“Seriously, Mom, do you really think I would lie about this?” Ollie drops into the chair shaking his head. “I mean, this,” he waves his hand around, encompassing the entire room, “is kind of a big deal.”
“It’s not like it would be the first time. Remember Hawaii?” Carolyn crosses her arms over her chest and looks down at Ollie.
His cheeks flush bright pink. “I didn’t tell you I found our Synergist. I just told you I thought I would find her if we moved to Hawaii. Did you ever live in Hawaii, Laura?”
I can’t hide my grin. “No, can’t say I have.”
“Well, look at that, your motherly wisdom was right all along,” Ollie deflects, sucking up to his mother at the same time.
“It’s really nice to meet you, Laura.” I turn to see one of Ollie’s fathers behind me. “Scott,” he introduces himself, while Ollie and his mom share a little banter. I glance between Scott and Adam; there’s no way for me to know which one is his biological father.
“Hello.” Crossing one arm over my stomach, I wrap my fingers over my elbow. I don’t know if I should shake his hand or what. At least with Milo’s mom, Linda, all the guesswork was taken away, but it seems like Ollie’s family might be better at giving me some space to adjust.
“I’m assuming there’s a reason we’ve never met before, and how it’s possible that you seem to be the same age as the boys, yet I’ve seen nothing about you in the directory?” Scott’s keen eyes assess me. There’s nothing but curiosity there, no mistrust. But he’s looking at me like I’m a puzzle he has to figure out.
“I think Ares and the guys could explain it better than I could. I didn’t even know about any of this until I met them at school.”
Scott’s head tilts. “How peculiar.” Straightening, a smile stretches over his face as he adds, “I can’t wait to get to know you.”
Adam drops his arm over Scott’s shoulder. “Hey there, short stack.”
I’ve never really thought of myself as short, I’m pretty average at five foot six. Ollie’s mom comes over before I have a chance to respond. Her eyes scan my body, lingering on my face. She squints briefly, but then her lips lift into a kind smile. Now I see why I can’t find much resemblance to his dads, Ollie looks just like his mom.
Without an ounce of reservation, Carolyn leans in and wraps her arms around me. She doesn’t squeeze me too much, and she releases before I have to decide if I should hug her back. “Welcome to the family, Laura.” And it’s that simple.
Being in a group this large, I’m able to mostly sit back and observe. Linda and Carolyn are obviously friends, since they sit next to each other and chat easily. There are too many conversations going on to make out what they’re talking about, but I thought I heard Carolyn mention work.
“Are we eating or what?” Milo questions, his hand over his stomach like he’s starving.
“Go ahead,” Linda waves dismissively at a long table against the wall filled with several silver chafing dishes of food. Needing no further direction, Dante and Milo each grab a plate and lift the lids off the containers. A spicy scent hits the air, and my mouth waters. They reveal small bites of seasoned chicken and ground beef, followed by pans of Mexican rice and two types of beans. Once all the lids are off, I’m near drooling. It looks like they had an entire Mexican restaurant menu delivered, and I’m not complaining.
Ares pushes a plate in my hand and ushers me behind Dante. I fill my plate with so much yummy goodness, I need both hands to hold it as I walk over to my seat. I take the open spot between Milo and Ollie, my eyes eating up the food before I even have a chance to taste it.
“Mia,” Carolyn calls out. I look up to find the two women embracing for a long second. Mia doesn’t have any problem returning her affection.
Linda’s eyes meet mine; I secure a mask of indifference over my face. I’m pretty good at pretending not to care, so I don’t think she questions my act at all.
“Did you come to celebrate with us?” Carolyn asks, her smile wide.
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted say hello,” Mia replies coyly.
“Nonsense, sit. Have you met the lovely Laura?” Carolyn waves a hand in my direction. “We’re just so lucky the guys found her.”
“We’ve met.” Mia’s voice is tight, but her acting skills are even better than mine because her smile doesn’t waver. “I haven’t been back here very much since we moved to the city.” Mia glances at Ares. “Tell me what you guys have been up to?”
I ignore her and their conversation as Mia takes a seat. Carolyn moves over so Mia is between herself and Linda—and directly across from me.
Dante’s hand lands high up on my thigh. He squeezes but continues eating. Once everyone begins eating, the room conversation quiets down. Little topics pop up about the food, and Linda asks Milo about school, but it’s all pretty light.
Pushing my plate away, I rub my stomach, already regretting the second helping. “Have you heard from Rosa, or do you know when they’ll be in?” Linda wipes the corner of her mouth with a cream, linen napkin.
“I would assume they’ll be on the first available flight, knowing her. But no, I don’t have any specifics,” Ares tells them.
Scott steeples his fingers, his elbows resting on the table. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m dying to know how this happened. Laura, you said you didn’t know about Infinities?”
Glancing around, I find almost everyone’s attention is on me. Squirming in my seat I look over at Ares, hoping he understands that I’d rather one of them explain. His chin dips enough so I know he gets it. “It would be easier if everyone were here, but it could be a few days before my parents arrive, and we don’t have that kind of time.” Ares leans back from the table, doing a quick survey. “Mia.” She jolts like a little lapdog excited for her owner’s attention. “I’m sorry, would you mind giving us a few moments?”
Her face falls, but she’s quick to recover. “Of course. Linda, Carolyn, it was great to see you. We should catch up soon.” After a brief hug for both of the women, she’s out the door, her head held high as she goes.
Ares looks over at Milo’s parents. “We already talked a little bit about Laura’s situation, so I’m sorry if this is redundant.” Focusing now on Ollie’s parents, he explains how Dante first met me at school and that I knew nothing about the Infinities.
Once he broaches the subject of my missing mom, Carolyn’s face falls into a heavy frown. “How long has she been gone?” she questions, directing it at me.
“Several weeks now.”
Carolyn makes a sound of censure. “Ares, you should have come to us sooner.”
“You may be right. When I spoke to my mother, she seemed to think she recognized Laura; she called her ‘Amanda’. Is that name familiar to any of you?” he asks them all, but focuses on Linda and Carolyn.
“Amanda, you say?” Linda looks over at me, her eyes narrowing like she’s thinking back. “I don’t think so—nothing that rings a bell.” Her shoulders bunch up like she’s sorry she can’t be more help.