“I said nothing of the sort.”
“You said it with your eyes! They were practically begging me to eat the chips, so that they didn’t end up in landfill somewhere and contribute to the ever-increasing problem of food wastage!”
It seemed that the general air of murderous intent in the room had lightened somewhat, at least for now. Maisie didn’t think it would last for long, especially if Trent kept courting death by continuing to goad Euan, but it was a welcome reprieve.
It helped, she supposed, that Dusty was currently climbing his way into her lap and staring at her with his big yellow eyes the entire time, like a cat that knew it was doing something naughty and making sure you knew it. How could anyone maintain their board game rage when there were baby shifters being even cuter than they had been five seconds ago, if that was even possible?
Dusty blinked at her, before turning around a few times and then flipping onto his back, showing her his dark blue scaly belly.
“Oh, you want belly rubs, do you?” she cooed, reaching out only slightly hesitantly to touch his scales. They were lovely and smooth and warm, and he obviously loved it, closing his eyes and wiggling.
“He likes you,” Trent said approvingly.
“Of course he does,” Rhys said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Maisie smiled as she continued to tickle Dusty’s belly. They continued like that for a while, until suddenly Dusty’s head jerked up, his pupils widening. Maisie picked it up a moment later – the mouth-watering, savory scent of meat and onions drifting in on the breeze.
“Food’s ready!” Ella called from outside, as Dusty scrambled to his feet and bolted for the door, almost getting trampled on by Goldie as she made her own mad dash to where the food was.
Maisie hauled herself to her feet and grabbed a pile of plates, carrying them outside to the enormous wooden picnic table that was nestled in amongst the colorful grevilleas. Rhys’s family had made up a vast array of salads, and these all materialized now as well, as well as several eskies full of cold drinks.
Outside, the day was lovely – unseasonably warm for this time of year with just a little light wind, wisps of cloud curling across the deep, deep blue of the sky. The grevilleas shifted gently in the breeze, their large, bizarre flowers bobbing and swaying.
How long has it been since I’ve done something like this? Getting outdoors, having a barbecue with friends?
Maisie couldn’t really answer that, beyondway, way too long. She resolved that there would be a lot more getting out and about in future, and fewer hours of overtime. And maybe on their way back from Queensland she could drop in to visit her family, and introduce Rhys to them – it really had been too long since she’d been home.
The daily grind had been devouring her, and she hadn’t even noticed. Or shehadnoticed, but she’d thought there was no alternative.
In the meantime, though, there was food to be eaten. Her mouth watered at the smell, even as she was hit by a pangof nostalgia – it was the smell of childhood, and family get-togethers.
She was suddenlystarving, and she piled her plate with meat and bread and onions, the salad almost an afterthought. She knew it would be delicious, but right now she just really wanted some deliciously hot, greasy meat, absolutelyslatheredin tomato sauce, all washed down with a glass of Passiona.
Sitting down at the gargantuan table, she took a moment to close her eyes and breathe in the country air, listening to the sound of a wattlebird calling in the distance… and, of course, the sound of a bunch of adults and baby shifters squabbling nearby.
“Deep thoughts?” asked Rhys as he slid in next to her, his presence warm and comforting.
She kept her eyes closed for a moment longer, just enjoying the perfection of the day, before she opened them and smiled, turning her head to look at him. He was gorgeous, the sunshine catching his hair, his smile easy and relaxed despite the Monopoly madness that had previously seized him.
“Just thinking about how lucky I am,” she said truthfully.
His smile widened. “Not as lucky as me,” he murmured, and Maisie shivered.
Not fair, turning me on when I’m about to eat! I’ve got a whole plate of food to get through!
Maybe he’d read her mind, because he picked up his cutlery and stabbed at his enormous steak. “Tuck in before it gets cold,” he said, and, well, he didn’t have to tell her twice.
She sawed off a piece of barbecued lamb chop and smeared it in tomato sauce, popping it into her mouth and chewing happily. After everything that had happened, she felt like she was still getting her energy back – or that was her excuse, anyway, for eating everything that she could get her hands on. She was sure she’d calm down eventually, but for now, she just wanted to enjoy everything.
The afternoon passed in happy, relaxed warmth, withouttoomany arguments between Rhys and Hector – or Trent, who seemed determined to bring out their combative sides – and Maisie watched contently as Goldie and Dusty played a rather vicious game of tug-o-war with a can of soft drink, piercing it with their claws and sending lemonade spraying everywhere, while Quicksilver skittered about, chasing a leaf that was caught up by the breeze.
Ruby had apparently decided that she was mature enough to eat in human form with the adults, and was holding her knife and fork with great seriousness and determination as she ate a sausage covered in what appeared to be applesauce.
Maisie decided she wasn’t even going to ask about that one – she knew she’d eaten some weird combinations as a kid!
“Hey, watch this – I taught Dusty a trick,” Trent said, tossing a sausage high in the air. Dusty darted up to catch it in his mouth – but Goldie was quicker, snatching it out of mid-air and dashing off with it, Dusty following his sister with an outraged screech.
“That’s not a trick,” Myrtle said. “That’s just trying to turn the two of them into the kind of hyper-competitive idiotstheseguys ended up as.” She jerked her head toward Rhys and Hector – and, Maisie thought, Evie as well.
“Yeah,” Trent grinned. “Fun, isn’t it?”
