Page 88 of Mensa's Match

Dad shook his head. “None of that formal business, call me Dean. Come inside, all of you.”

Whitney hesitated in the hallway, and Mensa guided her toward the kitchen.

“Hey, Ma,” he called, before they rounded the corner.

“Hi, Kenneth,” Mom said, wiping her hands on a dish towel, then leaning up to kiss his cheek.

She smiled at him, and turned to Whitney. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about you, Whitney. I’m Celeste. Do you want something to drink?”

Mensa caught Whitney’s gaze. “You want a beer? Dad only drinks IPAs – or do you want wine?”

She gave a short head shake at the mention of an IPA. “A glass of wine would be good.”

Dad had the corkscrew twisted into the unopened bottle of wine. “Celeste, you want a glass, too?”

“I’ll wait until the food’s ready,” Mom said.

“Do you need any help?” Whitney asked.

Mom shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m just waiting on the biscuits to finish, then we’ll sit down to eat.”

Riley handed Whitney a glass of wine. “Aunt Celeste is a one-woman show in the kitchen.”

Whitney’s smile seemed hesitant, and she glanced at Mom. “Nothing wrong with that. Too many cooks in the kitchen makes everything more difficult.”

“You got that right,” Finn said.

“We’ll set the table. I’ll show you where the plates are,” Riley said and led Whitney to the cabinet with the plates.

Finn handed him an open bottle of beer.

He caught Dad’s gaze. “Where’s Jonah? Upstairs?”

Mom answered just as the timer went off for the biscuits. “He was in the shower when you got here, so he should be down soon, but he isn’t staying for dinner.”

Mensa cocked his head. “He isn’t?”

“He and Denver are headed to a concert,” Dad said.

Riley bustled into the room. “Do you want me to grab an extra chair? We’re short one.”

Finn chuckled. “You’re off your game, babe. They just said Jonah’s got plans.”

Her expression shifted to realization. “Oh, that’s right. 3 Doors Down is playing at one of the casinos tonight.”

Whitney wandered up behind Riley. “Then I’ll take the extra place setting off the table.”

The stairs creaked and Mensa went to the foot of the stairs.

Jonah came down wearing jeans and a faded Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt. “Hey, cuz.”

“Hey, man. I have someone I want you to meet.”

“You do?”

Mensa nodded. “Won’t take long. I heard you’ve been looking forward to seeing 3 Doors Down.”

“I didn’t know they were in town,” Whitney said, sidling up to Mensa.

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