“Oh, look who it is, theTurtle Bay Raccoon Enforcement Unit,” Levi taunts, taking a sip of his coffee, visibly savoring every drop like I hoped he would.
“Levi, would you care to explain to me why there are over what looks like one hundred raccoon figurines set up around my office? Or how you managed to place a child-sized raccoon plushie into my squad truck?” Tom’s voice gets higher-pitched and more exasperated as he asks.
“Not sure what you’re talking about.” Levi grins from behind his coffee.
“Levi, it’s going to take me forever to find and pick up every figurine in my office,” Tom huffs, dragging his hand through his hair.
“What makes you think they’re only in your office?” Levi asks, and I laugh when Tom’s eyes bulge.
“What did you do?” I ask.
“That’s nothing. Just wait until he notices the bumper sticker.” Levi smirks.
Tom turns to me with an exasperated smile and points. “This is your fault.”
A loud laugh barrels out of me. “My fault?”
Levi and Tom exchange a look of their own, half amusement, half exasperation, before Tom sighs and finally shakes his head.
“It’s nice to see you acting like yourself again...” Tom’s brow raises. “Even if itisatmyexpense.”
“Is there any more of this coffee, love? I think Tom is going to need it today.”
I chuckle, beaming at the nickname he attaches so easily. I’ve never been so happy.
“I’ll get him a cup. I made a whole pot for you.”
“Most amazing,” he repeats, groaning while he takes another sip.
Later, after Tom and Levi head back to work, it’s only Ainsley and me at the cafe. It’s a slow day with the seasonal tourists slowing down as we head toward Thanksgiving in three weeks.
“What do you usually do for the holidays?” I ask Ainsley, realizing she’s been quieter than usual.
She looks away, trying to hide, masking her emotions and steeling her features before turning back to me. “I’m not that big on holidays.” She shrugs, but the smile she attempts comes out forced. Her chin dips, and a wildflower falls from her long, dirty blonde hair.
“Right,” I quip, picking up the flower and placing it back in her hair. “And I believe that about as much as I believe that Rory doesn’t have a thing for the chief and you don’t have a thing for Billy.”
“Please,” she huffs. “Billy has a different girl in his bed every week. Sometimes more.”
“Yet your name is the only one that he ever mentions, according to everyone who knows him,” I point out. “He’s not even trying to hide how into you he is.”
“I’m the shiny toy that once he plays with, he’ll get bored of. I’d rather stay shiny,” she argues.
I consider her words, but still think there’s something more there that she’s afraid of, but I decide to leave it alone and circle back to my original point.
“We should hold a friendsgiving,” I decide, thinking it over in my mind and liking it more and more the longer I consider it.
“A friendsgiving?” Ainsley repeats, her pitch rising toward the end, sounding both apprehensive and interested in the idea.
Can I cook?Absolutely not.I still consider calling my old chef on a daily basis and begging her to take pity on me, but I know that will never happen. Regardless, it still hits like a slap from reality wearing diamond rings.
Do I still think that this idea holds promise and could be fun? Yeah, I do.
“I’m going to text Rory and see what she thinks, too,” I announce, pulling out my phone and shooting her a message.
I reflect on how different this Thanksgiving will be. Every year before, I’ve had Thanksgiving at different locations all around the world. Some years, simply as an accessory at my father’s side meant to make him look like the successful business and family man he worked so hard pretending to be, and others with people I barely knew, let alone was thankful for.
This will be Rory’s first Thanksgiving with her brother Blake, Tom and Callie’s first with Aeiliana, and Levi’s first without Krystal. I hit send to Rory. Yeah, this could be exactly what we all need.
