Page 91 of Go Cook Yourself

“Be aware that sometimes everything changes, and you must change with it.”

I glance at Kath, who’s chuckling at the tickling fight. “Is that one of your wise woman sayings?”

She shakes her head. “No. Let’s say I know things you don’t, and the next two days aren’t going to go according to your plan.”

Liz calls everyone to the table before I can ask what she means.

Chapter Forty-Five

Garett

This family know how to Christmas up a table. Fairy lights snake around the food bowls. The turkey glistens like it’s salivating at the prospect of being carved, steam rises from roast potatoes, and the sprouts are the greenest I’ve ever seen. I hide my mouth with my hand for fear that the drool collecting in my cheeks might slip out and ruin the cool chef persona I’ve created.

Ruby nudges me. “You’re not hiding anything. You’re hungrier than a playboy at a nightclub.”

It’s true. My stomach growls as I scan the table again. The bread I baked, with the same secret ingredients as my famous pasta dish, sits between the bright orange carrots and the bacon-covered sausages.

“I should take my bread off the table. It’s not Christmassy, and it doesn’t belong,” I hiss.

I reach for my bread, but Flora slaps my hand away. Ruby sneaks a bit off and pops it into her smug mouth. As soon as she chews, her brow furrows, and she stares at me even though we’re sitting right next to each other. She recognises the taste, but her twisting mouth as she looks down and then back at me suggests she still doesn’t know the secret ingredients.

I chuckle as Jem shouts, “This is why I love my family.”

“When you say this is why you love your family, what are you referring to? It better not just be the food, Jem,” Liz says, standing by the table. “You’re cruising for an empty plate.”

“I love you for lots of reasons, obviously,” he says quickly while his dad titters.

“Liar,” Amber says. I glance at Flora, who witnesses Amber, Liz, and Iain teasing Jem. Is she wondering if every family is like this, too?

“It’s not always this chaotic,” Ruby whispers. She perches her hand on my knee. Thankfully, it’s hidden under the table. I don’t want to be dragged into any family moments. I’m still not sure if everyone is fighting or bantering. “I blame Amber and the fact that she knows that for as long as she’s this pregnant, she can get away with anything.”

“Don’t believe her,” Kalen whispers from my other side. “It’s always like this, but I’ve got you, Garett. You and me need to stick together, seeing as we’re both with Cloud sisters.”

My stare jumps around at the family, but no one’s heard. “But Ruby and I are just—”

“Sure you are,” he replies with a grin so big it nearly eclipses his face. “I always let my friends touch me under the table.”

Ruby yanks her hand back as Iain announces it’s time to carve the turkey. She reaches again for bread.

“Stop right there, Ruby. We all need some of Garett’s special bread.”

“But it doesn’t fit the table,” I stutter as smiles, smirks, and grins come at me.

“As if that matters, you grumpy sausage,” Kath replies. “Have you seen Flora’s biscuits?”

“They’re ridiculous,” Jem mutters.

“Hey,” Flora and I say simultaneously.

“Hey, nothing. You’re both part of the Cloud family now, and you’re free game,” Liz replies. “Do we all agree?”

As each family member nods their head, my heart crushes a little. Tomorrow, they’ll know that I’m leaving and rejecting them. I catch Amber nodding at me, as well as Kath. They know I’m leaving, but for them, I’m still part of their family. Amber dead-eyes me and mouths,You’re family now, champ.

“I guess it’s unanimous then,” Liz adds. Even Jem nods. “As Iain cuts the turkey because I’m too impatient, let’s—”

Iain holds the carving knife aloft. “I’d like Ruby to do it. She’s the real chef, after Garett, and this is her first Christmas with us in six years. I want to celebrate that.”

A sob escapes Ruby’s mouth as she stands and hugs her parents. I can’t get in the way of Ruby and her family. If I ever needed a visual representation of why I’m going, I just had it.

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