“Jude, you and Angela can sit over there,” Melanie said, pointing to the far side of the table that was set for six.
Jude led her around to the seats, and they stood there until everyone had come to the table. Once they were all seated, Cooper said a prayer of thanks for the food.
“I’m sorry it’s nothing too fancy, Angela,” Melanie said. “But we’re a pretty basic food type of family.”
“It looks and smells delicious,” Angela assured her. “To be honest, I never ate fancy food until recently. My sister and I were on a pretty strict budget, which meant we ate a lot of pasta and whatever meat was on sale.”
“And you know I don’t go for fancy,” Jude added. “As long as food tastes good, I’m all for it. And I’ve eaten here enough to know that you’re an excellent cook, Mel.”
“Hey!” Cooper protested. “What about me?”
“Well, your steaks are tasty.”
“Thank you for your recognition of my exceptional skills.”
"Your exceptionalgrillingskills. Just don't ask him to make anything else," Melanie said with a playful smile. "The man can grill, but that's about it."
Cooper placed a hand over his heart in mock offense. "I'll have you know I've mastered the toaster as well."
Angela laughed, feeling herself relax further. The banter between Cooper and Melanie was lighthearted, and she could tell there was love and affection between them.
"Angela's an amazing baker," Jude said, his voice warm with pride as he passed her the bowl of mashed potatoes. "Her cinnamon rolls are to die for, and the chocolate chip cookies she made the other day were the best I've ever had."
Heat rose to Angela's cheeks at his praise. "I’ve been baking for as long as I can remember, and my job before coming here was in a bakery."
"Really?" Melanie's eyes lit up with excitement. “The next time you come for dinner, you should bring dessert.”
Angela smiled as she nodded. “I can do that.”
Surely the fact that they wanted her to come back meant that they liked her. She wanted the approval of the handful of people Jude trusted enough to call friends.
"I love that idea," Cooper chimed in. "Jude's been keeping you all to himself, so we need more opportunities to get to know you."
Under the table, Jude's fingers sought hers, weaving between them with quiet certainty. Warmth bloomed in her chest as she stole a glance his way, finding the corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile. With a gentle pressure from his fingers, he released her hand, returning to his meal as if nothing had happened. Though to her, it felt like everything had.
"So tell us about yourself, Angela," Melanie said, cutting into her chicken. "Jude mentioned you have a sister?"
"Uh, yes. I actually have two. Kiara. She's… well, she's been my best friend my whole life." Angela paused, considering how much to share. Jude had let her know that he’d told the couple pretty much everything about her current circumstances because he trusted them implicitly. "We've been through a lot together. And then there’s Annie, who’s my twin."
"Does she look the same as you?" Chloe asked, her fork loaded with mashed potatoes.
Angela smiled. “Yes, we look mostly the same since we’re identical, but there are a few differences. Annie’s hair is longer than mine, and she wears it straight.”
“Can you tell them apart, Uncle Jude?” Alex asked.
Jude chuckled. “Yep. Even if they looked exactly the same, I’d be able to tell them apart.”
Angela turned to look at him. “Really? You think you could, even if our hair and clothes were identical?”
“Sure.”
“How?”
“Well, let’s just say that Annie doesn’t look at me the way you do,” Jude said with a wink. “She looks at Cole that way.”
Cooper and Melanie laughed as Angela felt heat creep into her cheeks.
“Don’t go embarrassing her, Jude,” Melanie admonished.
