Page 27 of Christmas On Anchor Island

“Thank you, Will,” said Nota, taking their hostess’s hand. “You were so sweet to include us.”

The taller woman waved the words away. “Don’t be silly. You’re Lauren’s family, and that makes you mine as well.”

Lauren and Will were cousins, though they hadn’t known each other until the talented chef landed on the island. Henri didn’t know all the details, but she did know that Will grew up with money, and Lauren did not. In fact, Lauren hadn’t even known who her father was until Will had revealed his identity earlier in the year. Sometimes life really was crazier than fiction.

“Hi,” Mia said to Henri once Nota had taken a seat. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you.”

“You look good,” Mia said with a shy smile.

“Not as good as you.” Henri wore her typical jeans, lace-up boots, and black turtleneck under a blue leather jacket. She’d had no idea there would be a fancy dinner when she’d packed for the trip. “You look… happy.”

With a sparkle in her eyes, Mia nodded. “It’s been a good day. I talked to Grandma earlier.”

Henri tensed. “Did you…”

Mia shook her head. “No, but I did tell her—”

“All right, everyone,” Will called from the front of the room. “It’s time to take your seats. The food is coming out in just a minute and we have some announcements first.”

“Hurry,” Callie said, tugging Henri toward her chair. “We need to sit down so this can start.” To Mia, she said, “You look very pretty today. Did you do something different with your hair?”

Mia touched her clip. “I just pulled it up.”

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Sid yelled, earning a poke in the ribs from her sister-in-law.

“Can you not embarrass me?”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Mia gave Henri a hold that thought smile before spinning to take her seat.

What did she tell Nota?

Another tug from Callie dragged Henri to her chair. This announcement thing needed to move along so she could get back to their conversation.

“First off,” Randy Navarro, who stood beside his wife looking like the mountain of a man that he was, said, “thank you all for coming today. We’re so proud of Pilar’s and what a great job Lauren has done to make this place one of the best restaurants in the Outer Banks. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than with the people who have been with us from the beginning.”

“It’s been a great six months so far,” Will added, “and we look forward to more of the same going forward. On that note, our first announcement is that Pilar’s fantastically talented chef, Lauren Riley, will be featured in the February edition of Food & Fare magazine as one of the up-and-coming chefs to watch on the East Coast.”

Cheers went up all around as Lauren lingered near the kitchen, a wide grin on her face. Nick stood behind her, yelling, “That’s right, baby.”

Henri had never written a chef hero or heroine. This pair made her want to try her hand at both.

“We’re also happy that Lauren’s brother Knox was able to join us this year.” Turning to Mia’s table, Randy said, “Thank you for your service.”

The tall man with the buzz cut blushed to the tips of his ears. “Thanks. I’m happy to be here.”

Those gathered applauded for the soldier, and then Will said, “There’s just one more piece of news before we finally get to the food. I’ll let Beth and Joe handle this one.”

Almost as one, the room turned in their chairs to face the Dempseys’ table. Joe rose first, then Beth slowly did the same and wrapped her arms around her husband’s torso. “We know you all want to eat so I’ll keep this brief.” Joe smiled down at his wife in a way that made even Henri want to swoon. “Beth and I are happy to share the news that in six months, there’s going to be another little Dempsey running around, and this time it’s going to be a boy.”

The room erupted in cheers, though the Stamatis family and the kitchen staff might have been the only ones who hadn’t already known. Backs were patted, hugs were exchanged, and the expectant parents beamed with excitement. During dinner, Henri learned that they’d only told their daughters, Mary Ann and Daphne, that morning as a Christmas surprise. Since they hadn’t expected either to keep the baby a secret, making the announcement before they had the chance to blab had seemed like the best plan.

It wasn’t until the dessert course that folks started moving around, giving Henri the chance to check back in with Mia. Unfortunately, a latecomer had taken the seat beside her, and with Nota on the other side, Henri couldn’t exactly pick up the conversation where they’d left off. Watching Jeremy talk Mia’s ear off made Henri want to step in and save her, but she couldn’t blame him for his efforts. Mia was beautiful all the time, but she looked exceptionally stunning today.

What had she told Nota? Henri needed an excuse to interrupt their conversation and ask.

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