“Brody,” Ms. Patti glanced toward her son, “if you’re done moving boxes, could you please grab the hamper on the back seat of my car?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ms. Patti watched her son walk out the front door before smiling at Beth. “He’s a good son, and an equally good man.” She rubbed her hands together, the spark in her eyes matched by her satisfied grin. “I brought two pans of lasagna, a couple loaves of garlic bread, and salad fixings. Oh, and there’s a gallon of sweet tea, and a gallon of lemonade on the back floor of my car.”
“I’ll help Brody bring it in, Momma.” Rafe dropped a kiss on his mother’s cheek as he walked past her.
“I got a good one, too.” Tessa leaned her chin on Beth’s shoulder. “I promise, Sis, everything will work out. Wait and see.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Mommy, did you see? They bringed us, I mean brought us, two boxes of faffles. I get faffles for breakfast!” Jamie held up the frozen breakfast treats like they were trophies she’d won, waving the brightly packaged boxes over her head.
Beth burst out laughing. “I swear, Jaime, you eat too many of them and you’re going to turn into a waffle. There are other things to have for breakfast, you know.”
“Let the child have her waffles. Having a healthy appetite is a good thing, especially at her age.” Ms. Patti pulled Jaime against her side, and ruffled her hair. “Personally, I love frozen waffles in the morning.”
“Since when?” Beth heard the softly muttered question from Douglas as he closed the freezer door. She bit her lip to keep for laughing. Being around the Boudreaus made her smile and forget about her troubles, at least for a little while. Plus, seeing her sister in love and happy helped made everything better too.
Brody and Rafe trooped into the kitchen, their arms loaded down with the food and drinks Ms. Patti brought. Beth raced over to the cupboard, hand raised to open it, before realizing the few dishes she had were packed in the boxes stacked along the kitchen wall. Her sister walked over and opened the cupboard Beth had reached for, revealing stacks of plates, bowls, and glasses, all neatly arranged exactly how she’d have done it.
“I left my stuff here. You and Jamie can use them, since I’ve already got brand new ones as wedding gifts. One less thing you need to worry about. Besides, once you get your stuff out of storage in North Carolina and shipped down here, you’ll have more than enough.”
Beth bit her lower lip to keep from crying, overwhelmed at her sister’s generosity. She felt like the biggest fraud, because she still hadn’t mentioned to Tessa about the nightmare she faced dealing with the fallout of her ex’s mountain of debt. Even paying the tab on the storage unit in North Carolina ate into her small nest egg, which wouldn’t last much longer unless she got a job. Or won the lottery.
Tessa pulled a stack of plates down and handed them to Rafe, with a quick kiss on his cheek. She quickly grabbed glasses and started filling them with ice, while Ms. Patti and Tessa started serving up the impromptu lunch. Passing around the glasses, she filled them with sweet tea and lemonade. The lasagna was still warm, the salad crisp and the perfect accompaniment.
Once all the plates were filled, everyone moved to the living room, since there weren’t enough seats at the kitchen table, which only sat four. Beth balanced her plate on her knee, and watched everyone dig into their food, smiling at the feeling of family surrounding her. It was moments like this when she missed her parents. Family dinners had been a big thing in her home growing up. Even after she moved out for college, she managed to get home at least once or twice a week, loving catching up on the little things.
Those family dinners had dwindled over time once she’d married Evan. He’d never come right out and said he didn’t want to go, but somehow, he’d always have something else planned for them on the same day. His feigned interest made her enjoyment of being around her family strained. Knew her mother and father felt it too, though they never uttered a word.
But sitting here, in the center of another family, that feeling of warmth, of belonging, sparked deep within. She wanted Jamie to know what it meant to be part of something bigger, to know other people cared for her, the way Beth’s family had loved Beth and Tessa. Glancing toward her daughter, who sat cross-legged on the floor, her mouth smeared with sauce, Beth felt like she was finally home.
“Momma, this is awesome.” Rafe stood and dropped a kiss on the top of his mother’s head. “I’m gonna grab another piece.”
“Wait for me, bro. I want more too.” Brody stood, and his eyes met Beth’s. A tingling warmth filled her belly when his stare roved over her, lingering on her mouth. For a brief second, the hunger in his gaze made her think he wanted more than food. She broke eye contact, though it was hard. How could she feel like this?
“Ms. Patti, Douglas, I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what I’d have done without your help.”
Ms. Patti reached over and squeezed Beth’s hand. “You’d have done fine. We’re glad you’re here, with your family.”
“You need anything, you call me. Or Ms. Patti.” Douglas’ gruff voice, deep and rumbly, was belied by the twinkle in his eyes. He was a big man, well over six feet, and muscled from his years of construction work. Though he wasn’t a big talker, not that she’d noticed anyway, everyone paid attention when he spoke.
“I will, I promise.”
Once everyone had
