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“Sure, I’d love to,” I took one from the tray and bit into it. Flavor exploded in my mouth. Apple spiced with ginger. I covered my mouth with my hand so I could talk.
“It’s so good!”
Melly beamed. “Tell Asher, he made the sweet filling.”
I turned to him in surprise, but he wasn’t looking at me. Eve piped up just then, her voice full of excitement.
“Wait until you see the albums my mom has of Asher when he was little. He went through a year-long superhero phase where he insisted on wearing his tighty-whities on top of his pants. He was ten years old.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Asher gave Eve his most scathing glare, and Beckett just laughed.
“Oh, Ash. Sound like you’re outnumbered tonight. I, for one, can’t wait to see those photos.”
Dinner was one I’d never forget. Everyone talked too much, too loudly. There were no awkward lulls in the conversation or phone calls that had to be taken in the hall. The food was delicious and homemade, so good nothing but pure love could have created it.
Melly was the graceful, benevolent deity reigning over her kingdom, and the rest of us were there to worship.
She was amazing. She was magnetic in the same way as Asher. Funny and charismatic, and warm in a way that made your bones feel cozy. Like her hug, her attention on comforted me in a way I’d never felt before.
The icing on the cake was seeing Asher around his mother. For all his knife-carrying, vicious hockey-stick wielding, and depraved threats, he was, clearly, a very good son. He doted on her, spoiled her, and did everything for her. This was where that smoothness came from. The gentlemanliness and the protectiveness. If someone were to try and break in right now, Asher would be first through the door, ready to fight them off. He valued his family above all else. It was old-fashioned and rare, and I didn’t really know how to process it. It was the polar opposite of everything I’d ever seen or been taught, and it made my lonely childhood even sadder.
Even watching Asher and Eve brought on jealousy. Would my life have been dramatically different if I’d had a sibling to love and confide in? Maybe.
After dinner, Beckett and Asher disappeared to fix a leaking showerhead.
Eve and I cleared the table while she chatted about her Economics class.
“You know, I saw Selena the other day,” she surprised me by saying.
“You did? Where?”
“She was in the cafeteria in Addams Hall.” Eve loaded the dishwasher as I rinsed off the plates. “Is she doing okay?”
“I-I don’t know. Why do you ask?”
“She looked terrible. Upset, or sad or something, I don’t know. Weirdest of all, she came over to me and asked to sit with me. Then, she apologized about that frat party and the laxative that wasn’t a laxative, or whatever it was. Has she had a traumatic brain injury I didn’t know about or…?”
I shook my head, anxiety chasing through me. “I know she felt bad about the whole thing. She’s not great at admitting she’s wrong or apologizing. But she really regrets it.”
Eve nodded. “Yeah, I got that vibe. Call her, maybe. She didn’t look good, and I think you might be all she has.”
Guilt hit me. I knew Selena didn’t make friends easily, and she certainly hadn’t improved with her dad’s death and the weight of their family situation and her sister’s illness on her shoulders. I should have checked to make sure she was really at home. I should have been a better friend.
I let out a long breath. “You’re right. I will.”
“Don’t feel bad. Sometimes people push everyone away, especially the ones who know them best.”
I wondered if she was thinking about Beckett when she’d said that. Their relationship had started out famously rocky.
A loud bang sounded from the floor above, and we both jumped.
“Damn. I should go and check on dumb and dumber up there. Neither of them knows a damn thing about plumbing. They’ll probably flood the place. Can you finish here?”
“I’ll help her, mija,” Melly said from behind us.
She came into the room and patted Eve’s arm as she walked past. Her kind, maternal touches were like generously spread breadcrumbs falling from her fingers, and I was a starving pigeon, trying to get closer to the source of abundant food.
“So, Winter. Asher tells me you two are working things out, whatever that means,” she started.
