“It must be difficult, especially when cats and dogs don’t understand. They don’t know why they feel like crap, and they don’t always understand that you’re trying to help them.” I stared at my sandwich, shaking my head. “I admire what you do.” I caught Killian’s gaze. “I think that being a veterinarian is one of the most noble jobs you can have. Your patients can’t thank you, and sometimes they’re afraid of you, but you make so much difference in their lives.”
Killian reached across the table and took my hand. “Thank you for that. I hate it when I have to tell a person they’re going to lose their beloved family member. I hate it when I have abused animals come in—I want to hunt down who did it and rip them to shreds. But at least I can make a difference in my own way. In the scheme of things, the life of one cat or one dog may not seem like much, but it matters to that cat or that dog, and it matters to their owners.”
We finished brunch, and Killian headed outside to work on the decorations. I finished washing the dishes and then called Rowan.
“Hey, I was wondering when you’re coming over tonight.”
“Actually, I thought I’d come over early. I want to run you through a few magical practices first. Do you have the time?”
“Yeah, I do. When will you be over?”
“Around three-thirty. Do you mind if Tarvish comes with me? He wants to talk to Killian.”
I laughed. For some reason the thought that Tarvish had joined our home in Moonshadow Bay delighted me. “I suppose, although I don’t know what Killian’s plans for the afternoon are. He’s working on the decorations outside, so why don’t you text him and ask him.”
Rowan agreed, then said she would be here at four p.m.
xxxAfter I got off the phone, I diced two loaves of bread into cubes, sprayed them with cooking spray, then spread them out onto cookie sheets and slid them into a 275-degree oven. I set the timer for an hour. While the bread dried out into croutons for the stuffing, I prepared the mise en place. I washed and diced three shallots and a bunch of celery, then began to chop walnuts. Finally, I mixed in the spices for the stuffing and tucked the container into the fridge. I’d dice the apple when I actually put the stuffing together.
Then I decided to make the gravy too, because the flavors would blend nicely until Thanksgiving. It dawned on me that I needed the turkey so I could use the neck for the gravy itself. I peeked in on the croutons but they weren’t quite ready yet, so I washed up the dishes and got everything else ready that I’d need for the gravy.
I called the store and asked if I could pick up my turkey a day early and they said no problem. As soon as the croutons were ready, I turned off the oven, grabbed my purse and headed out toward my car. I waved at Killian, who was trying to figure out how to put together a very large snowman for the yard.
“I’m headed to the supermarket to get the turkey,” I called out. “Is there anything you want?”
“I could go for a couple doughnuts.” He started to reach for his wallet but I waved him off.
“What kind? Cake doughnuts? Jelly-filled?”
“Surprise me!”
I hopped in the car and eased out of the driveway, heading toward Arnica Avenue. I had ordered the turkey from a local farmer who sold through the supermarket. They had the best organic turkeys fresh off the range. I decided to pick the doughnuts up from the doughnut shop on the way home.
The supermarket was jam-packed. I grabbed a cart and threaded my way through the aisles. I was turning the corner at the end of the spice aisle when I came across Alicia King. Remembering that I had been meaning to invite her to Thanksgiving, I pulled my cart out of the center of the aisle and caught her attention.
“Hi, Alicia! Sorry for not answering your invitation to tea on Friday, but I don’t know if I can make it. Would you like to spend Thanksgiving with us? My aunt and my boyfriend are coming over, and a number of friends. We would love to have you with us.” I flashed her a bright smile so that she would know I was being genuine and not merely polite.
She ducked her head, looking pleased. “I’d love to come. Thank you so much. I don’t have any family still alive, and most of my friends go to their children’s houses for Thanksgiving. You don’t know much I appreciate the invitation,” Alicia said. She was witchblood, and she looked old, which meant she was probably very old. “Is there anything I can bring?”
“Just yourself. Though if you want to bring a bottle of wine or sparkling cider to add to the festivities, that’s fine. I hope you like turkey.”
“Of course. I have a spiral ham in the freezer, if you’d like me to bring that as well.”
I already had ham, but I could tell she wanted to help out so I simply said, “That would be lovely, thank you. Dinner’s at four p.m., but you’re welcome to come over anytime after one.”
The look on her face made me glad I had invited her, and as I picked up the turkey, it occurred to me that this was the first year I was really looking forward to the holiday. I loved Thanksgiving as a child, but it had been a long time since I had eaten with my family.
With Ellison’s family, the day had been one constant barrage of insults after another. They were just trying to help me lose weight, they were just trying to help me shore up Ellison more, they were just trying to help me fit in instead of standing out because of my magical background. I was so far from the ideal of a daughter-in-law that I knew I could never manage to please them. And not once had Ellison ever backed me up.
Trying to blow off the memories of the past, I headed toward the nearest Jelly Roger doughnut shop and ordered two dozen assorted doughnuts. Finally, I stopped at the local espresso stand and bought a caramel latte, then headed back home.
After bagging the croutons, I set the neck of the turkey to boiling in a base of chicken broth. While that came to a boil, I tried to squeeze the turkey into my fridge, but there wasn’t enough room. I popped outside to see Tarvish helping Killian putting up the decorations.
“Hey, Killian, can I use your fridge to store the turkey?”
“Sure thing. I’ll take a quick break to carry it over for you. Where is it?”
“Kitchen counter.”
While Killian moved the turkey, I turned back to Tarvish.
“When did you get here?” I looked around. “Is Rowan with you?”
Tarvish shook his head. “No, but she’ll be along shortly. I thought I’d come over early to help out.”
I didn’t see any cab outside. “Did you walk?”
“I did. I want to get to know my new home, and I’m used to walking for miles with…” He paused. “Well, I always thought I was used to walking for miles with my dungeon friends. I guess that’s all fiction, too, isn’t it?”
I wanted to take his mind off of his origins, so asked, “How does life here suit you? Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Well, it’s different than the life I’m used to, but all in all I like this town. And in an odd way, I feel like I fit in here.” He gave me a two-finger salute and went back to work.
As I watched them work together, I realized that Killian and Tarvish were actually getting along. A thought occurred to me and I walked back over to Tarvish.