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After handing me a bag of potatoes to wash and peel, I get to work while Dad chops onions and herbs at one counter and Daniel preps the bird for the rotisserie at another.
“I can’t believe how big the kids are,” I tell Daniel.
“Tell me about it. Adam’s almost a teenager.”
“He’ll be driving soon,” Dad says.
Daniel clutches at his chest with a grimace. “Let’s not think about that.”
“How did everything go with recording the album?” Daniel asks.
I give them the highlights about the business side of things, how we finished recording my first album—words I can hardly believe even as I speak them. Then Daniel asks questions about Laila and Damon and the contract I signed with Mindy. Dad stays mostly silent, only nodding and grunting occasionally. My parents still haven’t accepted the fact that their son, Dr. Luke Fletcher, gave up the prestigious title.
Once the bird is cooking, I escape to the living room to make sure Mindy is doing okay. She’s sitting on the dark blue couch between Granny Bea and my sister Vanessa. My mom is in the recliner on one side of the sofa, and Lynn is lounging in the loveseat across from her.
The flat-screen hanging on the wall has the game playing, the volume low.
“Don’t look at us like that, we’re just talking to Mindy.” Vanessa shoots me a glare, flicking her dark hair over one shoulder.
I eye Mindy for signs of torture. “Interrogating, you mean?” She doesn’t look tortured. She’s smiling, the movement reaching her eyes, so it must be sincere.
“Of course not,” Mom clucks at me.
“We’re bonding,” Granny Bea says, “so make yourself scarce for at least more minutes.”
“Are you sure?”
Mindy nods at me. “It’s fine. No interrogation here. It’s more like they’re divulging all your embarrassing childhood stories so I have something to blackmail you with later.”
I groan and cover my face with my hands, and they all laugh, the devils.
“See? We’re awesome,” Lynn says.
Vanessa lifts her brows at me. “You’ve never brought someone home with you.”
“I told you, we work together,” I say.
“He’s rescuing me from my family,” Mindy adds, a hint of flush to her cheeks.
Lynn grimaces. “We really can’t promise this will be any better.”
Mindy chuckles. “So I’ve been told.”
“As long as you’ve been warned.” Granny Bea pats her on the leg.
Vanessa jerks a thumb at me. “Now scram. We were about to tell her about the time you swallowed a dime and cried for an hour.”
I lift my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Have fun.”
I follow the sound of yelling and find the kids in the den playing board games. They rope me into a few rounds of Clue, and then I’m hauled back to the kitchen for more menial labor before it’s time to set the table for dinner.
We’ve just sat down to eat when Dad starts with the bragging.
“Luke skipped two grades. Did he tell you?”
“He may have mentioned something about it.” She shoots me a confused glance.
I give her a small shake of my head. This is how our conversations always go.
