Page 17 of Monsters in Love

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, I ate two plates. On top of the adobo, lumpia, and rice. I'm literally so full."

My mom continued to nudge Kro. "It's good you can eat more so it won't waste."

"There's like ten people here, ma. There'll barely be any leftover for tomorrow."

My mom finally acknowledged me. "I know, which is why it is good that tomorrow we have the ham and the turkey to eat." She said it as if it were her life mission never to run out of food.

I turned toward my dad. "Don't tell me that she has an entirely different dinner planned for tomorrow?"

"Of course! Today was the Filipino feast. Tomorrow is the American one. Have to represent it all."

"Have to!" my mom echoed as she moved toward the kitchen. I heard the oven door open and close; the rattle and stir of pots over the stove top. How much more food could she possibly have in there?

I struggled to my feet, waddling "Well, I might as well get some coffee going if we're going to keep eating. There's no way I'll be able to fight off a food coma without one."

"Perfect, they will go with the desserts you brought."

"The desserts?" I saw the box from Ma Cherie. "Where did you get these?"

"I ordered them, of course! They come in a nice box and packaging every time."

"Every time? How many have you ordered?"

"You know how many. At least once a week. For church, for dinner, for Bible study group. They love it!"

I tried calculating the cost in my head. A weekly standing order like that wouldn't be cheap. I open the box, and see the invoice that was in it. There was no price listed. Instead, it was just a note that said, love Plum. Ps, freeze the profiteroles if you aren't gonna eat them right away.

This had to be Honey. She was the only person who would meddle like this without saying she would meddle.

I placed them on a platter, separating out a small pile of profiteroles just for Kro. When my mom tilted her head in question, I shrugged and said, "They're his favorite."

She nodded, no other explanation needed. "It's good to have someone who can appreciate good food."

That was the closest to approval I'd ever received for anyone that I brought home. Come to think of it, this was the first time that I can remember my parents being so friendly to anyone I brought home. Too bad it was for a fake boyfriend, but they would get over it.

"Can I help with anything?" Kro's voice interrupted my reverie.

"Well, since you're here, you want to carry out the dessert? I'll grab the coffee."

Kro's eyes lit up to see the dessert tray. "Psst, this plate is yours," I said conspiratorially, indicating the plate in my hand.

His gaze was scorching hot as he looked at me. "I can't wait to eat that all up."

For a moment I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or the dessert. "Let's get some coffee out there before the natives rebel."

My aunts and cousins all descended upon the desserts and everyone had enough helpings. Kro was especially happy with his own little pile.

"I hear there has been a freak snow storm up north, so you should probably think about going home now, or possibly staying." My dad had turned on the television. There was a freak bit of weather that surrounded Obsidian City. It was already swirling in snow, and the surrounding areas were already seeing some kind of lake effect blizzard.

At least there weren't a lot of communities for a good stretch surrounding the city. But there was still a good hour of blustery snow that I wouldn't want to drive through. "Man, I knew some snow would be a possibility–Kro mentioned something about restless snow beasts north of the city. We were considering the possibility of staying the night if needed."

"There were some snow beasts that were getting territorial in the mountains just north of the city," Kro said. "Maddoc stated that they were roaming the country side, but I didn't realize they were this upset. I will see if I hear anything different. Excuse me.”

I let Kro go into the front room where my dad kept his office. My aunts and cousins weren't too worried since they lived in the area, but they were still considering leaving since it was getting late, and they wanted to be able to come back tomorrow when there were members of their church congregation would arrive for a dinner fellowship.

Kro came back and slipped back in his seat. "What did they say?"

"The roads are fine, I suppose, but the snow is coming down pretty fast. I am not worried, as the SUV is equipped for such things."

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