“Well, fuck.” Jensen scratches the back of his head, frowning. “What are we going to do?”
“Deep fry it?” Owen suggests.
“I’ve seen one too many TikToks where that doesn’t end well,” Jensen winces. “Any other ideas?”
“What about cooking it over a fire in the fireplace?” I point toward the living room. It’d actually fit in that huge cavern…
“Love the creativity,” Jensen nods. “But I don’t think the home owner would appreciate us leaving turkey gunk in their fancy fireplace.”
“That’s fair.” I purse my lips together and stare down at the turkey, wracking my brain for ideas. I get distracted by sudden movement out of the corner of my eye, and I turn my head to find Gizmo has reappeared. He’s hiding behind one of the pillars separating the kitchen from the living room, his furry face peaking out, those big eyes locked on the turkey. He catches me staring at him and holds my gaze for a moment, looking way too smart and cunning for my liking, before slowly pulling his head back behind the pillar, disappearing from sight.
“We can just put it on the grill outside.” Jensen suddenly says, snapping my attention back to him and Owen. He picks up the aluminum foil pan the turkey is in and heads for the glass French doors toward the back of the house, which lead out to a large patio.
Peeking back to the pillar, I see Gizmo’s tail flick out in the open before he slinks away. Why do I feel like we’re being stalked by a little fuzzy velociraptor, just waiting for his moment to strike? I hurry to follow Owen and Jensen outside. Jensen sets the turkey on a metal table and starts up the grill.
“Nice that Wilder got this thing all brined and prepped for us,” Owen says, inspecting the turkey. “Makes our job easier.” He holds out a little post-it note Wilder left with the bird. “The directions say ‘cook until internal temp is 165.’”
I turn the grill on and say, “Yeah, well, the grill’s at 400. So, like, we’re ahead of schedule.”
Jensen gives me a long, exasperated look. “That’s not how science works, Carson.”
I shrug. "Well, I hear that's how girl math works, so we can always use that as an excuse."
Jensen starts laughing so hard, his shoulders shake. When he’s finally able to form coherent sentences, he replies, "You're on your own with that train of thought, bro." He grabs the pan again and sets it on the hot grill, closing the lid over it. “Great! We can just let that cook and get the rest of the food ready.”
I smile, feeling enthusiastic about our progress. Zander and Wilder will be back with the tree soon, we’ll finish cooking and decorating, and by the time the girls get back, this place will be a Christmas Wonderland.
When I turn back to the doors, though, I let out a startled shriek.
“What is it?” Jensen asks, looking around as if expecting to be ambushed by a yeti.
I point to the sliding glass door, where Gizmo is sitting, staring at us with his head tilted to the side. We gaze back at him, no one moving an inch.
“Um… why does he look like he’s about to pull out a switchblade and demand my wallet?” Owen murmurs.
“We took the turkey from him,” I whisper. “We’ve made it unreachable. He’s pissed.”
“Oh, crap,” Jensen lets out a long breath. “The furry gremlin is going to murk us, isn’t he? Zander and Wilder will get back and find him standing over our bodies.”
“Guys, come on, he’s just a cat.” And yet, my voice wavers just a bit. “He can’t actually hurt us…right?”
“Have you ever owned a cat, Carson?” Owen asks in a hushed tone.
“No.”
“Just remember this.” Jensen’s tone is foreboding. “Our ancestors domesticated wolves to become dogs because we could both help one another. Cats domesticatedthemselvesso we’d take care of them. You gotta be wary… oh, shit. He’s gone.”
I blink and yes, Gizmo has disappeared from the window.
Exchanging a cautious look with Jensen and Owen, I murmur, “Come on, guys. We’re big and strong. We can each bench press over two-fifty. We don’t need to fear the cat.”
Still, as we make our way back inside, we’re tense, looking around and staying grouped together as if expecting the little beast to drop on us from out of nowhere like a furry ninja.
CHAPTER SIX: MUD BATH CONFESSIONS
SUTTON
Two blondes,two brunettes, and a massively pregnant redhead soak themselves in mud baths…
