Thanksgiving

“Dave, the guy who left me at the altar.”

“You mean the moron who just walked out of the church? That Dave?”

“That Dave.”

Pat watched him walk toward their booth. The guy was about six feet seven, had a shoulder span of approximately four feet, and was missing a neck. Pat wanted to punch him in the nose, but he was afraid he’d have to stand on a chair to do it. “What’s he doing here?”

Megan tilted her chin up. “Obviously, he wants to see me. Maybe he’s heartbroken and still in love and decided he can’t live without me.”

Pat made a disgusted face. He couldn’t imagine Megan with Dave No – Neck. The man looked like the yuppie version of Bigfoot. A cross between Gentle Ben and Magilla Gorilla stuffed into an oversize cable – knit cotton sweater. If he leaned forward just a bit more he’d step on his hands when he walked. The thought brought a smile to Pat’s lips.

Megan clenched her fists under the table. Patrick Hunter was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He thought this whole thing was pretty funny. Well, she’d show him funny. He didn’t want to marry her? Fine! She’d marry someone else. She’d marry anyone else. She’d even marry Dave, if she had to.

Dave pushed his way through the crowd and smiled down at Megan.

“Meggy, it’s good to see you again.” He plucked her from the booth, lifted her a foot off the floor, and kissed her on the forehead. “I hope you’re not mad at me.”

“Mad at you? Me?” She would have liked to set his toenails on fire someday. “Don’t be silly, I’m not mad. Everyone has the right to change his mind. After all, this is a free country, isn’t it?”

She slid back into the booth and patted the seat next to her. “Want a hot dog? This is the house specialty.” She pushed her Kamikaze Dog over to him. “I ordered it, but I’m not hungry.”

“Hate to see it go to waste,” Dave said, and stuffed the thing into his mouth.

Pat closed his eyes and tried not to laugh. Lizzie Borden had nothing on Megan Murphy.

Dave finished the hot dog and slung his arm around Megan. “I guess this little guy is Patrick Hunter. When your mom called his house she got his answering service, and they told us you were here. Lucky for me you got an answering service, Pat.”

“Mmmm. Lucky.”

Megan made a face at Pat and inched closer to Dave. “Goodness, it certainly is nice to see you again. What brings you to Williamsburg?”

“You, sugar plum. I’ve missed you, pudding pie.”

From the corner of her eye, Megan could see Pat making a gagging gesture. She glared at him and wrapped her arms around Dave’s massive biceps. “Looks like you’ve been staying in shape,” she said, squeezing the muscle.

“Hey, you know me. My body is sacred.”

Now Megan almost gagged. How could she have forgotten about his sacred body? All those perfect muscles that continually needed to be exercised, analyzed, oiled, and massaged. The bones and blood that demanded red meat, whole grains, vitamins, and minerals, not to mention her mother’s famous New York cheesecake. How could she have forgotten about his sacred body? Yuk.

Dave smiled affably at Pat. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything. There isn’t anything going on between you two, is there?”

He was big, but he was probably slow, Pat thought. He could probably smash Dave’s nose halfway into his head and make it out to the car before Dave caught up with him. No, that wasn’t any good. That would leave Megan stranded with the hulk, here.

“Nope. Nothing going on,” Megan answered. “I asked him to marry me, but he didn’t want to. Deja vu. Guess I’m up for grabs.”

“He didn’t want to marry you?” Dave asked. “What a jerk.” He grinned at Pat. “No offense, Pat.”

“Up for grabs?” Pat said to Megan, his voice dangerously quiet.

Megan felt a chill run down her spine, but she pulled herself up straight in her seat.

She refused to be intimidated by this… this pediatric Casanova, she thought, angrily flinging her hair over her shoulder.

Pat leaned back against the booth. He’d brought Megan there to have fun and forget about Timmy, but somehow he’d managed to make her feel rejected and angry. And as if things weren’t going badly enough, now this humanoid sitting across from him was making sounds like a suitor. He couldn’t believe Megan had once been engaged to Mr. Muscle. The man called her pudding pie!

Was pudding pie the same Megan he knew and loved? Was pudding pie the fuming redhead who’d stormed into his kitchen with his rabbit wrapped in her cape? Pat suspected if he ever called Megan pudding pie she’d kick him in the knee.

“Hey, I’d like to do some grabbing,” Dave said. “I’m even prepared to pay for my grabs.” He reached into his pocket and extracted a small blue velvet case. “Look, sugar, do you know what this is?”

Megan stared at the case dully. It was like reliving a nightmare in broad daylight. Not nearly so scary, but it squeezed her heart and turned it cold.

“Let me guess. Is it a Jeep?”

Dave chuckled. “Nope.” He popped the lid open, and the two – carat diamond glittered malevolently at Megan. “It’s your old engagement ring. I don’t know why I kept it. I guess maybe I always knew someday it’d go back on your finger.”

Megan managed a weak smile. She’d have her finger amputated before she put that ring back on it.

“Gee, Dave, I hardly know what to say. Is this a proposal? Hear that, Pat? Dave just proposed to me.”

Pat signaled to the waitress. “We’re celebrating a proposal here. This gentleman would like two more ‘K’ Dogs. My treat.”

“You’re okay,” Dave said, grinning. “He’s a nice guy,” he told Megan.

“Hmmm,” Megan said.

Dave leaned across the table. “Just between you and me, why didn’t you want to marry her?”

Pat looked at him very calmly. “She’s pregnant. She just asked me to marry her so the baby would have a father.”

“No kidding. Is it your cake in her oven?”

Pat shook his head. “No way.”

Megan was speechless. She felt her jaw go slack, her eyes pop out, and her adrenal glands take a brief pause before declaring code red. “That is… I… you…” she sputtered, jumping to her feet.

“It’s common for pregnant women to stutter and get overly emotional,” Pat said to Dave. “I know about these things. I’m a doctor.”

“A doctor? No joke? Boy, that’s great.”

“I’m not pregnant,” Megan shouted.

“Denial,” Pat whispered to Dave. “That’s stage one when you have an unwed mother.”

Dave shook his head. “This is sad. I never expected it.”

Pat punched him lightly on the biceps. “Don’t worry about it. You’re going to make a terrific father.”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t counting on marrying somebody who’s already pregnant