“Oh, dear, it wasn’t that bad,” Liz says.
“Of course not, Mom,” they say, glancing over their shoulder before turning back to Lan and me. “Yes, it was that bad. Anyway, now Dad isn’t allowed to touch the turkey.”
“I’m sure the turkey flavor was really good. Maybe like a smoked flavor or something,” Lan says, shrugging.
“No.” Parker shakes their head resolutely. “It wasnotgood. It did not taste smoked. It tasted like an abomination against Thanksgiving.”
I bite my lip hard to keep from laughing. “Is there anythingIcan do to help?”
Liz dries her freshly washed hands before turning to me with a smile. “How sweet. You can help me set the table. Parker can show you where everything is.”
The three of us work together to get the table set. It’s fun.
“My mom would never have all this mismatched stuff,” Landon says, placing a plate on the fall-themed tablecloth. “She’s got a set she only pulls out for Thanksgiving. I like this. It feels… homey.”
Liz hums. “That’s the point, darling. Life is a mismatch of things. And we’re a melting pot of all the people who have touched our lives. This islike that.” She gestures to the plate Landon just set out. It’s ceramic, with what looks like a hand-painted fall scene. “I got this from a flea market. It was the only one they had left. I don’t know its story. Or how it came to be all alone, but when I saw it, something told me I needed to bring it home with me, so I did.”
She moves around the table, placing dish after dish in the center.
“And now, it gets to be at the same table as all of us, bringing us closer together. Proof that even things that seem like they shouldn’t fit sometimes do. Just maybe not in the way you thought they would.”
Touching the edge of the plate, she smiles. “It’s just a silly plate, but it’s been through many family dinners. Darcy uses it every time he’s here. He loves it.”
Parker playfully rolls their eyes. “See what I mean.”
Liz laughs. “Oh, hush, kid. Let me do my thing.” She looks around the table. “Well, dinner is served. Everyone, take a seat.”
Landon glances around before sitting down in the chair in front of the plate he just set out. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried.
After dinner, we all pile into the living room.
“The low-to-the-ground couches are kind of everything,” I say, leaning back and stretching my arms around Parker and Landon.
“Aren’t they?” Liz says. “I got them after hearing that they create a feeling of unity and closeness.”
Well, they’re definitely doing that. Though, I don’t need couches for that with Park and Lan. Parker sighs, drawing their knees up and sinking into my side.
“I’m so full,” they complain, their voice more whiny than I’ve ever heard it. “I ate way too much. Haven’t had a good meal like that in a while.”
“What do you survive on at school?” Bob asks, sitting down beside Liz, who almost instantly curls up against his side.
Parker waves a hand in the air. “You don’t wanna know. Junk. Too much junk.”
Landon’s a little stiff beside me, his posture almost perfectly straight. “You alright, Cutie?” I whisper, leaning close to him so no one overhears.
“I’m alright.”
“Relax a bit. Come here.” I tighten my arm around his shoulders, happy when he almost instantly relaxes into my side. Fuck. This is perfection. I love having the two of them in my arms. Nothing in the world is better.
“So, what are you boys majoring in?” Liz asks.
Landon clears his throat. “General Studies. Haven’t quite figured out what I want to do with my life.”
“Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you have to let the universe guide you. She knows what you need, as long as you listen.”
I fight a grin. Somehow Parker’s mom is exactly like I expected and alsonothinglike I expected. “I’ve got about eight billion years of school left. I want to be a neuroscientist. The human mind has always been fascinating to me.”
Her eyes go round. “That’s impressive.”
