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“All right, I need a beer. Anyone else?” Hayden asked, heading over to the fridge.
“Me, please,” Hunter and Spencer said in unison.
“Not yet for me,” Preston answered, holding his beer over his head, eyes glued to the game on the TV.
Hayden looked back and made eye contact with me as I shook my head. I felt like I needed my full wits about me for a bit longer.
Hayden returned with bottles for himself, Hunter, and Spencer. He took a draw from the long neck, then asked, “So, where are Dad and Margaret?”
“They’re down in my apartment watching over Margaret’s pies. Fewer ingredients to lug up here that way.”
Hayden nodded. “Makes sense. So, football?” He looked over at me, gesturing with his head to the empty love seat perpendicular to the TV.
“As long as Preston doesn’t need help with anything for the food?” I answered, looking over at the chef in question.
“Thank you for displaying manners my brothers lack, but we’re in the calm before the storm now. I might even be able to sit for a bit myself,” Preston said as he waved me over to join Hayden on the love seat.
“Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss twenty questions during the commercial breaks,” he continued, settling into one of the recliners.
“He wasn’t kidding about twenty questions?” I muttered to Hayden.
“Oh, Spencer never jokes about car games,” Hayden answered. “Even when there’s a car nowhere near us.”
“Damn right. Undefeated license plate game champion,” Spencer said, looking over at us. “But you may want to get a beer. The penalty for skipping a question is having to take a drink. Brandt house rules.”
“We’ll share,” Hayden answered, putting his arm around my shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
Spencer tipped his beer in acknowledgment. Thirty seconds of comfortable silence passed until a game break appeared and Spencer turned his full attention to me, a charismatic smile spreading across his face.
“Okay, Charlotte. Tell me, what is, in your opinion, my brother’s most annoying habit?”
“Well,” I started, Hayden looking over at me, seeming shocked I had such a quick answer. “I definitely don’t like it when Preston fishes ice out of his drinks to chew on.”
All the brothers laughed, including Preston, who shot me a wink at my clever response.
Spencer clinked the neck of his beer bottle with mine. “Well played, Charlotte. I’ll have to keep my eye on you. One question down, nineteen to go.”
I nestled closer to Hayden’s side, enjoying the brothers’ bickering and football commentary. It was nothing like a Thanksgiving I had ever known, but it turned out, change could be a good thing.
Two quarters of football later, we were on question seventeen when the door to the club room opened. An older man with Brandt-brown hair and broad shoulders held the door open with one hand and balanced a pie on an oven mitt in his other hand. Passing through the open door was an older woman with chin-length grey hair, carrying a pie in each hand.
“Pies are here,” the woman announced, carrying the day’s desserts over to the island in the kitchen area. “Preston, it smells just wonderful in here,” she said as Preston closed the oven door, checking on the turkey. He straightened up to accept a kiss on the cheek, squeezing the woman’s shoulder with affection.
Hayden stood up and held his hand out to help me out of the sunken love seat. Taking my hand in his, we walked over to join the group in the kitchen.
“Hayden!” the woman exclaimed as we reached them, wrapping him in a hug that he dropped my hand to return. “Charlotte,” she said to me, after letting him go, holding her arms out. “Is a hug hello, okay?”
“Sure,” I answered, stepping into her arms and circling mine loosely around her back. She ended the hug quickly.
“Charlotte, I believe you know this hugger, my stepmom, Margaret Hayes.”
“Oh, you,” Margaret waved her hands at Hayden. “I’d blame the bottle of wine we opened while making pies, but he’s right. I am a hugger. We’re so happy you were able to join us today. It’s so lovely to see you in an atmosphere outside the bookstore. I’ll try to avoid asking you about books for the whole day.”
“I’m not sure I get through a single conversation without mentioning a book, so maybe it should be a goal for us both,” I smiled back, instantly feeling at ease in her presence. “Thank you again for connecting me with Duncan through my mom. My class schedule last summer didn’t allow me to be at the store regularly on Tuesday mornings when you came in for your new releases, so I hadn’t seen you in person to thank you. But being able to stay at his place has been amazing.”
I heard a snort from the peanut gallery behind me. Maybe amazing wasn’t the best word to use when I was here as her stepson’s date.
Margaret smiled indulgently. “I was going to be sure Hayden checked in with you a few times while you were in town, but seems like fate and Duncan’s old assistant had something else in mind. Feels like a good match to me.”
