Page 20 of Deadly Avarice
Much to Franklin’s dismay, he was back home by a little after one. Plenty of time to eat lunch with Momma, Pops, Aurelia, and myself. Franklin wasn’t the only one struggling. Throughout the entire meal, Pops kept looking at Aurelia like she was going to pull out a knife and end each and every one of us that minute. Every time Momma fussed over Aurelia, Pops sent her a glare. Momma caught that icy look a time or two and simply fluttered her eyelashes and gave Pops an innocent grin.
Franklin noticed and his stiff posture relaxed into one of amusement.
“What is this?” Aurelia poked at a green bean, her expression confused.
“It’s green bean casserole,” Momma happily said. “It’s one of Erasmus’s favorites.”
In point of fact, it wasnotone of my favorites. I’m not sure when Momma got that notion into her head but every year it was the one and only thing she personally made because she thought it was my favorite. And each and every year, I shoved it down my throat and thanked her for going to the effort. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’d been lying all these years.
Aurelia’s eyebrows rose as she stared down at the soggy beans. “It is edible?” she innocently questioned.
Pops nearly choked on his turkey. It was pretty dry this year, but I didn’t think that’s why he had trouble getting it down.
“It’s very edible, dear,” Momma proudly said. “Try it. If you don’t like it, that’s okay. My feelings won’t be hurt.”
Aurelia raised her head and blinked at Momma. “Why on earth would they be?”
Momma started to say something. Instead, her lips pinched and she shook her head. “You’re right. Never mind and give it a try.”
I think everyone at the table stopped eating so we could stare, wide eyed and open mouthed as Aurelia brought a limp green bean up to her lips. She sniffed it first, her nose wrinkling with a distinct lack of appreciation. The nibble she took of the overcooked bean was positively priceless and was only dwarfed by the horrified face she made after getting that minuscule taste.
“That is horrid,” Aurelia pronounced while staring at the green bean casserole as if it meant to do her bodily harm. Dropping her fork, Aurelia proceeded to make a gagging noise before reaching for her glass of water and downing the entire thing. Her face was still scrunched when she finished the water.
Despite Momma’s words, her large, round eyes and crestfallen features made me think Aurelia had indeed managed to hurt her feelings.
Still, if there was one thing Momma was, it was resilient. Pulling herself up, shoulders thrusted back and smile plastered on her face, Momma looked to me and said, “Well, I suppose it’s not to everyone’s taste.” Reaching out, she patted my hand and beamed. “The important thing is that you like it, honey.” Momma released my hand, and I dutifully shoved a forkful of green bean casserole into my mouth, chewing quickly andswallowing even faster. The trick was to eat it as one would drink a shot. The less time on the tastebuds, the better.
Pops’s gaze darted between Aurelia and me, and I caught the hint of a smile. Franklin was staring at his green bean casserole, pushing the lifeless beans around his plate. Deciding suffering alone was never as much fun as together, I said, “Franklin told me last night how much he misses his nana’s green bean casserole. He said it’s one of his favorites.”
Sweet Gaia, the look on Franklin’s face was priceless. I had no idea someone could appeared horrified and betrayed all in one glance. That expression was quickly overthrown when Momma turned her attention to Franklin and gushed, “Oh, I’m so happy to hear that, Franklin. Let me know how my recipe stacks up.” Momma’s gaze was expectant, indicating Franklin was to take a bite right then and there.
With a begrudging grin, Franklin speared several beans, held them aloft in a type of tribute to Momma’s cooking, and stuffed them into his mouth. Franklin’s first mistake was actually chewing. His second was not swallowing immediately.
Eyes watering, Franklin finally swallowed and somehow forced a smile. “They’re excellent, Lydia.”
Momma clapped, Pops stared at Franklin with a whole new level of respect, and Aurelia’s raised eyebrows clearly indicated Franklin and I were absolutely insane. “I’m so glad. Please eat as much as you like. Since Erasmus is the only one that really likes my green bean casserole, there’s always plenty left over.”
“Thank you, Lydia.” Franklin’s voice was a little hoarse, and he immediately drank half a glass of water. My man glared at me over the rim of his glass. I barely contained a belly-busting laugh. The situation was made all the more surreal when Aurelia’s hamster rolled its way back into the kitchen, thudding against the cabinet before turning and rolling off in a different direction.
Pops’s eye twitched at the sound of the hamster ball and I kicked his shin under the table while giving him a meaningful look. Thankfully, Pops was fluent in wordless communication across the dining table. We’d had over twenty years to perfect it, and my expression clearly said to keep his mouth shut and go with the flow.
Pops’s grunt let me know he understood.
Thank Gaia for Momma. She kept the conversation flowing, mostly by attempting to tease information out of a reluctant Aurelia.
“So, dear, are Peaches and Lucroy doing anything special for Harvest Day?”
Poking at a glob of cherry Jell-O, Aurelia barely glanced Momma’s way as she answered, “Philodendron is hosting a large gathering.” Aurelia jabbed at the Jell-O again. “This is fascinating. Does one truly eat this?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” Franklin answered while Momma asked, “Who is Philodendron?”
Clearing my throat, I gave Momma the abbreviated version. “He’s a home and hearth pixie bonded to his home and his mate, a werewolf named Sedrick. He’s friends with several other pixies, and Sedrick’s pack is…” I struggled to find a word and finally came up with “eclectic.”
“It is an odd pack,” Aurelia agreed while slicing into the red Jell-O. She appeared to be carving it instead of extracting a bite. “I do not understand the concept.” Aurelia didn’t sound terribly upset about that.
Pops gave another grunt and said, “I can’t believe I’m agreeing with the djinn, but Aurelia’s right—Sedrick Voss’s pack is odd. I can’t believe a warlock actually considers himself a part of a were pack. It’s borderline disgraceful.”
I already knew what Pops thought about Warlock Vander Kines and simply rolled my eyes. “I think it’s nice. It shows thespecies really can work together and get along. Besides, Warlock Kines’s one and only is Parsnip whose bread and butter is the TV show,Interspecies Habitat. If there was ever a warlock that didn’t mind being a part of other species’ lives, then it would probably be Vander.”
