When they got to the front door, instead of opening it, he turned to her. “Stop fidgeting.”
“I’m not—” She snapped her mouth shut. He was right. She was fidgeting. “Then stop making me nervous.”
“How exactly am I doing that?”
By acting so nervous yourself! Instead, she said, “What am I doing here? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the invitation and I never turn down free food, but it’s not like I’m a friend of the family.”
“You’re Mimi’s friend. Plus, you’re my…”
Tenant? Temporary roommate? Unwanted guest?
“Exactly,” she said when he wasn’t able to finish his sentence. “My presence here is kind of odd. What did your mom say when you told her you’d invited me to supper?”
He opened the door and ushered her inside. “We’re about to find out.”
She whipped around to face him. “You mean you didn’t tell her!”
He gave her a look that said Not now. She was about to walk right back out the door and all the way to the beach house when they were literally overtaken by Luke’s family.
Mimi came rushing to greet her brother, followed by her husband, Zeke, and their kids, Claire and Cameron, whom Sarah had met briefly one day when they’d come into The Bistro.
A tall man with thinning hair and kind eyes, who must be Luke’s father, enveloped his son in an unpretentious hug of affection. They all began talking at once. Sarah edged her way toward the door. Maybe she could sneak out when no one was looking.
Before she could attempt a getaway, Luke grabbed her by the hand. “I brought Sarah,” he announced awkwardly.
Mimi looked puzzled, but she quickly put on her game face. “Sarah! I’m so glad you could join us.”
Luke introduced her to Alex Powers, who warmly shook her hand and seemed to accept her presence without question. Unlike Mimi, however,
Luke’s mother didn’t bother to try to hide her bewilderment. “Sarah, it’s…nice to see you again.”
“Thank you for having me. I, um, brought some banana bread.”
Luke’s mother took the loaf with a well-practiced smile. “How lovely. Please come in. We’re always happy to have company.” She seemed more like the woman Sarah had met in the grocery store, and nothing like the woman who’d almost had a meltdown on her son’s backyard patio.
To the right of the foyer was a formal living room with the kind of furniture that looked as if it came straight from a decorator’s showroom. Family pictures graced the light blue walls and the smell of fresh-cut roses wafted from an elegant crystal vase sitting atop a baby grand piano.
They automatically migrated toward the back of the house where a large, comfy family room connected to a kitchen and adjacent dining room. There were plates of appetizers arranged on the coffee table and soft jazz music played in the background. The whole thing was like something out of a movie set where the perfect upper-middle-class family gathered to enjoy an evening together.
Alex poured her a glass of wine. Yes! Sarah took a sip and willed herself to relax. Everyone began bombarding Luke with questions, which, she noticed, he deftly turned around on them and soon they were discussing Claire’s upcoming move to North Carolina to attend Duke University.
“I understand the whole family are Duke alumni,” Sarah said, trying to find something to contribute to the conversation.
“Everyone except me.” Mimi sat on a leather couch next to her husband, who had his arm around her.
“Mom didn’t go to Duke because she was pregnant with me,” Claire said in a no-nonsense way. She was a pretty girl, tall with dark hair and blue eyes. A very nice mix of both parents. “Otherwise, Mom would have gone, too. She’s really smart.” Ann Powers gave her granddaughter a meaningful look, which the girl promptly ignored. “She got her degree eventually, though, while working and taking care of me and my dad,” Claire said proudly.
“Sarah, where did you go to college?” Ann asked.
Sarah had just stuffed an olive into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed as quickly as politely possible. “I went to community college, but I dropped out after a couple of semesters and got a job on a cruise line.”
“Now that’s interesting,” Mimi said. “What did you do on board the ship?”
“I worked in the kitchen.”
Zeke smiled at her. “And we all know how that worked out for you.” He turned to Ann. “Rusty and the rest of the department are hooked on Sarah’s blueberry muffins. I think Frida is going to have to steal her recipe or there might be a riot when Sarah leaves.”
Sarah felt herself blush. “I wish I could take credit for those blueberry muffins, but that’s all Lucy.”