by Kathy Krevat
I hadn’t even called Norma back, even though she might have news.
Trouble was going crazy wondering why I wasn’t giving her tastes, but I was only handling the prep work today. The dining room was back to normal, except for the occasional pushpins I kept finding with my bare feet, and the glitter that I knew would be there as long as the house existed.
Elliott came downstairs while I was setting the table, one of the many chores I could do early so I wouldn’t have to worry about it while I was cooking on the big day.
“Hey, Mom?” he asked, in a tone that I knew meant he wanted to ask me something. Something that I wouldn’t like.
“Hey, bud,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Dad just called,” he said.
I held back the uh-oh that I wanted to say. “Okay.”
“He was supposed to go to San Francisco today to join the rest of his family, but there’s something wrong with his plane. It’s, like, grounded.”
“O-kay.” That word came out very slowly.
“Can he join us for Thanksgiving?” He looked up at me with puppy eyes and I was lost.
Are you kidding me? I wanted to scream. Instead, I glanced at my dad who was staring at me wide-eyed. He gave me an it’s up to you shrug. Wonderful.
“Sure,” I said.
“Great! Thank you!” He gave me a quick hug and then ran back up to his room to tell his dad.
“This is going to be an interesting Thanksgiving,” my dad said, shaking his head.
My phone rang. It was Kai. That was weird. She’d never called me before, but Joss had asked me to keep her number in my phone in case of an emergency.
I picked it up. “Kai?”
“I’m sorry. It’s Gemma.”
Oh man. What did she want now? “Hi,” I said, keeping my tone even.
My dad was staring at me and I mouthed her name.
He laughed, covering his mouth with his hand so she wouldn’t hear.
“I know this is terrible, trying to take advantage like this, and I know that Joss would never bother you with this. But Kai recently asked if we would ever be able to celebrate a holiday together. And I just wondered, you can say no, really. But I wanted to find out if there’s any way I could come to Thanksgiving tomorrow.”
My jaw actually dropped. I covered the phone and whispered, “She wants to come tomorrow!” to my dad.
He laughed even louder and then said, “Why not?” Not a good “Why not?” but a “This is already crazy. Why not add more crazy to it? Why not?”
I failed to see the humor.
“Of course, if it’s too hard for you, I totally understand,” she said in a sickly sweet tone.
What a witch. But she’d backed me into a corner. “Sure,” I said. “Three o’clock.”
We hung up and I immediately called Lani. “We’re all grown-ups.” I tried to make myself feel less horror-stricken. “It’ll be fine.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “Piper and I will be on ‘ew’ duty and we’ll totally handle her.”
“Oo duty?” I asked.
“E. W., for ex-wife,” she said. “But we say ‘ew’ because she stinks as a human being.”
I laughed. “Just don’t say it by accident tomorrow.”
Next I dialed Joss. “So I have some bad news and some bad news. What do you want first?”
“The bad news?” he asked.
“Richard is joining us for Thanksgiving.” I explained about his plane.
“Okay,” he said, drawing out the word as if he was considering all of the ramifications. “What’s the other bad news?”
“So is Gemma.”
“What?” His voice got much sharper with that revelation.
I told him about her phone call, blaming Kai more than Gemma in an effort to keep the peace.
He was quiet for a minute.
“You okay?” I asked.
“This is going to be the most stressful Thanksgiving in the history of the holiday,” he said.
“From what I understand, that bar is pretty high.”
* * * *
My dad was delighted that Joss and I had said the “L word.” But on Thanksgiving morning, he realized that it might cause things between us to change.
“You know you don’t have to worry about me, right?” he said. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to live here and not, you know, live your own life.” He was sitting in his chair with his feet up, drinking his first of many beers of the day.
“Dad, we’re not even close to anything like that,” I said. “And just so you know, I can’t imagine moving out. Elliott and I love it here.”
“Okay,” he said. “Don’t just stay because you think it’ll hurt my feelings or something.”
I hugged him from behind. “I love you, Dad.”
He patted my arm. “I love you too.” Then he cleared his throat and said, “I can’t see the parade.”
* * * *
“Are we going to be able to handle this?” I asked Joss when he came into the kitchen for refills. I was deep in food prep, moving along according to the detailed schedule I’d prepared, and the whole house smelled amazing, like turkey and stuffing and pie all at the same time.
Richard was sitting in the living room with Elliott, my dad, and Annie. They were all watching a football game and actually talking. Both Richard and Joss had surfed a lot when they were younger, so they’d found something they had in common to talk about besides Elliott and me.
Elliott was hanging out with Kai who was trying to get Trouble to stay on the couch with her. The cat kept jumping down to look at the bookcase in the corner of the living room.
“You can handle anything,” Joss said, keeping his voice low. “But the only thing that’ll keep me sane is thinking about Saturday.” He kissed my cheek and grabbed two beers and two sodas from the refrigerator, which was a lot emptier now that the turkey was in the oven.
