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“They’re mine though,” Nick said, taking a massive bite.
“We know, golden boy,” Merry shot back.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Lord love a duck, you two are going to drive me to drink,” Victoria muttered.
“I’ve got the ticket for that!” Holly jumped up from her seat and went to the kitchen, coming back into the room with a wine bottle in each hand. “Red or white, because I brought both.”
Clark smothered a laugh with his napkin as Victoria looked up to the ceiling. “I know you never send us more than we can handle, but you might have miscalculated.”
“Rude.” Holly set one bottle on the island and opened the other with the corkscrew. “Just for that, I’m not sharing my wine with you.”
“Noel, would you please wrestle that bottle of red from my daughter and pour me some?”
Noel got up from the table with a smirk. “I’m on it.”
Holly handed Noel the bottle with an eyeroll. “Suck up.”
“Can you guys stop goofing off?” Jace hollered. “I’m trying to enjoy my potatoes.”
The adults laughed and went back to eating, the conversation turning to more casual topics like the upcoming tree harvest and how Holly’s shop was doing. When the meal finished, Clark took his and Jace’s plates into the kitchen, coming up alongside Victoria.
“I can wash if you want to go sit down.”
Chris stepped up, elbowing his wife out of the way. “Both of you get out of here. Dishes are my domain. Holly! Get in here and help your old dad.”
“I’m coming.”
Victoria patted Clark on the back, leading him into the living room. “Best let the Dish Master do his work. Come sit with us.”
Clark found himself on the couch next to Merry, who had her feet tucked up under her.
“Mrs. Winters, can we play chess now?” Jace asked.
“Absolutely. You know where it is.”
Jace took off down the hallway with Butch trotting along behind him.
“Your son is so good with Butch.” Victoria lowered her voice and whispered, “Jace’s mentioned once or twice that he wants a puppy.”
Clark shook his head. “I’m sorry he brought that up. I already told him maybe when we get our own place—”
“Nonsense! The man in the cottage before you had two big Labs through the course of his employment and I think it would be good for Jace to have a pal.” Victoria seemed to realize she may have over- stepped and added, “I mean, of course it is ultimately your decision, but if you want to get a dog, we have no issue with it.”
“Thank you, Victoria,” Clark said quietly.
Jace came running back in with the game clacking is his hands. He sat down on the other side of the coffee table across from Victoria and the two of them chatted as he set up the board.
Clark checked the clock on the wall. It was almost seven, so he still had forty-five minutes. He looked over at Merry, who was watching her mother and Jace, a bemused smile on her face.
“You look nice,” he said softly.
She whipped his way, her cheeks burnished pink. “Thank you. I’m going out with a friend after dinner.”
“What friend?” Victoria asked, peering at her daughter over Jace’s head.
“Hey, concentrate on your game. This is an A and B conversation, so C your way out of it.”
