Page 10 of Grateful Hearts

“Well, I guess it’s official,” he said, his tone light despite the disappointment in the air. “Time for Plan B.”

Chantel gave him a small, half-hearted smile, but he could see the flicker of frustration in her eyes. She looked like she was about to ask what his Plan B was when his phone buzzed loudly on the table. He glanced at the screen and sighed.

“Sorry, it’s my mom,” he said, standing. “Do you mind watching my bags for a minute?”

“Sure,” Chantel replied, her voice soft, though her curious gaze lingered on him as he walked away.

He made his way to the large windows overlooking the tarmac, the glow of the terminal lights reflecting off the planes parked in neat rows below.

“Hey, Mom,” he greeted, keeping his tone upbeat. “How’s the Thanksgiving prep going? Got the pies in the oven yet?”

“Zachary, I…” her voice cracked, uncharacteristically shaky. “I fell this morning. I slipped on some ice outside the grocery store. And, well, I broke my wrist.”

Zach straightened, the casual smile dropping from his face. “What? Are you okay? Did you go to the hospital?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine physically,” she rushed on, her words tumbling over each other. “Your dad, thankfully, was with me and took me to the hospital.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “But Thanksgiving, Zach! Do you know how much more there is to do? There are still things I need to buy, I need to clean the house, and the place cards aren’t even written! Everyone’s coming over in two days, and now I can’t do anything.”

Her voice pitched higher with every sentence, and Zach could practically see her pacing in the kitchen, one-handed and panicked. His mom had always been meticulous, a perfectionist who could organize a party down to the last doily. Thanksgiving was her magnum opus, and now she was spiraling at the idea of it falling apart.

“Mom, calm down.”

“How can I calm down? I have a house full of people who are expecting a Thanksgiving dinner in four days.”

“Mom...”

Zach pinched the bridge of his nose as his mom went into another rant. It wasn’t any use trying to interrupt her, so Zach stayed silent as his mom finished.

“Your father and brothers can only cook meat on the grill. None of you can cook a turkey. And your sister, well, we all know that Clover isn’t allowed near the stove except to bake. I swear that girl could burn water. The only person I have faith in is Jocelyn, but she and Bear and the kids aren’t getting in until sometime Wednesday.”

“I just don’t know what to do. I’m sorry, honey. I don’t mean to burden you with all this when you have your own problems to deal with. Has there been any update on your flight?”

“Actually, we just found out that the flight was canceled. Apparently, the weather all over the country is causing flights to be grounded. But knowing there was a possibility of this happening, I reserved a car. Since it is getting late, I was thinking of getting a hotel nearby, and then we’ll head out early in the morning. That way, we’ll get there before the storm moves in.”

“We?” she questioned, curiosity ran in her tone. “I didn’t know you were bringing someone with you. Which knucklehead teammate of yours do we have the pleasure of hosting this year?”

We?He thought to himself.Did I say “we?”Had he said that because he had been sitting and talking to Chantel for the last couple of hours?

Zach scratched the back of his neck, feeling a bit nervous. He stole a quick glance at Chantel, noting how cute she looked as she sipped her coffee and scrolled through her phone. He wondered what she was going to do now that their flight was canceled. Suddenly, an idea went off like a lightbulb in his head.

“Actually, it isn’t someone you know.”

“Oh....”

“Yeah, the person is actually she. Her name is Chantel.”

Silence greeted him, and he wondered if the call was still connected.

“Mom? Are you still there?”

“Sorry,” she apologized and cleared her throat. “You caught me off guard there for a moment. I didn’t realize you had met someone and obviously serious enough to bring home to meet the family,” she finished with a bit of excitement in her tone.

Zach could hear both the excitement and skepticism in her voice, and it made him grin. He never brought home a woman to meet his family. Hell, he hadn’t even been committed to a woman since Naomi, his high school sweetheart, had ripped his heart out. She was the main reason he had no interest in a committed relationship. At least not until he was done serving his country.

Before his mom could start planning his wedding, he needed to set the record straight and let her know who Chantel was.

“Mom, it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t she your girlfriend?”

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