Page 267 of I Accidentally Joined a Wolf Shifter Group Chat

I turned away from the pie and checked the clock. “People will be here in twenty minutes.”

“People are already here.”

I looked through the kitchen doorway. Grandma Ruth crossed the living room, carrying a covered bowl while Grandpa Alfonse followed with a plate of deviled eggs.

Grandma entered the kitchen. “Sloane, it’s lovely to see you, dear.”

I took the bowl from her hands, placed it on the counter, and gave her a hug.

Grandpa came in behind her and placed the eggs on the counter. “Don’t I get a hug, too?”

“Of course.” I crossed the kitchen and gave him a squeeze.

Grandma lifted the lid from her bowl. Green beans. Not merely green beans. Fletcher green beans.

The bear family had shared the recipe at the first joint dinner, and Grandma Ruth had treated it as a cultural exchange of international importance. The dish involved bacon, onions, brown sugar, vinegar, and a long cooking time that transformed vegetables into something even children approached willingly.

“Did you make those?” I asked.

“With Mrs. Fletcher’s adjustments.”

Hudson checked the bowl. “More vinegar?”

“Less sugar.”

Grandpa shook his head. “Wrong direction.”

Grandma put her hands on her hips. “They’re vegetables, Alfonse. They’re not supposed to be sweet.”

My phone vibrated on the counter.

Then again.

Then three times in quick succession.

Hudson’s phone responded from his pocket.

Grandma Ruth’s device began announcing notifications from inside her purse with an electronic howl Trevor had installed and nobody had managed to remove.