She was excited for me, and I could hear in her voice that she was relieved, so I must have sounded happy. I haven’t told her yet about my decision to stay here, but I will eventually. And she knows me better than anyone, so she probably already guessed.
I did finally share with her what happened with Hank and me and how I realized I’d been holding myself back from men. Predictably, she reacted the same way Milo did when I confessed my regret at being the Mike in all my relationships. It’s a relief to leave that chapter behind because there’s no holding back anything with Milo.
I promised her I’d be there for Christmas, and I’m hoping Milo and maybe even Felicity will join me, but I’ve been away for a long time, and my family will always be my home. Well, one of them.
Rayna waves me over, and Haley heads to the kitchen for more wine while I go hug Rayna and tell her she looks hot.
“Hey, if you guys aren’t too stuffed after this, you should stop by the restaurant later. Camille and Andie are boycotting the holiday and getting together tonight for leftover lamb and all the desserts on the menu. There was also talk of watching a movie, but don’t let that scare you.”
I laugh at that, and then Milo comes to say hi. He’s clearly too accustomed to it just being the two of us because his hand goes directly to my butt and I have to wiggle away before everyone gets a show. And that’s definitely not how I want my first time meeting his mom to go.
“Sorry.” His word choice is right, but his tone and his eyes say the exact opposite. I’m one crazy-lucky girl.
“Everybody to the dining room,” Delia announces, and we all start making our way there. It’s a bit cramped, but we’re all friends, so it doesn’t matter. And, besides, it just means I get to feel Milo up under the table.
“Who’s missing?” Milo gestures to a remaining empty seat and place setting, but the doorbell rings again a split second later.
“I’ll be right back.” Delia leaves the room, and we all busy ourselves filling water and wine glasses. The scent of roasted turkey and fresh bread fills the room and has my mouth watering.
“Here she is.” Delia is back, and she’s followed by a blond woman wearing a conservative burgundy dress and carrying a bottle of wine.
“Leah.” The surprise in Milo’s voice is clear, which is the only thing that saves his foot from my heel. Because it’s a universal rule that you always inform your current girlfriend of the expected presence of an old flame at any upcoming function. There are no exceptions to this rule, and excuses such as “I forgot” or “it’s no big deal” are never deemed acceptable and will immediately result in either bodily harm, a drink in the face, or a nasty case of blue balls. Sometimes all three.
But Milo is just as surprised as I am, which is good because I’m really enjoying this wine and don’t want to waste it.
My eyes immediately flash back to study the woman more thoroughly. She’s pretty with straight, shiny hair hanging just past her shoulders and very subtle make-up. There’s not a hair out of place, and I can tell from her toned arms alone that she takes meticulous care of her body. A quick glance around shows I’m not the only one checking her out. Rayna is doing her own examination and doesn’t look impressed. It makes me want to laugh and hug her at the same time. I don’t dare look at Milo.
“Hey, Milo,” Leah says in a casual yet confident tone, smiling politely at all of us. “Vicky and Bill are on a cruise, so your mom invited me over.”
Delia puts a hand at Leah’s back and guides her toward the empty seat. “We ran into each other the other day at the grocery store and got to talking. Here, dear. Have a seat.” They both sit, and introductions are made around the table.
We pass the dishes around, each of us taking healthy portions of the delicious-looking turkey, stuffing, and all the usual Thanksgiving favorites. Compliments are given to the chef, and everyone engages in small talk around bites of food and sips of wine.
Leah is nice. Polite. I really don’t have anything negative to say about her, apart from her decision to put only vegetables on her plate. But I can tell Milo’s uncomfortable because his leg won’t stop moving under the table.
“So how do you all know each other?” Haley asks, looking between Leah and Delia.
“She’s my boss,” Milo blurts out and then grabs his water glass like it’s attempting to evade capture.
Several pairs of eyes dart to him and Leah in turn.
“Well, technically, that’s true. But we’ve been friends for a long time,” Leah says, trying to make up for his bluntness.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were working for the diving school again?” Delia frowns at Milo, who simply shrugs.
“I guess I forgot.”
My eyes narrow at him. How could he forget to tell his mom? Even I knew about his job from the first day he got it, and we weren’t even on speaking terms.
Delia watches Milo too, and then she sends a polite smile to Haley. “We all go way back. Leah’s family owns a diving business, and Milo used to work for them when he was in high school.”
“That sounds like an awesome after-school job.” Haley’s face brightens. “I feel like a sucker for working at Taco Bell.”
A few of us chime in with similar work regrets, and I relax again, the awkwardness having passed.
Until it returns with a vengeance.
“Milo has always known what he wanted to do,” Delia chimes in with obvious pride in her voice. “He’s never let anything get in his way.”
“Even the law,” Leah says into her water glass, loud enough for everyone but Morris to hear.
Milo freezes next to me.
The table falls silent and Delia’s smile drops. “Yes, well, your family was very understanding.” She’s holding onto her hostess hat with a death grip at this point if the vein in her forehead is anything to go by. She obviously wasn’t expecting Leah to go all passive-aggressive like that. After all, it’s usually relatives who ruin family holidays, not random acquaintances. I mean, come on, Morris hasn’t had a chance to chime in all evening, and everyone knows it’s the old quiet guys who drop the biggest bombs at the holiday dinner table.
But Morris will have to wait because Milo stands, pushing his chair back. “Leah, may I have a word with you in the kitchen?”
Leah actually has the nerve to point to herself and widen her eyes like she can’t believe it’s her name he said. Then she smiles politely and sets her napkin on the table. “If you’ll excuse me for just one moment.”
Milo stalks to the kitchen, and Leah follows more slowly. None of us but Morris even bother to pretend we’re still interested in the meal.
And either Milo has forgotten the size of this house or he just doesn’t care, but at this point, they may as well have just stayed at the table because we can all hear every word.
“What are you doing here?” That’s obviously Milo.
“Your mother invited me. Why? What’s the problem?” Leah, of course.
“The problem is you’re my boss.”
“Oh, please, you never let that keep you from trying to blur the lines.”
Bran coughs, and several of us shush him.
“And I like to think we’re friends,” Leah continues.