I groan. “Don’t encourage him.”
After helping Nora with her coat, I drape them both over the bench. We barely make it two steps into the living room before my other sister spots us.
“Nora!” Melanie is already on her feet, arms wide as if she’s been waiting all day for this exact moment. “I’m so glad you’re here again.”
Nora doesn’t even have time to smile before my mom pulls her into a hug. When she steps back, my dad’s right there, smiling and opening his arms too. “Good to see you.” He wraps an arm around her shoulders. “We were hoping you’d come.”
“Me too.” Nora lightly laughs, clearly surprised by the double welcome.
Mom keeps a hand on Nora’s arm like she’s afraid she might disappear. “We have a very important question for you.” Her voice drops, serious now. “The tone of the entire evening rests in your hands.”
Nora’s eyes flick to mine, wide and amused.
“Are you,” Mom continues, “on Team Frozen Lasagna Is Homemade… or not?”
A laugh bubbles out of Nora. “Well, I did hear Ben’s argument about the family recipe?—”
Half the house groans. The other half cheers.
Ben steps forward and clasps her shoulder. “Extra lasagna for this one.”
I reach for Nora, tugging her gently into my side. So far, everyone in the house has gotten a turn to touch her but me—and I’m done waiting.
“Greg, Jackie, when do you leave for Arizona?” Randy asks.
“Next week,” Dad answers. “Mom’s already made a list of everything we need to see.”
“It’s not set in stone,” Mom adds quickly. “I just don’t want to forget anything.”
“I’ve heard the Grand Canyon is breathtaking,” Nora says.
Mom lights up. “See? That’s number two on the list.” Then she turns to Nora. “Have you been?”
Nora shakes her head. “I haven’t. I don’t get much time to travel, but I love visiting new places. Meeting new people.” She glances at me. “What about you? Do you travel a lot?”
“Only for work. I’m not big on the unknown.”
“You don’t step out of your comfort zone?”
“I want to.” I shrug. “Hence the whole putting-myself-out-there-to-date thing.” She nods, letting it go. “Want a drink?”
“That would be great.” She flashes me a grin. “Lead the way, boyfriend.”
I take her hand, threading our fingers together just like we practiced, only now it feels easy.
When the food’s ready, we all gather around the kitchen table. Nora drops into the chair beside me without hesitation. Our knees bump, and she smiles before launching into an enthusiastic explanation of how Mallory’s ranch seasoning on the fries is life changing.
After clearing the plates, Mallory pulls a deck of cards from a drawer. “I don’t have any fun games like Melanie, but surely we can do something with cards.” She turns her attention to Nora. “Guest of honor picks the game.”
Nora glances at me, twisting her hands together. “I’m not sure. I didn’t play a lot of card games growing up.”
“How about BS?” I suggest.
“What’s BS?” Nora asks.
“Technically, it’s called bullshit,” Melanie says, “but Miles insists on calling it BS, and we humor him.” Her gaze snaps to me. “Of course you’d pick that one—you always win.”
“It’s true. I’m the reigning BS champion.”
