“You can’t give a customer a glass with beer all down the sides, now can you?” He lifted the glass to his lips and took a long draw.
She shook her head, but grabbed a clean glass and filled it properly. She passed it over to Cal Theroit.
Leo set his beer glass down. “But really, what’s going on with you? You’ve been distracted all night.”
Ellie looked around her restaurant. The whole family was here tonight, along with several friends.
But maybe that was the problem. Maybe too many things were going on with too many people. She supposed it was possible that at some point all the vibes from all the people she cared about all in one place could get mixed up into a big pot of emotional gumbo.
“Something is going on,” she finally told Leo. “But I’m not sure what. Or with who.”
“You’re havin’ one of your feelings.”
Usually, she could hone in on the person in her family who needed something within just a few minutes. But this feeling of unrest had been going on for at least twenty minutes and she still hadn’t pinpointed who it was coming from.
She nodded. She and Leo had been together long enough that he not only knew she had these feelings, but he trusted them implicitly. They had proven accurate over and over.
She didn’t think it was magic or voodoo or anything like that. Though she had seen a shooting star right after lighting candles in church, right after visiting a palm reader, right after drinking one of Cora’s crazy potions that was supposed to make them more connected to the spiritual world when they’d been thirteen.
She was pretty sure it had just made her a little drunk.
In any case, she just knew that she’d felt everything coming from breakups to car accidents to storms.
And she would figure out what was going on tonight. It was just taking a little longer than usual.
Probably because of the sheer number of people here. The room was almost overflowing with people she loved. Her family kept growing and every person who came into the Landry clan added not just a physical presence, but more love and new perspectives and new talents and new attitudes. It was like they were one big jigsaw puzzle and each time someone fell in love, another piece snapped into place.
Josh came to the bar just then. “Can I get a refill?” He passed her his empty glass.
Ellie reached for the pitcher of sweet tea and added ice to the glass before pouring. It was when she passed the iced tea back over and Josh met her eyes that she knew.
Tonight was about Josh. Somehow.
She clamped her hand on his wrist. “Josh.”
Startled, he looked up at her.
“Will you help me with something in the kitchen?” She tugged him down to the end of the bar.
But instead of agreeing and following her through that swinging door, Josh glanced over at the table were he’d been sitting with his wife, Tori.
Ellie followed his gaze.
Her heart swelled, as she was sure his did, as she looked at the gentle, very pregnant woman who had stolen his heart so easily.
Tori had brought a sweetness to the family that they all treasured. She had a way of making them all stop, take a deep breath and smile. She had every single one of them wrapped around her finger. And she knew it. The difference between Tori simply having the Landry last name and a person with Landry blood flowing through her veins was that Tori didn’t use it to get her way. Well, at least not very often.
Josh looked back to Ellie. “Can someone else help?”
“You don’t want to leave her side for even a couple of minutes,” Ellie said. “How long has she’d been in labor?”
Josh’s eyes widened. But it only took a second for him to shake his head. “How did you know?”
“I felt something big was going on. But I couldn’t pin it down. She’s in labor, right?”
Ellie felt little bubbles of excitement fizzing through her veins. That was what this was. Nothing was wrong. No one was sad or upset. Nothing bad was about to happen. That was why this had been harder to put her finger on. No one needed her advice or help, but things were definitely shifting in their family.
The baby was coming. The Landry family was going to grow. Tonight.
“Just contractions so far. They’re pretty far apart. It’s been going on for couple of hours.”
Ellie looked at Tori again. She had a calm, peaceful glow about her. She was leaning back in her chair, her hands resting on her belly as she listened to the family talk and laugh. She had a soft smile and her lips and didn’t look at all to be in any kind of pain or distress. Tori was not worried about what was to come.
Ellie looked back at her grandson. “And you’re happy. You’re not worried or anxious either,” she said. It was more of a comment than a question.
Her grandchildren—hell, most of the town—were used to her making observations like that. She could read people and she was able to keep track of everyone in her family at any moment. She couldn’t really explain it, but she didn’t dismiss it. She always seemed to show up with the right food or the right piece of advice—or both—just when they needed it.
“I’m excited,” Josh said. “I didn’t want to get everyone else riled up when it could be hours yet. It could be tomorrow or even a couple of days if these contractions slow down or go away.”
Ellie shook her head. “It’s going to be tonight.”
Josh just stared at her for a moment then swallowed and nodded. “I feel that too.”
“And you’re ready,” Ellie told him. Again, it wasn’t a question. Josh and Tori were going to be amazing parents. But they weren’t doing it on their own. The entire Landry family was welcoming this baby.
Josh nodded. “Very ready. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to meet my daughter.”
They’d found out they were having a girl a few months ago. Everyone was thrilled with that. The Landry family had far more boys than girls and it was time to start evening that number up.
“Tori isn’t ready to leave for the hospital though. I’m waiting for her to make that call,” Josh said.
Ellie nodded. “She’ll know when it’s time for what’s next.”
Tori was a veterinarian besides being the expectant mother. It didn’t surprise her that Tori wasn’t particularly worked up about the idea of labor and childbirth. She’d seen it, and assisted with it, herself for a number of creatures over the years.
The hospital was a thirty-five minute drive from Autre. It was in New Orleans, and depending on traffic, could take them even longer.
“Everything’s going to work out exactly as it needs to,” Ellie told Josh.
Josh nodded. “It is. I just can’t wait to get started on really being a dad. The pregnancy has been exciting but…I want to get my hands on her. I want to see her and hear her and hold her. The whole idea of bringing another Tori into the world is amazing. I hope to do it three or four more times.”
Ellie squeezed his hand. “I agree that’s amazing. The world can’t have too many Toris. But you better believe there’s going to be a big dose of Josh in that little girl too. Because one Josh Landry isn’t enough either.”
Josh looked a little choked up at that. “Thanks, Ellie.” He swallowed hard, then cleared his throat. “We weren’t gonna tell you this until after but…we’re naming her after you. And Cora.”