Page 14 of Grateful Hearts

“So, does this mean that you’ll come home with me?”

She set her coffee cup down and looked at him. A smile slowly spread across her lips. “I would be honored to cook Thanksgiving dinner for you and your family.”

“Really?”

Still smiling, she nodded. “Really.”

“Thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me? It should be the other way around. I should thank you. This will be my first Thanksgiving in years where I wasn’t working.”

“But you’re cooking. Isn’t that work?” Zach asked, feeling confused by her statement.

“True, but it won’t be at a restaurant. It will be nice to feel a little more relaxed.”

“I can understand that.”

“So, how many people are we talking about?”

“Between fifteen and twenty.”

“Oh wow! All family?”

“Yep. I have three brothers and one sister. Bear is the oldest and is married. He and his wife Jocelyn have two kids, both adopted. Then there are my two single brothers, Justin and Ethan. And finally, the baby of the family is my adventurous sister Clover. Her boyfriend, Joker, will be there as well. Plus, my aunt and her husband and their two kids. Sometimes, a few neighbors who don’t have any family show up.”

“I can’t believe there are five of you.”

“Sometimes I can’t believe it either,” Zach said with a slight laugh. His siblings could all be a pain in the ass, but he wouldn’t trade them for the world.

“Alright, so what is the plan?”

“I hope you don’t mind driving the rest of the way.”

“I don’t mind at all,” she replied with a small smile.

Zach grinned. “Good. It is about an eight-hour drive. I told my mom since it was getting late that, we’d find a place nearby and then leave early in the morning. That way, we’ll arrive at my parent’s house before the snowstorm is supposed to hit. I just need to look for a hotel. However, it may be hard finding a room because of all the cancellations.”

“Actually, I already got a room,” Chantel said.

“You did?”

“Yeah. That was what I was doing while you were on the phone with your mom. Since I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, I figured that I would just hunker down at a nearby hotel for the night and hope I could get a flight out in the morning. And you are correct, there are not many rooms left. The lady I spoke with at the hotel said that I got the last room.”

Damn...Zach wondered what he was going to do if he couldn’t find a room.

“I don’t know what other hotels are nearby and if they have any rooms left. But if you don’t mind sharing, my room does have two double beds. You’re more than welcome to one of them.”

“Are you sure?” Zach asked.

She laughed and waved him off. “If you are trusting enough to take me to your family’s home for Thanksgiving, then I think I can trust that you won’t pull any funny business.”

Her funny expression made him laugh.

“I think that is fair.”

“Well, now that we have a plan. Let’s hop on the shuttle to the rental car center and then head over to the hotel.”

Chapter Four

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