Iola made a choking sound. Asher might be catching her punning habit, but she hadn’t adopted his way of hiding his reactions, and her wide eyes were sweeping the devastation we’d created. “What are you two doing?” she asked weakly.
“Kade’s teaching me how to cook. We’re making dumplings.” I moved to the bowl Kade had been using to make the dumpling wrappers, scooped the remains of the dough from it and thunked it into the middle of the mess we’d created on the counter. Onions crunched under my feet and every step stirred up a small cloud of flour. “Kade, you were just about to show me how to knead this.”
“That’s right, I was.” His deadpan expression finally cracked as his eyes sparkled. “As I was explaining, the first step is spreading plenty of flour around so the dough doesn’t stick.”
Iola looked at Asher. “I thought you needed to be high-bread to make dumplings, but maybe you just need dough.”
Kade and I both groaned in perfect harmony.
“Seriously,” said Asher. “Have you forgotten about Sunday lunch at Dad’s place?”
Kade blinked. “Oh yeah,” he muttered. He turned to me. “Want to finish making the dumplings another time, and come for lunch with us instead?”
“Dressed like this?” I lifted my arms, sending another cascade of flour from my T-shirt onto the floor.
His gaze trailed from my head to my toes, sparks igniting in his eyes. “I’ll brush you off.”
Images of him putting his hands all over me flooded my brain. “Okay.” My agreement came out so fast, my tongue almost tripped over itself. “I’ll come if you brush me off.” It sounded so dirty, my face heated. “Um. I mean, not that I’ll come if you… I mean, I didn’t mean…” When Iola let out a choked sounding laugh, I swallowed, straightened my back, and changed tack. “If it’s a family meal, I don’t want to intrude.”
“Oh no, please come.” Iola emphasized the last word, her voice filled with amusement.
Kade flashed his dimples at me, his charm firmly in place. “Don’t hold back, Nat. You do you, okay?”
Asher’s arms were folded, one eyebrow quirked. It might have been my imagination, but a ghost of a smile seemed to hover over his lips. “Carlotta’s also coming to lunch with us,” he said. “With her mother.”
I forgot my embarrassment.
My voice rose with disbelief, and it was my turn to gape. “Trixie Watson agreed to go to lunch at your dad’s place?”
Kade’s smile widened. “See? You don’t want to miss it.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kade
Trixie’s clothes were as ordinary as I’d ever seen them.
She often wore old-fashioned gowns, but today’s outfit was red leggings and a yellow shirt. Though she looked bright enough to induce a headache, she was century-appropriate for a change.
What wasn’t unusual was her frown. She generally scowled when Dad, her sworn enemy, was around. Not that I’d seen them sitting in the same room very often. In fact, I’d only seen that happen once before, when we’d forced them to have dinner together at Asher’s place.
This time during lunch, they’d surprised us all with how civil they were to each other, having lasted through an entire meal with little drama. They hadn’t shouted, or even insulted each other. Much.
The only minor hiccups had been when Dad had given Trixie a salt shaker filled with sugar, and a glass of water with a purple hue. But for those two, playing pranks was as natural as breathing. I was more concerned that Trixie hadn’t retaliated yet.
The eight of us had squeezed around Dad’s dining table, I’d whipped up a few easy dishes, Asher had been entertainingly dry, Carlotta and Iola were two of the funniest people I knew, and Nat’s laughter was the best sound in the world.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed myself so much, and I suspected Trixie’s frown was just for show.
At the end of the meal, to my shock, Dad actually shot her a smile. “Trixie, would you like a coffee to finish with?” His tone was suspiciously polite.
She narrowed her eyes. “Why? What did you do to it?”
“I’ll make the coffee.” Mason stood up, resting his hand on Carlotta’s shoulder for a moment, as though he couldn’t bear to go without touching her.
“I’ll help.” Jumping to her feet, Carlotta followed him behind the kitchen island. “You haven’t kissed me in twenty minutes. I’m getting withdrawals.”
Natalie groaned. “It’s open plan. We can see you.”
“Then we won’t go past third base.” Carlotta slid her arms around Mason’s waist. She’d do anything if she thought it was funny, though she really was kissing Mason, not just joking around. And my big, tough-guy brother wasn’t daunted by her antics. Though I’d never known him to be an exhibitionist, he was enthusiastically kissing her right back.
Nat laughed. “We get it, you’re in love. Now about that coffee?” She shook her head, smiling at me.
Asher was smiling too, his gaze on Iola, his eyes warm. Yes, that’s right, he was smiling. Love hadn’t just made Mason into a gooey version of his formerly hard-edged self, it was also turning my emotionless twin into someone more relaxed than I would have believed possible.
My entire family had fallen in love. There was even something strange going on between Dad and Trixie.
The odd ones out were me and Nat. Our engagement was a lie. Our love was like the punchline of one of Iola’s bad jokes, only right now it wasn’t making me smile.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I turned my eyes to my empty plate. The sooner I went back to LA, the better off I’d be. There were plenty of other women to date. Lots of fun to be had. Sooner or later I’d forget about Nat.
“Wait,” said Dad suddenly. “Where did Trixie go?”
I looked around. Sure enough, her chair was empty. She must have tiptoed out quietly.
Iola waved a hand. “Don’t worry, she just went to the bathroom.”
“On her own?” Dad shook his head. “One of you should have gone with
