Her friend smiled ruefully as Eliana arched a brow.
“They needed help.”
“Ohdear,” Eliana’s mother said, leaning forward into the house to sniff. “Your turkey is burning.”
Eliana threw her hands up, backing up to allow them in. “I’ve been trying to get to it for five minutes now. I’ll be right back,” she said, hurrying back on her path to the kitchen.
But once she stepped around the corner, she was startled to find the turkey already resting upon the butcherblock and an apron-clad Milo towering above it with a thermometer in one hand and a knife in the other.
“Hello there,” Eliana’s mother said as she entered the kitchen, blinking quickly at Eliana. “Who is this?”
“Milo, ma’am, from next door,” he answered, laying down his tools to round the counter. “Sorry, Clem let me in right before you guys, and I was coming to help carry things in, but I heard Bugs shout about the turkey, so I turned back.”
“Don’t stress yourself, dear. You can call me Sue, and this is Bill,” her mother said, mouthingBugs?at Eliana behind her father’s back as she patted his arm. She turned her gaze back toward Milo with a too-wide smile. “It’s so nice to see a man helping out in the kitchen. That’s a rarity, for sure.”
Bill scoffed. “You work me like a dog in your kitchen.”
“Yes, but you’re forced into it. Milo here isoffering. What a nice young man.”
Eliana snorted at the idea of her mid-thirties friend being anice young man, then coughed to cover the noise. She clapped her hands together and ushered everyone towards the dining room. “C’mon now, everything’s hot, it’s time to find a seat.”
When they entered the room, Jesse was already there, pulling out his chair at the end of the table. He wore a scowl on his face, clearly annoyed with Milo stealing the show. He hadn’t been thrilled at the idea of Milo joining in the first place, but he didn’t have much room to object these days.
“Clem, would you mind grabbing the girls?” Eliana asked.
“On my way,” Clem said, hurrying off down the hall.
“Perfect, then you all grab seats, and I’ll grab the last few dishes.”
Not five minutes later, everybody was seated, and plateswere being passed, and yet, there was tension in the room. A palpable discomfort.
Milo was on the opposite end of the table, closer to Jesse, which probably made the most sense to Eliana’s parents, who knew him as the next-door neighbor, but the silence from that end of the table was a tangible thing.
There was also something happening between Zoey and Abby, who were sitting on opposite sides of the table, directly across from each other, glaring daggers over the mashed potatoes.
Eliana cast a curious glance at Clem, nodding sideways towards Zoey at her right. Clem offered a minuscule shrug in response, clearly picking up on it but not having any further information about what was causing the strife between the girls, who were typically thick as thieves.
“So Milo, what has you joining us this year?” Sue broke through the silence, always the genteel hostess—even when she wasn’t hosting.
“No one else to celebrate with this year, ma’am.” He smiled at Eliana. “Eliana has been helping me with my clients the last few months, and once she learned that I was planning to order takeout, she was kind enough to offer me a plate tonight.”
Sue beamed at her daughter, clearly pleased at the proof that some of her Southern hospitality upbringing had stuck, but then Bill spoke up, his mouth full of macaroni, making Sue roll her eyes and let out a soul-wearied sigh. “You’re working, El?”
“Yes.” Eliana smiled, meeting her dad’s gaze. He’d never been thrilled at the idea of her being a stay-at-home mom. He’d checked often through the early years to see if she planned to return to school—until it became apparent that the subject was bruising her pride. “Milo offered me a job.”
“Good on you, son,” Bill nodded. His choice of words did not slip by Jesse unnoticed. Eliana watched beneath her lashes as his fingers tightened around the fork he held before he slammed it back onto the table.
“I’m sorry,” Jesse said. “You think it’s agoodthing that Eliana’s working?”
Bill straightened, his brows encroaching on his swiftly departing hairline. “Of course I do.”
“B–ButSuedoesn’t work,” Jesse sputtered, throwing a hand wide.
“Sue doesn’twantto work,” Bill clarified, cutting into a slice of turkey and pointing it at Jesse. “Big difference,” he said before taking the bite.
“Are we going to talk about our dowries next?” Clem groused as she refilled her wine glass.
Eliana huffed a laugh, glancing back at Bill, who flashed her a wink, his eyes twinkling. She truly looked forward to the day when she could tell him exactly how she’d used the money he’d given her.
