He looks at Hattie and the two men she is trying to pry away from her grandmother and says, “Oh great. More kidnappers for dinner?”
Hattie shoots him a look, moving two fingers between her eyes and his, and Honey sternly says his name.
“You be kind to our guests,” Honey says, then bats her eyes some more. “Dinner’s just about ready, boys, then we can eat.”
Birdie laughs. “She’s always so much nicer to guests.”
Hattie sighs, and her shoulders fall in defeat as she looks at Dean. “I guess you’re staying.”
“Great. I’m hungry.”
Finally noticing us—oh my gosh, he noticed me. Be cool, Derek—Dean comes over and holds out a hand to Birdie. “Elizabeth, right?”
“I am,” Birdie says, smiling politely and shaking his hand. “This is my boyfriend, Derek. We met briefly a few weeks ago.”
He snaps his fingers. “Right. Right. Well, great to see you again. Sorry for barging in. I just didn’t want to miss spending Thanksgiving with Hattie.”
Birdie pauses, then gives a little shrug. “Who would?”
Wesley Black comes up from behind Dean, and we’re introduced. I’m proud to say I kept my cool the entire time and didn’t embarrass Birdie. I think. To be fair, I might have blacked out for a minute.
Roger calls us all in for dinner and stops me by the door after everyone has already passed through. He leans in close and says, “Am I crazy, or are the pitcher and catcher for the Cobras in my house right now?”
I shake my head and pat his shoulder. “You’re not crazy. But we have to act not crazy.”
Roger nods and looks where everyone is getting seated at an obviously long-ass makeshift table. The thing needs to fit around thirty people, so it needs to be big. “Let’s stick together on this one.”
Rora boops Roger’s nose, breaking the tension, and we follow her lead, chilling out. There’s a seat for me by Birdie, who smiles and pats it. The one on the other side of her is for Rora, but Rora has other plans, pushing on her mom until she gets the seat between us.
I laugh and sit beside the girls, my attention surprisingly easy to keep on them whenever they’re around. It doesn’t even matter that those baseball players are here. Not even a little bit.
However. I am texting the guys really quick.
DEREK: OMGGGGG
GRAHAM: Happy Thanksgiving, bud.
ENZO: How’s everyone’s turkey? My Tia overcooked it, and Nora’s making me eat it anyway. I’m pissed.
ARCHER: It’s not that bad. Just add the gravy.
ENZO: Don’t talk to me, you’re such an ass kisser it’s unbelievable. If I get asked when Nora and I are havingbabies because of your little announcement again, I’m gonna scream.
CHRIS: Weird. I’m also getting asked when we’re having babies.
DEREK: You all should have babies. But that’s not why I’m texting!
DEREK: Guess who I’m sitting across the table from? Come on, guess.
I glance around and see that everyone is enveloped in eating or passing around food. I take a moment to get what’s passed to me, putting a helping on my plate before putting some on Rora’s too. Birdie smiles at me.
GRAHAM: Uh, her grandma
DEREK: Terrible guess
ENZO: Brad Pitt
DEREK: That would be sick, but no.
