Page 136 of An Engagement for Erica

“That’s between them,” she whispered back.

When they got to the family room, there were snacks put out on the buffet counter perfectly and precisely as a surgeon removing a needle from a haystack without disturbing a thing.

Nothing was out of place, nothing that shouldn’t be there.

Her mother would have paid for it.

“Looks great as always, Mom,” Harmony said, moving for a plate.

“What can I get everyone to drink?” Jerry asked. “There is wine for the women, beer and whiskey or scotch for the men.”

She tried not to laugh that Jerry just assumed stereotypes of gender drink preferences.

That was one thing that Jerry and her mother had in common.

She’d just never noticed it before.

“I’ll have a beer,” Theo said. “I’m sure you might need something stronger, Tucker.”

“Beer works,” he said.

He didn’t drink often. She found she might have a glass of wine more than he had a beer.

“You don’t have to do that to be sociable,” she said.

“It’s all good,” he said. “I could have bucked the system and asked for wine.”

She smiled when he said that. “You be you.”

Theo brought over the beer for Tucker and Jerry handed her a glass of wine, then one for Harmony. When he went to give one to Daisy, she said, “Sorry, no wine for me.”

Erica whipped her head to her sister-in-law fast, and mouthed, “Are you pregnant?”

She didn’t want to say it loudly if they weren’t announcing it. Heaven forbid her mother heard and started asking a million questions and put Daisy on the spot.

Or worse yet, brought up Daisy’s mother, and father who she had no communication with.

Daisy nodded her head yes. Harmony let out a squeak and started to jump up and down.

“Harmony,” her mother said. “Get control of yourself or maybe you shouldn’t have any wine.”

“Mom,” Theo said. “Leave Harmony be. She’s just excited because she figured out Daisy was pregnant.”

“I’m going to be a grandmother?” her mother said. There might have been a tear in her mother’s eye over that. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen an emotion like that.

“You are,” Theo said. “In July. Daisy is just about eight weeks pregnant right now. We thought we’d tell you in person.”

Her mother hugged Theo and then gave another to Daisy. “I’m so excited. Does your father know or was I the first to be told?”

Figures her mother would focus on that or even want to know.

“We will tell Dad tonight,” Theo said.

Her mother was so excited and went to get a tissue and blot her eyes.

“Dad doesn’t know?” Harmony said.

“I told him on the drive down,” Theo said. “Shhh. Let Mom have her moment. And Erica, you’re welcome for the save today.”

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