Page 75 of The Skinny

“My childhood was a nightmare,” Drew said from the doorway. He sounded as matter-of-fact as he would if she’d asked about the weather. “My dad was an abusive monster. We were poorer than dirt. And he murdered my mother.”

“Oh my God.” She stared at him, onion forgotten as the stream of hot water ran over it.

He pulled a mug from the cupboard above the coffeemaker. “My sister committed suicide four years ago, and the rest of my family is dead or dead to me.” He filled his mug with coffee and opened the microwave to retrieve the bacon. “Good, you heated enough for two.”

“Three, I hope,” Zel said from the kitchen entryway.

“Absolutely.” Aithan kissed her. She’d come across from the guesthouse wearing green plaid flannel pajamas and her ratty shearling boots, her chestnut waves pulled into a messy bun with a curved hair clip. She looked wild and sleepy and adorably cranky.

“Blueberries are a great idea, too,” Drew added as he smooched Zel. “Want some, babe?”

“Yes, please.” She leaned against the counter beside Hob, who’d followed her into the kitchen and watched all of them with a bemused smile. “Mom, why didn’t you wake me?”

“Because you’re on vacation and Aithan is more than capable of holding a twenty-five-pound turkey.” She’d remembered the onion and moved it to a cutting board then, started rinsing a second. “Drew, I don’t know what to say about your past.”

“Nothing to say.” He spooned blueberries into a bowl. “Coconut yogurt, Brick?”

“Yes. Thanks, Playboy.” Zel took a knife from the wooden block and started chopping the first onion. “Mom, it’s in the past. We move forward.”

Undine looked at her and gave a sharp nod. “Okay.” She put the second onion on the counter and ran a third under the hot water.

“Go eat, Punky,” Hob said, gruff and more than a little fatherly. “You start on that and you’ll be here for hours and forget to put food in you.”

Zel paused, knife hovering over the onion. She sighed. “Right. Okay.”

Drew held up the plate of bacon and the blueberries. “You’re hangry.”

Her gaze narrowed, her lips pursed, and she looked like she’d argue or bite. Instead, she nodded and put down the knife. “Yeah, I am.”

They sat around the small table just outside the kitchen, and Zel perked up as she ate.

“Bacon is the world’s finest food,” Aithan declared and finished another slice.

“Ooo, controversial.” She put the last slice on Drew’s plate.

He tore it in half, eating one part and offering her the other. “Better than chocolate?” he asked Aithan.

“Betterwithchocolate,” Zel replied and ate the other half.

“Everything’s better with chocolate,” Drew said.

“More proclamations,” she remarked.

Drew cocked a brow at her. “You dispute it?”

“Absolutely not.” She wiped her fingers on a napkin and finished her orange juice. “I’m gonna get dressed, then come back and help Mom with the rest of the meal.”

“I need a run.” Aithan stacked their plates. “We’ll take care of the dishes, beautiful.”

She stood, kissed him and Drew, then headed for the guesthouse.

Drew gathered their cups and glasses while Aithan carried the bowls and plates into the kitchen.

Undine smiled. “Good timing. Ready for the oven.”

Drew rinsed their dishes while Aithan slid the turkey into the oven and Undine stacked sweet potatoes beside the sink.

“Do you fellas mind taking the garbage cans and recycling bins up to the street? Pickup is tomorrow morning, and that’s one less thing for Hob to forget tonight.”

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