"True," Penny whispered back, leaning a fraction closer as the kids began passing around the pizza and garlic bread. "Maybe we should just get the five of them to sort out the Winebergs for us."
"Now that is a very good idea," Martin agreed with a grin.
He settled into his seat, trying to relax. Martin knew he should have felt like the head of the house sitting at the top of the table, but looking at the five pairs of bright, intensely observant eyes staring back at him, he had a very distinct feeling he had just sat down in the prime interrogation chair.
They all dug in, loading their plates with the hot pizza and garlic bread. Martin tried his absolute best to act cool, relaxed, and seemingly unaffected, as if he wasn’t hyper-aware that he and Penny were currently the main targets of a highly coordinated setup. Inside, his stomach clenched tightly, and he was by no means fooled by the easy-flowing light and happy chatter echoing around the table.
He was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and as it turned out, he didn’t have to wait very long at all. Lily suddenly turned to him, a wide, thoroughly innocent smile on her face.
"Why aren't you out with..." Lily paused, her brow furrowing in deep thought. "What was her name again?"
She turned her head toward Sophia, who was seated right beside her, silently prompting her cousin for the answer.
"Carrie," Sophia supplied instantly, not missing a single beat.
"Yeah, she was hot," Jake chimed in from his spot beside Penny, right across from Sophia.
"Great legs," Toby added with a solemn nod, sitting beside Jake and trying to sound like a seasoned man of the world.
"Is she the woman in the photo on the yacht with all of you last summer?" Emma asked, leaning forward from her seat beside Sophia.
"Yes, that's her," Sophia confirmed, tossing a quick, knowing look across the table.
"She had lovely hair," Emma added with a sweet sigh.
"With everyone out on a date night," Lily continued, her bright eyes executing a slow, deliberate glance back and forth between Martin and Penny, "that's where they all are, right?"
"Uh..." Penny said, her words catching in her throat. Her eyes immediately flew to Martin, practically screaming for backup as she reached a slightly trembling hand toward her glass of water. "I..."
"They are all out with each other, yes," Martin hedged, trying to keep his voice sounding flat and neutral.
"Like on dates," Sophia pushed for absolute confirmation, leaning her elbows on the table. "We already know my gran is out with Darius on their second date."
"We can pretty much ascertain that my gran is out with Lily's grandad, Michael," Toby added, crossing his arms and looking entirely too smug for a pre-teen boy.
"Aunt Anna went to the hospital to see Uncle George," Jake told them, taking a large bite of his pizza. "They were married once. Rumor has it they could get back together."
"Jake!" Sophia hissed warningly, kicking him lightly under the table. "We don't know that for sure. But I really do wish it would happen."
"Yeah, Uncle George definitely needs someone like Aunt Anna in his life," Lily agreed, her expression softening into sweet sincerity.
"And my gran is with Owen," Emma added proudly, rounding out the headcount of the missing adults.
"It's like a dating virus has hit Sweet Blossom Bay," Toby said with a dramatic grimace of disgust, making all three of the girls instantly burst into giggles.
"We think it's romantic, Toby," Lily told him, giving him a playful glare.
"I guess," Jake shrugged, though a small smile tugged at his lips. "It's nice that our elders can find new partners at their age."
"Yeah," Toby agreed, nodding sagely. "At least we know if we get as old as them and are still single, there may still be a chance for us."
"Come on, man," Jake looked at his best friend, rolling his eyes. "There is no way you're going to be single by the time you get to be as old as them."
"Thanks, man," Toby said, offering a small salute with his fork. "Though if you stay single through college, I'd be very surprised."
"Will you two please stop blowing your own trumpets?" Sophia hissed, rolling her eyes dramatically at the boys' sudden boasting.
Taking advantage of the brief sibling distraction, Martin leaned slightly forward, keeping his voice dangerously low as he whispered to Penny. "I completely blame Tom and Lila for this. They started all of this madness by falling in love, and now the relationships are starting to drop like a domino effect."
