“Running away with two menwouldbe kinky,” I told her, making her laugh.
“Ooh, I like the way you think!” She rounded the table to corral two kids toward the bathroom. “Nuh-uh. Go wash your hands!”
I led Hank into the kitchen, where Mom was tossing a salad. “Hey, Mom.”
She turned with a distracted smile. “There you are. I was thinking I’d need to send out a search party!”
“Sorry we’re late,” I said. “I had a batch of dog biscuits in the oven, and time got away from me.”
“Are you still doing that?” She flapped a hand. “Never mind that, introduce me to your friend.”
“Mom, this is Hank, my boyfriend.”
“Nice to meet you,” Hank said, extending his hand for a shake.
Mom bypassed his hand to pull him into a hug. “Anybody who loves Jamie is welcome here.”
“Thanks.”
She gave him a squeeze. “But don’t you mess this up,” she warned. “Jamie’s our baby.”
“Mom,” I said. “I’m twenty-six!”
She withdrew from Hank, eyes sparkling. “You’ll always be our baby, though.”
“And such a cute baby he is,” my sister said, coming up behind me and ruffling my hair.
“Oh my god, Hank, let’s go. Now that they’ve started, they’ll never stop.”
Hank laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “How can I blame them, though? You’re adorable.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of my nose.
“Aw, okay, you can stay for dinner,” Mom said. “Go on. Go sit down. I’m just about done.”
“Let me help you finish up.”
She flapped her hands. “Not today. You don’t want to throw your boyfriend to the wolves just yet.”
I smirked. That was fair.
We returned to the dining room, and I led Hank to my chair, pulling out the one beside me. “You can sit here.”
He took his seat, and soon the rest of the family was coming in, each of them talking amongst themselves as they got settled. My sister was teasing my brother about his fragile ego, while my sister-in-law tsked at mud stains on the knees of Gracie’s jeans.
Joey and the two older teens—Pacey and Tessa—dragged in extra folding chairs so there’d be enough seats, while the dogs ran around the table, looking for dropped goodies even though we hadn’t started eating yet.
Hank took hold of my hand. “Your family is great,” he said. “They all love you.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“But why was your mom surprised you’re still baking the dog biscuits? You’ve been getting more and more orders to fill.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “They don’t really get why I like doing it. They think I should open a bakery.”
“A bakery?” Hank looked surprised. “Is that something you’d like to do?”
“Not really. Catering pays the bills, or I wouldn’t do it either, you know?”
“Well, you’re getting enough orders that maybe you can launch your own business soon.”
