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Stifling their laughter, Paige and Valerie continued to listen with amusement as Jacob went on to relay the conversation he’d had with Paige, starting with Jamie’s long hair and concluding with David’s ability to move heavy stuff.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that she likes me,” David said when Jacob was finished.
“Why?”
“Because it’s nice to be liked.”
“Do you like her?”
David chose that moment to lower his voice, so his answer went unheard in the kitchen (much to the women’s aggravation), but a few moments later, it returned to normal as he asked, “Can you do me one more favor?”
“Okay.”
“Can you go back and take a peek, and see if it looks like they’re getting dinner ready? Because I’m really hungry.”
“Me, too.”
Paige and Valerie quickly abandoned their posts in the doorway and hurried back to their spots on the far side of the island and picked up where they’d left off. Valerie went back to the green bean casserole, and Paige returned to the candied yams. “What do you think? One more hour before dinner’s ready?” Paige asked Valerie, when Jacob’s little head was spotted peering around the door frame.
“That sounds about right. One more hour.”
When Jacob’s head disappeared, the women shared a smile and then a chuckle, when they heard Jacob report back to David with a rather boisterous, “Dinner will be ready in an hour!”
From that point on, Paige and Valerie worked like a well-oiled machine, getting the mashed potatoes finished, the stuffing made, pulling the turkey out to ‘rest’, putting the yams and green bean casserole in the oven, and setting the table. Because it felt like such a special occasion, Paige took a little extra time arranging everything nicely, and when she was done she was pleased with the outcome.
David was then called in to carve the turkey, which he did while sneaking bites.
When the moment came to sit down, Paige felt a sweeping sense of rightness move through her, as she took in what future holidays could look like: David by her side, a stepchild to cherish, and a treasured mother-in-law.
The possibility of having a child of her own was something she was too afraid to think about, just yet.
After they were all seated with loaded plates, Valerie suggested they each take turns to say what they were thankful for, which was met with enthusiasm by Jacob.
“Why don’t you go first, Little Man?” David suggested.
Jacob seemed to vibrate with energy as he appeared to be giving a lot of thought to what he was thankful for, and the three adults watched with curiosity while waiting for him to speak.
Finally, he announced, “Corn.”
“Corn?” David tilted his head. “You’re thankful for … corn? As in … corn?”
Jacob nodded.
Taken aback at what seemed like a really odd thing to be grateful for, Paige also couldn’t help but be amused, especially since corn wasn’t even one of the dishes being served, given how much David hated it.
“I’ll go next,” Valerie said. “I’m thankful for everyone at this table.”
David cleared his throat. “I’m thankful for …” his gaze landed on Paige before he finished with, “…second chances.”
Jacob frowned. “What’s a second chance?”
“It’s kind of like a ‘do-over’,” David explained.
“Like in kickball?”
“Yeah. Just like that.”
Appearing to find that acceptable, Jacob said, “Okay.”
