But Lori was already hurrying his way and pulling him into an embrace.
“Hope you don’t mind,” she said, pulling back with a smile. “We’re huggers.”
“Not at all,” Dalton replied, hoping that she hadn’t picked up on him freezing up when she hugged him.
If she had, she didn’t seem to be dwelling on it. Lori’s attention was already on the platter of vegetables.
“Oh, these look amazing,” she sighed happily. “I love bell peppers.”
“Are we making dip to go with those, Dalton?” Dan asked, wandering over to thrust out his hand.
Dalton put down his knife and shook the other man’s hand.
“We sure are,” Mary said, hurrying over with a container of sour cream and a little packet.
“Classic,” Dan said, nodding. “May I?”
“Of course,” Mary told him.
“What’s that?” Dalton asked.
Everyone looked over at him like he’d grown a second head.
“You stir onion soup mix into sour cream to make dip,” Ella said with a smile. “We like to say it’s a poor man’s sour cream and onion dip.”
“I don’t say that,” Michael said with a satisfied smile. “I’ll bet it’s much better than that store-bought stuff.”
“The store-bought stuffissour cream with onion soup mix stirred in,” Mary said. “Practically. You can’t taste the difference.”
“Well, we’re never going to find out, are we?” Ella said, chuckling. “This stuff is a family tradition.”
“Your family never made it before, Dalton?” Dan asked, his tone light and friendly.
But Dalton had the familiar feeling of being a fish out of water. It was clear that normal people with normal families probably made that dip all the time, and once again he was out of place.
“I’ll bet they’re dill dip people,” Lori said, turning to Dalton with her brows lifted, as if she was excited for him to say she was right. “Aren’t you?”
“Guilty as charged,” Dalton fibbed, not having the heart to disappoint her, and honestly grateful for the out.
“I knew it,” she said happily. “Want me to whip some up?”
“No way,” he told her, touched that she would go so far for someone she had just met. “I’ll enjoy the sour cream and onion.”
“When in Rome, eh?” Dan said, slapping Dalton lightly on the back.
“How was the traffic, kids?” Michael asked. “You made good time. Did you take the turnpike?”
“Oh, it’s a holiday, so Dan took it nice and easy,” Lori said, rolling her eyes, but smiling so everyone would know she was only teasing.
“Slow and steady wins the race,” Dan said, unconcerned about his wife’s teasing.
“Right you are,” Mary told him. “We’d rather have you here in one piece.”
“And you were early anyway,” Michael said. “We’re glad to get a little extra time with you.”
“Us too,” Lori told her. “And it smells amazing in here. Oh, shoot. We left the pecan pie in the car.”
“You brought apie?” Dove’s awed voice came from the kitchen doorway.
