“Come in, come in.” She steps back to let us inside. “It’s cold outside.”
Almost immediately, Ben is attacked by his six-year-old niece, Bella, and two-year-old nephew, Jackson.
“Hey, guys.” He bends to hug them. “I’ve missed you guys.”
I smile. Seeing Ben with his niece and nephew always melts my heart.
“Mom, take the pies before they get squished.” He holds out his hand with the bag.
She takes it and chuckles when she looks in the bag. “I think it’s a bit too late for that.”
Ben sighs. “Well, we’ll all know they were squished with love.” He picks each of the kids up in an arm and cries, “To the kitchen,” before running with them down the hall. The children’s laughter trails behind them and my smile widens.
“How have you been?” Loraine asks me.
“Good.” I shrug. “Busy with the business. It’s taking off.”
“That’s amazing, Blaire. I’m so proud of you.” She beams. “How’s Ben? Is he getting enough sleep? I worry about him working these crazy shifts,” she rambles.
I frown slightly. “He’s doing okay, I guess. They’re taking a toll, but he doesn’t complain. This is what he wants to do, and it’s part of the job.”
She nods. “Still, it’s hard on a person.”
“It is,” I agree.
With a sigh, her shoulders fall like she has accepted defeat to the situation. “I just put everything out on the table before you guys arrived. I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starving,” I tell her.
She smiles up at me and then moves on into the
kitchen with the pies to sit them on the counter. Everyone is gathered around the counter eating from a vegetable plate.
Bella runs over to me then and wraps her arms around my legs. “Aunt Blaire, look.” She points to an empty gap in her teeth. “I lost a tooth and the tooth fairy came. She left me five whole dollars.”
“Wow,” I say, bending down to her level, “that’s awesome, Bells.”
Her nose crinkles when she smiles and she hold her hands together while swaying slightly. “Daddy said I could buy a candy bar.” She frowns and adds in a whisper, “But mommy said that will rot my teeth.” She looks torn. “I really love candy, though.”
“Maybe you can get a piece of candy and not eat it all at once?” I suggest.
Her lips purse as she thinks this over. “I can live with that.”
“Dining room, everyone.” Loraine begins ushering us into the space.
Ben’s brother sits at the head of the table, with his wife and kids to his right. Loraine sits on his left and Ben and I take our spots beside her.
We bow our heads to say grace and then Jacob stands to carve the turkey. While he’s doing that, Bella begins to rattle off facts about Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims that she’s learned in school. Once the turkey is carved we pass around the food in a circle until everyone’s plates are full.
A glass of water already sits beside my plate, but I decide to pour a glass of wine.
“I’ll have some too,” Ben says and takes the bottle from me when I finish.
“No drinking and driving.” Loraine points her fork at him and her eyes narrow. “House rules.”
“But, Ma—”
“No buts,” she counters.