Page 79 of All Bets are Off

As West plugs in the electric knife and begins cutting thin slices of meat off the bird, my mouth waters at the site of the crackling brown skin on the outside and the luscious, moist meat on the inside. I’m starving.

A commotion at the front door draws me into the foyer, where Ox and his boyfriend, Mick, have just arrived from the airport and are taking off their coats. Outside, it’s yet again storming like crazy, lightning forking the sky while sheets of rain blow across the yard.

“I’ll put your bags in your room.” Hawk picks up the two suitcases and heads downstairs.

Ox is six feet, seven inches of pure muscle. When he pulls me in for a rough hug, it knocks the wind out of me. “Thanks for inviting us. And for putting off the celebration for a week.”

“It worked out well for us. Like you, we had other engagements for Thanksgiving Day,” I say. West and I actually didn’t, but we volunteered to work while most everyone else went to family gatherings. Now, we were all back in Redding to celebrate together.

“I heard about your mom,” Ox says. “I’m really sorry.”

“Thanks.” Turning, I hug Mick, who’s slight in build and cute in a nerdy type of way. “How have you been?” I ask him. “Enjoying living in Denver?”

“I love it,” Mick says, brown eyes lighting up. “Ox’s parents are so great. Oh, and look what I’ve got.” He holds up his left hand and flutters his fingers.

“What?” I look at Ox. “Did you pop the question?”

He nods. “Last week.”

“I take it you said yes,” Kasey says, hooking her arm with Mick’s.

“Of course I did!”

West bellows to us from the dining room that dinner is ready, and we head in there. The long table is covered from one end to the other with plates of food.

“Wow, you guys outdid yourselves,” Ox says, taking a seat next to Mick. We have dragged every available chair in the house to the table to accommodate us all. I sit down between West and Dex.

“Everyone contributed their own dish,” Cara says. “I made my mother’s famous lemon icebox pie for dessert.”

“Seo-jun made gaji namul,” Dex says. “It’s a seasoned eggplant, right?” He turns to Seo-jun, who nods, looking surprised that Dex would remember what he prepared. “And I made the green beans. They aren’t anything fancy.”

“Andi and I brought the mac and cheese, which I made with six kinds of cheeses. Everything looks delicious,” Tara says.

“I made my grandmother’s colcannon.” Sean passes around the bowl. “Mashed potatoes and kale.”

“I hope you made cranberry salad like your mom makes,” Jase tells Ezra.

“I wouldn’t dare not to. You might hurt me,” Ezra says, laughing.

Colt has brought a date to dinner—an older man named Brian. As they pass the plates and murmur to one another, I think they look good together.

“Dex, how’s Anna doing?” I ask below the general conversation at the table. He spent Thanksgiving Day with Anna and their mother at their house in Colorado.

“She’s doing okay. She’s living with her father right now, and she’s gone back to school to get her master’s degree in public relations.”

“Good for her,” I say.

“It’s nice of you to ask, considering the trouble she caused you,” Dex says.

I chuckle. “I don’t want to hold a grudge. Besides, I get more than anyone what it’s like to be hung up on West.”

Shaking his head, Dex fiddles with his napkin, looking embarrassed. “She knows the way she acted was over the top and really regrets it. She was crying when we talked, and she asked me to forgive her for using me to spy on you guys. She told me she’s in therapy now.”

“I’m really glad she’s getting the help she needs,” I say, meaning it.

Thunder booms and the lights in the chandelier above our heads flicker.

“Uh, oh. We might lose the lights.” Jase gets up and rummages in the drawer of the sideboard table, pulling out several fat candles and a lighter and setting them in the middle of the table. Lightning flashes outside the window and darkness envelopes the room.

---