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Thanksgiving Dinner with the Wedding Party (Part 2)
Toby was lost in thought as he worked on his stuffing. It looked doughy, so he had drenched it and the slices of turkey breast with gravy.
All the commotion in the room had blended into an incomprehensible roar, so he tuned it out as he worked on his dinner. He hadn’t even realized that the roar had subsided until he heard someone say, “Knock, knock.”
Ian’s soon-to-be niece answered, “Who’s there?”
The pretty brunette three chairs down said, “Norma Lee.”
Toby gave it some thought, but he hadn’t heard this one before.
“Norma Lee who?” Chelsea asked.
“Norma Lee, I don’t eat this much!”
Toby smiled and returned to his dinner. ‘Good one.’ He noticed he was short on cranberry sauce, so he scanned up and down the table for a bowl of it.
For a brief moment, their eyes met. She was reaching for a roll and she snagged him looking, but he wasn’t looking.
Not on purpose, anyway. He was looking for cranberry sauce and now she was going to think he had been ogling her.
It was always like that.
Ian had invited him to be in the wedding party because they’d been friends since Junior High. “It will be great. You can meet some of Ivy’s friends, maybe hit it off.” Ian had told him.
Great. Chalk one off for sure.
He hadn’t been looking before, but now he was having a hard time not looking. He still hadn’t spotted the cranberry sauce, and he was afraid she’d be on stalker alert.
He kept his eyes down and scanned right. She wasn’t there anymore. She was leaving with Ivy.
‘Oh, man. Now she’s going to tell Ivy she thinks I’m a creep.’
Finally, he spotted the cranberry sauce. “Pardon me, Nancy, could you pass me that bowl?”
Ian’s sister-in-law handed it to Steve, who handed it to him. He scooped some into a spot that he’d cleared of gravy.
It occurred to him that Ivy would vouch for him. Wouldn’t she?
His appetite was suddenly gone. He looked around the table for a friendly face. “Hey Ian, how are the lights coming along?”
“Better than ever, buddy. Ivy had some great ideas for new layouts.”
“No kidding?”
“Really, we drive around the job sites and she snaps a couple of pictures. Give her a day or so and she’s got a drawing with the lights and decorations. She’s great.”
“Wow. It’s awesome that she can help you out like that.”
“It’s a real blessing, Toby. This is her slow season, so she’s itching to do something that isn’t commissioned by someone else for once.”
Toby looked around the table. “Where’d she get to?”
“I think she took her friend, Meredith, out for a breath of fresh air. She’s really shy and Ivy’s worried she’s going to get overwhelmed with all this hubbub.”
“Oh, sure. I can totally identify. Meredith, huh?”
“Yeah, she’s an editor in Empire City.” Ian poked a thumb over his shoulder.
“What? A newspaper editor?”
“Literary. She contracts with some small publishing houses and indie authors.”
‘Wow. Smart and pretty. Definitely out of my league.’ His heart sank. “How’d Ivy get her to come all the way out here?”
“Beats me, but I’m glad she did. A couple of the girls Ivy asked had plans they couldn’t get out of.” Ian smiled. “Hey, you know what? I bet you guys would really get along.”
“Get out of here.”
“No, really. Ivy told me she’s a serious Sentinels fan.”
“Huh, really?”
“It’s true. Ivy said she’s gotten all of their autographs and she worked on Angelica Wright’s autobiography.”
“Wow.” Toby scooped up a massive glob of stuffing. He wanted to stop himself from agreeing to some kind of date. There was no point in getting his hopes up. Meredith was way out of his league whether she was a Sentinels fan or not.
“I’m pretty sure you’re part of the reason she agreed to be one of Ivy’s bridesmaids.”
Toby gulped down the stuffing. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Are you pulling my leg?”
Ian shook his head. “Seriously. I overheard the conversation. Meri was hemming and hawing about it until Ivy told her one of my friends was a huge Sentinels fan.”
“That’s crazy.” Toby crammed his mouth with turkey and cranberry sauce. It seemed too good to be true.
“Ha ha, better save some room for dessert, buddy. I hear it’s going to be something special.”
Toby saw the door opening. Ivy and Meredith were back, cheeks glowing.
He poked at his watch to check the weather. Kinda brisk to go out for fresh air. No wonder they came back quickly.
Ivy kissed Ian on the cheek and sat down beside him. Meredith returned to her seat across from Nancy.
Toby locked eyes on his dinner plate and dug in. As far as he knew, Meredith still thought he was a creep.
He could see Ian and Ivy sharing a spirited round of whispering. Ivy nodded as she studied him.
He peeked in Meredith’s direction. She was chatting with Nancy and the lady beside her.
The pressure he’d been feeling lightened. He finished his dinner and slid the plate away. Dabbing with his napkin, he stole another glance in her direction.
She talked with her hands. Her dark, wavy hair bobbed along with the illustrative gestures. He couldn’t see the color of her eyes until she swept her bangs back. They were a darker brown than her hair.
Better stop before she catches you again.
Toby caught sight of the hotel wait staff funneling into the banquet hall. A small army of servers whirled around the enormous table, sweeping away plates, bowls and utensils. The guests waited in eager anticipation as the remnants of dinner were removed and whisked away.
They returned shortly, bearing trays full of flaming bowls. In short order, every place was set with a serving of Baked Alaska.
Well, Ian wasn’t kidding. Dessert was a big surprise and well worth the wait.
He forgot himself for a moment and glanced at Meredith. She was looking at him, too.
He smiled and sunk a spoon into the flaming dessert. She smiled back, pointed at the bowl and mouthed the word, Foxfire.