mission." She nodded as I turned to Maria. Maria, what needs to be done?"

"It's Mom, Hope." I shook my head in disagreement. It’s not that I wouldn’t love to call her mom. She’d been playing the role of it since I was just 17, but it was complicated. It didn’t feel right, and it needed to feel right.

"You've been saying this for years, Maria. I had a mother. She was a disaster, but I consider you to be mine. I just wouldn't find it appropriate," she rolled her eyes at me as I chuckled. "Have you made the stuffing?" She shakes her head and points to the fridge. I go to gather the items to begin making the stuffing to help take the load off.

Bella’s kitchen was incredibly tasteful, with cyan cabinets, white tiling, and pans hanging from the ceiling. When I first saw it, I called it a Disney kitchen, something you’d see in the princess movies with the windows opening to nature—well, really, the city. Instead, her kitchen didn’t have any windows, just an air vent.

"Thank you," Maria chides, and then Bella clears her throat, looking over and staring at us.

"Yes?" I question as she stands perplexed by the door.

"I'm hosting; shouldn't I be doing something?" Cutting back my laughter, I bit down on my lip as she looked flustered. She could be doing something, but deep down, we both know she truly didn’t want to. Plus, she was the world's worst cook.

"Go occupy your niece," I suggest, turning her away from the kitchen. Then she stops, turns to the dining table, and grabs her keys.

"I'm going to grab more butter from the store.” She suggested leaving the rest of us confused.

"On Thanksgiving?" Today, out of all days, making a quick store run wasn’t the brightest move. Mostly because your chances of being mulled over by someone were significantly higher than usual on this holiday. Stores were a real-life hell today, and the lines were an even more complicated situation.

"We are out, and I have no other choice." The white door swings behind her as she leaves in a hurry.

“In about twenty seconds, Joely will ask me to help with the puzzle, so I’ll be back in five. Keep an eye on that casserole,” Maria warns.

“Wouldn’t want to burn it now, would we?” she didn’t find my teasing funny as she left.

"So you have a daughter?" I glanced back at the company I had left. "Bella never told me you had a kid?" I nodded my head as I laid out the ingredients. I began dicing the celery as I focused on getting this meal prepped. "She's very adorable. Joely is her name?" I placed down the knife, looking up at him, knowing he was eager for conversation, which I was avoiding.

"Yeah, she drives me crazy half the time, but she's my best friend. Don't tell Bella!" He sits across from me at the island table as I avoid his gaze.

"You went through law school with a kid?" he says, surprised. “I know you're a lawyer, and last I saw you. You were at Boston University for Law." I peer up at him again to meet those same curious eyes.

"I'm just Wonder Woman," I smirk, shrugging my shoulders, "I'm a woman of many talents, and one of them is multitasking Mommy. Plus, I graduated early-"

"So you really are Wonder Woman. You graduated earlier, even with the stress of having a kid and school?" It was one of the most grueling times of my life. I was depressed, sleep-deprived, and hanging on by a thread, but this was about me and my child's future. If I could get through that, I could get through anything.

"Yep," I sigh. "So Chicago, you put that business degree to use, hmm?" He owned a multi-billion-dollar company out there. “Manufacturing and investments?" I question, not knowing much about it.

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