Inevitable Discovery by Melissa F. Miller

Author:Melissa F. Miller [Miller, Melissa F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781940759548
Publisher: Brown Street Books

19

Ryan and Sean were in the backyard building the bonfire when Sasha and Connelly arrived. He beelined through the house to join her brothers as they poked at logs and did whatever other tasks stoking a bonfire entailed.

Sasha wandered into the kitchen and hugged her sisters-in-law.

“Where are the kids?”

Riley was plating cheese and crackers with a glass of red wine in one hand. She gestured with her glass toward the basement door. “They’re down there watching a movie. Liam’s in charge.”

Jordan maneuvered around Riley’s kitchen as if it were her own. She reached over Riley’s head and pull down a wineglass for Sasha. “Drink?”

“Yes, thanks.”

Jordan poured out a glug of wine and handed her the glass. She perched on one of the barstools that lined the kitchen island.

“Do you need any help?” Sasha asked, even though she could count on one hand the times that either of her brothers’ wives had taken her up on an offer to lend a hand in the kitchen. She wasn’t exactly known for her command of the domestic arts.

“You just sit there and look pretty,” Riley grinned.

She sipped her wine. “Now that I can do. I’m glad you decided to do this tonight.”

Jordan slid her a sidelong glance. “Are you?”

Riley shifted her attention from the cheese she was cubing to Sasha’s face to see her answer.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

She addressed Jordan, but Riley answered, “The guys thought you might not want to do the whole remembering Patrick thing. You’ve always been sort of … funny about it.”

She felt her right eyebrow inching toward her hairline and struggled to keep her expression neutral. “Funny, how?”

Riley focused on filling a glazed ceramic bowl with olives while she responded. “You know, you never want to go to church and light a candle with your mom. And half the time you’re late for Thanksgiving dinner—if you even come.”

“Whoa, whoa. Hang on. I think I’ve missed two Thanksgiving dinners over the past twenty years, and both times it was because I had to—”

“Work,” they said in unison.

She caught her lip between her teeth. The inflection in their voices left no question what they thought about her career.

“Listen, if I wanna have an argument about work-life balance, I’ll wait till my mom gets here. Can’t we just drink our wine and enjoy the soundproof basement?”

Her attempt at levity worked.

Riley chuckled. “Sure.”

Jordan clinked her glass against Sasha’s. “Here’s to finished basements.”

The tension in the kitchen dissipated, and they sat in companionable silence for a while. The only sound was Riley’s knife hitting the cutting board.

After a moment, Riley said, “Speaking of Thanksgiving, just so you know, Daniella has decided she’s a vegan.”

“Oh? Does that mean Valentina will be making a Tofurkey?” Jordan wondered.

Sasha nearly did a red wine spit-take all over Riley’s spotless center island. “Could you imagine?” She gasped, trying not to laugh.

They were still giggling when Connelly came in to grab some beers from the refrigerator.

“Fire’s coming along nicely,” he informed them. He stopped to drop a kiss on the crown of Sasha’s head.

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