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Gigi gave him a stare that would stop anyone in their tracks, and he pressed his lips together in a tight, thin line to keep from talking.
The entire table fell silent: Ryder, Bree, Charlie, Quinn, Delaney. They all just sat there, mouths shut, their eyes looking anywhere but at Pops or me.
I cleared my throat. “It’s no problem, Pops. Things are going fine. Everyone’s asking after you.”
That brought a smile to his face.
“Are they now? Well, you can tell them I’ll be back real soon. Probably next week.”
Gigi clucked, shaking her head. “He will not be back next week. Or the week after.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I didn’t mind helping out—and I loved being here with Macy—but I had to give Benji an answer and soon. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay, but no way was I broaching the subject now.
“Ignore her,” Pops said, shaking his head. “I’ll be back ASAP.”
“Right, Pops,” Quinn said, slapping him on the back. “Any time now.”
Delaney nodded, taking Quinn’s side, and Gigi rolled her eyes. “We’ll talk about this later. Who’s going to say the blessing?”
Charlie piped in, volunteering, and we all held hands, praying over the food. Two minutes later, salad, rolls, and chicken and rice casserole hit plates, and the conversation mercifully turned to Peach Fest.
“I’m so excited,” Bree said, smoothing her blond hair down over her shoulder. “I’ve been hearing about this festival forever. It sounds fantastic.”
“You’re going to love it,” Delaney chimed in. “The food’s amazing. Shameless plug, butLanie’swill have a booth this year.”
“We’ll all stop by to support you, dear,” Gigi said, smiling warmly at Delaney. She blushed, clearly happy to have Gigi in her corner.
“Don’t forget the rides!” Charlie said, bouncing up and down in his seat. “The Ferris wheel, the tilt-a-whirl...”
“You are not going on the tilt-a-whirl again,” Ryder said, shooting Charlie a stern look across the table. “Remember last year? You puked all over Miss Milly.”
“Oh, right. But that’s only because I ate too many hot dogs!” Charlie said, protesting.
“No. Done deal. Don’t even think about it. We can ride something else twice.”
“Okay, so skip the tilt-a-whirl,” I said, nodding my head. “Anything else I should be reminded about?”
“There’s always something new,” Ryder said, stabbing a piece of lettuce. “I love this time of year. Second only to football season.” Ryder grinned at me. “It’s a great time all around. You’re lucky to be here now.”
“Can’t wait,” I said, already thinking of spending an entire day with Macy. Right now, our time together was stolen in between shifts; I couldn’t even imagine the bliss of being with her for twelve hours straight.
“Do you want to go with us on Saturday, Liam?” Ryder asked. All eyes focused on me and I swallowed hard.
“Uh—that’s okay,” I said, not wanting to dive into the details in front of my entire extended family.
“Why not?” Quinn asked, his grey eyes narrowed.
I stared down at my plate, focusing hard on my casserole. Of course Quinn would put me on the spot.
“I, um...”
“Um, what?” Quinn asked.
“I have a date.” The words rushed out, even though I wished they hadn’t. I knew I’d just opened Pandora’s freaking box.
“A date!” Gigi cried, clapping her hands together with glee. “That’s wonderful, dear.”
Oh shit. I hoped no one would call my mother. So far, I’d managed to keep my communication with her down to text-only, avoiding all questions about the long-term.