Since Elliott was going to San Francisco with Richard and Kai was spending the rest of the weekend with Gemma’s family, Joss had surprised me by inviting me to Temecula for the weekend. The plan was to go wine tasting and stay at a beautiful bed-and-breakfast.
“Stop giving each other googly eyes and tell me if this cranberry sauce is thick enough,” Lani said from the stove.
“It looks awesome,” I said as Joss went back to the living room. I grabbed a spoon and, after blowing on it a few times, tasted it. “It’s perfect. Sweet and tangy and delicious.”
Today Lani was wearing a brown sweater over a beige skirt with small designs on it. Pretty low-key for her. Then I looked closer. “Are those turkeys?” I asked.
“Yep. Appropriate, right?” She glanced up at the clock above the sink. “Piper should be here soon.” Then she looked at me. “Don’t be insulted by what I’m about to tell you. Because this ensures that your life is less complicated, and you could sure use less complications these days right?”
“Oh my God, yes.”
“Bio-dad, I mean, Richard, is not at all interested in you,” she said, as if delivering excellent news.
“I know,” I said. Something about it felt weird though, not that I was admitting it to anyone.
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense, because look at you.” She gestured both hands toward me. “You’re gorgeous and smart and accomplished. And kind. But it’s really good because Joss is awesome and you don’t want anything to mess with that.”
“He really is, isn’t he?” I said it like a question that I knew the answer to.
I checked my phone for the fifth time in an hour and saw a text from Zoey. “Oh good.”
“What?” Lani asked.
“I invited Zoey and Zeke for dinner, but they’re spending the day with friends,” I said. “She said her face was feeling a lot better.”
I’d
told Lani everything, and then repeated the story for my dad and again for Joss. Lani couldn’t believe that Quincy had come up with the whole elaborate plan to convince Red that he wasn’t Zeke’s father, but she agreed that it was necessary. Quincy felt terribly guilty that he hadn’t predicted Red’s violent response, but Zoey told him that she’d agreed to the plan too so if it was Quincy’s fault, it was her fault. And nothing Red did was her fault.
I was glad that I’d told Gemma to arrive right when dinner was being served. She stood in the kitchen doorway wearing a short black skirt and a silky red shirt that showed a lot of cleavage.
Whoa.
“Ignore it,” Lani whispered as she walked by me to welcome Gemma. “Colbie’s finishing up the mashed potatoes and then we’ll sit down.”
“Do you need any help?” Gemma asked, but didn’t seem to mean it.
“I’m good,” I said overly cheerful. “Lani, can you get Gemma some wine or beer?”
“Sure thing.” Lani poured her a glass of chardonnay and eased her toward the living room.
I breathed a sigh of relief, even knowing it was temporary, and started up the hand mixer again.
Lani came back and said, “You trust me, right? I just saw Joss’s face when Gemma sat down. Right beside him, of course. And I am one hundred percent sure that he’s not interested in her.” She held up two fingers. “Scouts honor. You have nothing to worry about.”
I smiled, feeling some amount of relief even though I knew it was true.
We brought the food to the table, which practically groaned under the weight, and invited everyone to sit down.
Elliott opened up my laptop and set it on one of the kitchen bar stools at the edge of the table. Soon Tod’s face appeared on the screen. “Happy Thanksgiving everyone,” Tod said. His voice was quiet as if he was embarrassed.
Everyone responded in a chorus of “Happy Thanksgiving to you” and he smiled.
“So glad you can make it, Tod,” I said. Maybe next year he’d actually be here.
Lani directed people to their chairs. My dad was at the head of the table with Annie beside him. Elliott and Kai sat together. I was at the foot of the table with Joss. Gemma made a move to sit beside him, and Lani pointed to the open seat beside Richard. “That’s your seat, Gemma.”
I widened my eyes. She wasn’t pushing her on Richard, was she?
She read my mind, or my expression, and said quietly as she sat down beside me, “He’s not interested in her either.”
Annie started Thanksgiving by saying, “I have a tradition that I’d like to suggest. We should all go around the table and say one thing that we’re grateful for. I’ll start. I’m grateful that I found love again and that I have such wonderful neighbors who make me feel like family.”
Richard cleared his throat. “I was going to say something about not having to face vegan Thanksgiving in San Francisco, but you had to get serious on me.”
Everyone laughed.
He looked at Elliott. “I’m so very grateful to have my son in my life, for getting to know what a wonderful young man he is.” He paused, as if his feelings were getting the best of him, and continued with difficulty. “And especially that he and Colbie were big enough people to forgive me.”
Elliott said, “Me too.” He blew out a breath and then said, “And for getting to live here with my grandpa.”
Kai said, “I’m grateful for my goats!”
Everyone laughed again, a relief from the complicated emotions swirling around the room.
Gemma said, “You’re welcome, sweetie,” completely missing the point, but I held back my eye roll.
She started to say something and then stopped herself. “I’m grateful to be starting a new career,” she finished simply.
