Cat in the Limelight by Louise Clark

Author:Louise Clark [Clark, Louise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

From the cooking side of the peninsula that divided the kitchen into culinary space and dining nook, Christy looked with approval at the table and the crowd around it. She’d added a leaf, but still it was packed. Ellen sat at the head, as the senior member of the Jamieson family. Beside her on her right was Trevor, with Roy on her left. Noelle was beside Roy, and Mary Petrofsky opposite her.

Christy was at the foot of the table, with Quinn on her right, beside Noelle, and Sledge on her left. Stormy lay curled on the window seat behind the table, dozy after his portion of turkey and sausage dressing. The room was warm with oven heat and the scents of turkey and apple pie. Voices were raised in at least two conversations that intersected from time to time and became one.

There was laughter and good cheer and Christy loved it. This was what Thanksgiving had been like when she was growing up. After she’d moved to Vancouver with Frank, the Thanksgiving celebration had been careful and well-mannered, often at a hotel restaurant rather than the Jamieson mansion, so the servants could have time off to be with their families. In her first year in Vancouver she’d suggested that she cook the turkey, but that had earned her cool stares from the trustees and a disdainful thank you, but no from Ellen. Frank had been intrigued by the idea of fending for themselves, but not enough to battle the powerful authority figures in his life. So Thanksgiving became another polite social occasion in an annual schedule already filled with them.

Last year Frank had been missing and his fate unknown. Thanksgiving again had been just another day, so this was the first time she’d really had a chance to create the kind of family celebration she craved. So far it had turned out beautifully. The turkey had been cooked to perfection, stuffed with her mother’s special sausage meat and rice dressing, and she’d cooked the Brussels sprouts and green beans with bacon from a recipe she’d found on the Internet. The potatoes were mashed to creamy perfection and Ellen had baked some buns that melted in the mouth. Everyone, including the two girls, had scoffed down their share.

Now they were on to apple pie, which Noelle and Mary Petrofsky had prepared this morning. Christy had put the pie into the oven to warm while they were enjoying their main course. She took it out and the fragrant scent, sweet with hints of spice, filled the room. “We have whipped cream, ice cream, and a nice extra old cheddar to go with the pie. Who wants what?”

Quinn came over to help her serve the slices. “I’ll take a chunk of cheddar.”

She looked over at him and winked as she slid slices of pie onto the plates she’d assembled. “Good. You get to dish out the add-ons.”

He smiled back. “Dangerous decision. I tend to be generous with my add-ons.”

She laughed. “Go for it.

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