“That’s because Miles doesn’t trust my cooking skills,” Ainsley mutters.
“Neither do I. Which is why I cooked dinner,” Lillian interjects as she walks by.
“Hey! I bought the groceries!” Ainsley defends herself as she digs into her plate. That pan of rolls are going to go quickly.
Miles sets his plate down next to mine. “I would have gotten you a plate, but Ainsley beat me to it.” Instead, he sets a can of Mountain Dew in front of me.
I smile at his thoughtfulness. “You’re a sweetie, aren’t you?”
“Only for you.” He smiles down at me as he reaches behind me to poke his sister’s shoulder. “Ainsley, you took half the pan of rolls.”
“I could split my extra roll with you, Lucy, if you like them,” Ainsley says reluctantly.
I look at the table. “Well, doesn’t look like we’re going to go hungry. I feel bad for not helping with dinner.”
“Oh, well. We always take turns doing the meals. Dad said you guys are making breakfast tomorrow.”
I laugh at that. “Well, I just found out about that about five minutes ago. But I guess that would explain why we bought so many eggs and bacon at the store the other day.”
She leans over and whispers in my ear, “Are things getting a little domestic over there, Lucy?”
I raise my eyebrows. “Don’t push it.”
“Tempted to spill the beans?”
“I feel like I’ll have to with your family.”
Her smile turns positively evil. “We never fight fair.”
“I’m beginning to suspect that.” I look at the people gathered around. “Who is here?”
I recognize a couple of Miles’s aunts and uncles from the pictures he showed me. There’s another young woman and someone who looks like her boyfriend—or husband?
Ainsley points at her. “That’s our friend Penny. She’s like a sister, but not actually related. We just kind of adopted her into the family. But she’s here to stay.”
Penny looks in our direction and waves, as though she can hear us talking about her. I wave back.
Ainsley continues, pointing at a man in his late twenties. He looks as though he’s ready for a hike to break out. “That’s Tuck, the second oldest cousin. Miles holds the oldest title. Tuck has three little brothers that aren’t here this weekend, which is why it’s so quiet. And then, over there, is Kelly, Ben, and the baby. Ben’s a cousin on my mom’s side. Ben’s mom and dad passed away in an accident his senior year of college, so this side of the family has pretty much claimed him, and now Kelly and Penny too. And then there’s Ellie, Mason, and Chelsea. That’s Dad’s sister Alice and her husband Chance.”
My head’s spinning. Though I’ve discussed the family with Miles, it’s still overwhelming. “Is this the whole family, then?”
“Nope. We’ve got two more families coming in the morning. You get to enjoy the normal half tonight.”
“I don’t know why you keep thinking something’s wrong with your family,” I say. “So far, everyone seems really great.”
“We hide it well.”
“Hey, everyone. I’m going to pray before we eat!” Miles’s dad practically yells so everyone can hear him.
He quickly says grace, and then the noise ratchets back up.
“Ainsley, did you get that new kayak you wanted?” someone asks as we all try to find a spot to sit at the picnic tables.
“Ha. No, someone beat me to the marketplace deal. I’ll have to keep looking.”
A car pulls up to the campsite, and a young woman steps out, followed by a man—a boy really.
As they come closer, I realize they are practically children. They have to be around eighteen.