“Hey Tod,” I said. “Want to go next?”
He took a deep breath. “I’m grateful for the progress I made this year,” he said. Then he held up a turkey leg, “And for online food delivery services!”
The chuckles around the table were heartwarming.
“We want to go last,” Lani said, and Piper smiled, turning to my dad.
“I’m grateful for a lot of things,” he said. “Having my daughter and grandson living here with me is a great joy, along with sharing my life with Annie.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe his luck, and tears gathered in his eyes.
Seeing anyone cry, especially my dad, always made me cry. I wiped away a few tears, and Joss grabbed my hand.
“This has been a wonderful year for all of us, hasn’t it?” Joss said. “Every minute I share with Kai is a treasure. You have all become so much more than neighbors, you’ve become friends, and even family. I’m grateful to have you all in my life, especially Colbie, who has brought love and adventure into every day.”
I took a deep breath. “You guys have used up all the good stuff, so I’m just going to say ‘ditto.’ This is a wonderful time for family and friends and I just want it to continue.”
“I can’t wait anymore!” Lani said as Piper shook her head with affection. “Guess what we’re grateful for? We’re having a baby!”
The table erupted into cheers and well-wishes. I jumped to my feet and ran around the table to hug them both.
Chapter 22
When I woke up the next morning, I felt wonderful. The turkey had come out great, flavorful and moist. Everyone had eaten until they were stuffed. We took a break from gorging to rest. Joss and Piper had loaded the dishwasher, “because they hadn’t helped to cook.”
That worked for me. At halftime during the second football game, we felt like we might have enough room for more food. We went back to the dining room for pumpkin pie piled high with whipped cream.
Gemma had stayed quiet most of the time, and she and Kai left as soon as possible while still being polite. I think she realized that regardless of what happened between Joss and me, she was never getting him back. I didn’t expect to see her around his farm much more.
It wasn’t until I saw Trouble staring at the bookcase in the living room again that the memory of the fixer came back to me, along with the feeling that we were being watched.
Tod had told me it wasn’t possible for Trouble to sense electronic surveillance but I wasn’t taking any chances. I waited for it to be a decent hour and texted him. Could your friend have missed one?
He knew what I meant. The RF detectors aren’t perfect, but I think it’s unlikely, he texted back. Why?
I didn’t want to argue with him about Trouble’s talent in sensing the bugs. Can you send him over again?
Sure.
A short time later, he texted, One hour.
Make it two, I responded.
And then I plotted.
* * * *
A short time later, Richard arrived to pick up Elliott for their trip to San Francisco. His plane was still grounded but he’d arranged to rent another private plane. I didn’t even know that was possible. His family, which I guess meant Elliott’s new family, was holding a second Thanksgiving dinner for both of them.
Richard had gone into the living room to shake my dad’s hand and thank him for his hospitality for Thanksgiving.
“Colbie did all the work,” my dad said.
“We should go,” Richard said to Elliott. “We want to get out before the rain hits.”
I smiled and hugged Elliott a little tighter.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m good,” I said. “Still stuffed from yesterday, but good.”
“I’m not!” he said.
“Thanks for letting him go with me,” Richard said, holding the front door open for Elliott.
“You’re welcome,” I said. I smiled and waved good-bye from the porch until they turned the corner. The empty street made me feel bereft.
I went back inside to wait for the Wizard.
&
nbsp; Even though I suspected that there was another bug in my living room, it still pissed me off when he found it taped to the top of one of the shelves in the bookcase. I shook my head at him to leave it there and asked him to check the whole house again.
The Wizard also analyzed my phone. “Still clean.”
I went outside to call Norma and asked her to meet me for coffee.
She said, “No time.” She hung up.
I called her back. “You have time for this,” I insisted and told her about the new bug.
When I arrived at Philz, she was shaking out her umbrella. The sky was dark gray with rain clouds working overtime to fix the drought in southern California.
This time she bought the coffee and we sat at the long counter in front that looked out over the parking lot. I left my phone in my car even though the Wizard said it was safe.
“Okay, hear me out,” I said. “We know that someone with access to military grade surveillance equipment is following me. What about if we used that to flush him out?”
She narrowed her eyes and sipped her coffee. “Explain.”
“Whoever this guy is, he knows that we know there’s some kind of fixer around here,” I said. “But no one knows who he is. If it gets too hard for him to do business, he can just leave town and start this whole thing up somewhere else.”
“Not if I can help it.” Her voice was grim.
“He’s been ahead of us the whole time,” I reminded her. “There are lots of rich people all over the country who would use his services.”
She crossed her arms.
I took a deep breath and told her my plan.
“It’s too dangerous,” she argued.
“Norma, this nameless, faceless fixer is giving me the creeps every single day. We have to catch him.”
“You don’t even know if that’s who’s bugging you,” she said.
“And tracking me,” I reminded her.
“Or even responsible for Benson’s death.”