Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“Of course! There’s going to be plenty of food,” JoJo said.
“There’s actually going to be way too much,” Vee amended. “We’re approaching Vegas buffet levels of excess.”
“But that’s a good thing,” Lark said, “because Thanksgiving leftovers are awesome.”
While I poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Devon, Dylan told me, “Speaking of dinner, there’s a schedule on the fridge for the stoves and ovens. Your mac and cheese should go in at four forty-five, Kit, here in this kitchen.”
The schedule in question had been drawn up with multicolored markers and decorated with stickers, which told me Lark had a hand in it. The highly organized part was pure Dylan. It listed everything that needed to get cooked today and when, divvied up between our kitchen and the one belonging to Lark’s brother Logan.
I pulled my phone from the pocket of my red cardigan and set a reminder. “Got it. Can I help with whatever you’re making?”
“Thanks for the offer, but we’ve got it covered,” Vee said. “Enjoy your coffee, and grab a muffin. Logan dropped off a bunch this morning, and there are only a few left. We’ve been tearing through them like a pack of hungry wolverines.”
We doctored up our coffee and decided to share a delicious-looking cranberry-orange muffin, because they were roughly the size of a softball. Then I led the way to the backyard. As we settled in side-by-side on a rattan loveseat, Devon said, “This garden is stunning.”
“I know. Dylan is studying landscape architecture, and he and his boyfriend Lark like to practice on this yard.”
“That was a lot of people to meet before coffee,” Devon said. “I have to admit, I’m hazy on which name went with which housemate.”
“Dylan is the tall, handsome Black guy. He’s a former firefighter, a truly kind person, and someone I’ve always admired.”
“Why’s that?”
I shrugged. “He just seems to have it all figured out. Yolanda’s like that, too—she’s the petite Latina with long, dark hair. She works as a nurse, and she and her wife JoJo own this house.”
I took a sip of coffee and continued, “JoJo, the curvy platinum blonde, is the housemate I admire the most, though. She’s an amazingly talented jewelry designer who turned her passion into a successful business. She does some direct sales from her website, and she also sells her jewelry in fancy boutiques and museum gift shops. I think she’s incredible.”
“You should show me her website. I’d love to see what she makes.”
“I will. As for my last two housemates, the gorgeous South Asian guy in the tank top and cargo shorts is Vee. He’s awesome, really kind, funny, and outgoing. And finally, the cute, short guy with dark hair and a rainbow T-shirt is Lark. He’s very sweet. He and Dylan have been a couple forever, and they’re adorable together.”
I took another sip of coffee and continued, “Then there are the off-shoots, or whatever you want to call them. Lark’s younger brother Logan used to live here in the pink Victorian, but now he lives there with his husband Lucky and their adorable son.” I pointed at the pretty white house at the other end of the shared backyard. “You’ll meet them soon. They’re joining us for dinner, and we’ve taken over their stove, oven, and part of their refrigerator for the day, since we’re cooking for a crowd.”
“I can tell how much all of these people mean to you.”
“They’re wonderful, and this place is so special. Once you’ve lived here, you’re family for life, even if you move away. A lot of the people joining us for dinner are former residents, and no matter where life has taken them, they love coming home for the holidays.”
Devon asked, “Do you have a biological family too?”
“I have my dad.” I pulled out my phone and checked the time. “I’m going to call him in a few minutes, before he gets too busy.”
“What’s he doing today?”
“He owns a diner, and a lot of his regulars are senior citizens with no place to go for the holidays. So, every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, he puts together this big, free buffet for his staff, his customers, and anyone in the neighborhood who wants to join in the celebration.”
“He sounds like a wonderful guy.”
“He’s the best.”
That made Devon smile. “You light up when you talk about him.”
“I love him so much. He was only seventeen when he became a father, and he gave up everything for me. His girlfriend didn’t want to be a mom, so he took full custody and did his best to raise me.”
“That couldn’t have been easy for someone that young.”
“It wasn’t. We lived with my grandmother at first, and that helped, but she passed away when I was seven. Things got a lot harder after that, and we ended up homeless for a while. Even when we got back on our feet, it was tough to get by. Dad couldn’t afford childcare, so I used to hang out at the diner every day after school, until he got off work.”