Recognition lit Beryl’s eyes. “Oh, my stars, that’s why you look familiar. It must be the jet-lag. I didn’t realize. You’re Lucas Prime! You’re famous!”
That got them all laughing, Lucas included. “Not as famous as our host, but I do have a following. What do you say? Would you and your sister like to come on and teach my audience how to prepare a Sunday roast?”
Beryl looked at Joyce. “Do you think we could?”
“Of course we could. So long as I can have a day off.”
Everyone looked at Mitch, who was lifting a bite of roast potato, dripping with gravy, to his mouth. He stopped, noticing the eyes on him. He put his fork down. “Clearly, I missed something. Sorry, I’m a little obsessed with these potatoes.”
Howls of laughter peeled from all around the table, and it was a moment before anyone could get words out. Finally, Harper wiped at her eyes, then put her hand on Mitch’s arm. “Joyce needs a day off so she and Beryl can be on Lucas’s show to teach everyone how to make those potatoes.”
Mitch nodded, still looking a bit confused. “Sure. That’s a great idea.”
“Great,” Lucas said. “Joyce, Beryl, let’s talk after dinner and see if we can find a date that works for all of us.”
They went back to eating, and the conversation ran the gamut from Mitch announcing he had a new movie deal to European soccer to Ruthie and babies in general.
Frankie loved every second of it. Even more so because this was her new life. It filled her with a sense of happiness that felt on par with when her children were born. She leaned in toward Lucas. “I’m having the best time.”
He nodded. “So am I. We should do this more often. All of us, I mean. In fact…” He tapped the edge of his knife against his water glass, getting everyone’s attention. “I have a proposition to make.”
They all looked at him.
“What do you say we do a dinner like this once a month? All of us. We can rotate and have it at a different house every month. I volunteer to host the next one. What do you say?”
Mitch nodded, glancing at Harper, then Kyle, then back to Lucas. “Great idea.”
“I love that,” Harper said.
Frankie grinned. “I’ll be your kitchen help.”
“Perfect.” Lucas winked at her.
“Are you including me?” Joyce asked.
“Of course I am. And Beryl, too.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Joyce said.
“I might have to come back for that,” Willa said. She looked a little forlorn, knowing she wouldn’t be here then.
Frankie smiled sympathetically at her daughter. “We’ll be sure to have a dinner whenever you come to visit.”
“I hope so.”
The meal wound down with a lot of sighs and happy noises about how everyone had eaten too much.
That’s when Joyce got to her feet. “I hope you have a little bit of room left. Beryl’s made sticky toffee pudding with a lovely butterscotch sauce. I’ll just put some decaf on and we’ll clear the table, then we’ll get dessert served.”
Frankie pushed her chair back. “Joyce, you are not clearing this table. You and Beryl have done enough work. Harper and Willa and I will clear.”
“You’re guests,” Joyce argued.
But Harper was already up. “Nope, my sister’s right, Joyce. We’ll handle the table.”
Ruthie started to cry from her bedroom, where she was in her crib. Kyle got to his feet. “That’s my cue. Coming, Ruthie!” He went off to take care of the baby while the rest of them got to work.
With the three of them, it didn’t take long to make progress. Food was put away, what was left of it, and dishes were either washed or put in the dishwasher.
