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Thanksgiving Dinner with the Wedding Party (Part 3)
She didn’t know what had inspired her to do that, but the guy smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
Yeah, he was the guy Ivy had told her about. Only a serious Sentinels fan would know that Baked Alaska was Foxfire’s favorite dessert. Maybe this would be fun after all.
“Have you worked on any interesting books lately?” Nancy asked.
“Hmm, not really. I’ve been in a slump lately.” Meredith stole a glance at the guy down the way. “I had to do some cleanup work on a bunch of how-to books in the last month or so.”
“That’s a shame, isn’t it?” Nancy poked Steve with an elbow.
“Huh?” He gasped.
She turned to face her husband as a ruse to get a peek at whoever Meredith was looking at. “Meredith says she’s been in a slump.”
“Oh, that is a shame. Do you have more interesting work coming up soon?”
“There are a couple of novels in the pipeline, but I might not get to them until after New Year’s.”
Nancy noticed Toby glancing furtively at Meredith. “That sounds promising. Doesn’t it, Steve? There’s something on the horizon to help her get out of her slump.”
Steve followed Nancy’s line of sight and spotted Toby. “Ah, yes. I think that sounds pretty promising. Good things come to she who waits, as they say.”
Meredith looked down the table for Ivy. Her friend caught her gaze and smiled, tilting her head toward the guy and nodding.
It was too much, too soon.
Meredith clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath.
“Honey, are you okay?” Nancy asked.
“Yeah, just a minute.” Meredith kept her eyes tight. “I need to…”
“You know what? Take a minute and enjoy your dessert. Okay?”
Meredith continued her deep breathing. “Uh-huh. I’ll have some in a minute. Just need to…”
“What do you do to relax after a long run of editing?” Steve asked.
“Relax?” Meredith shrugged. “I’ve got a Sentinels collection.”
“You don’t say. What? Like autographs or…?”
Meredith opened her eyes to find the couple gaping at her. “Yes, I have autographs and memorabilia from most of them. Mary Christmas was the hardest one to get. She doesn’t come out to the conventions as much anymore.”
She could tell they had no idea who she was talking about. She dug into her dessert. “As it happens, Baked Alaska was Foxfire’s favorite dessert. Not many people know that.” Her eyes darted back to the guy.
“It’s kind of retro.” Nancy said, scooping some up tentatively.
“So was Foxfire.” Meredith jabbed her spoon into the meringue. “Anyway, yeah, some novels in the pipeline. That will be a nice change of pace. Nonfiction is a little easier to handle in bulk, but I enjoy the challenge of polishing a piece of prose.”
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“None that I know of, but I’d have to check with Ivy. With any luck, I can just sleep in.”
“So, you’re not the Black Friday shopaholic type?”
“Definitely not. I consider it a massive failure if I don’t have my Christmas shopping done by Labor Day.” Meredith waved dismissively. “It’s not like I have a huge list to buy for anyway. Mom, Dad, a couple Secret Santas.”
“Fortunately, Lynn and Bradley are still small enough that they’re not hard to buy for.” Nancy said.
“Which is more than can be said for some people.” Steve said, poking a thumb at his wife.
“You know what I want.” Nancy laughed. “You’d have an easier time finding it if you didn’t wait until Christmas Eve to go shopping.”
“Oh, no. You’re not one of them, are you?” Meredith smiled.
“Guilty as charged.” Steve laughed. ”I like your idea about being done by Labor Day. I’ll have to try that next year.”
“Ha, that will be the day.” Nancy set her spoon aside. “I’ve got to step out a moment.”
“I’ll come with you.” Meredith pushed away from the table.
Once they were clear of the banquet hall, Nancy asked, “Are you okay? I thought we were going to lose you for a moment.”
“I’m not really good in crowds.”
“I’m sorry, that must be a torture chamber in there.”
“Well, it’s a special occasion. I want to do all the bridesmaid stuff. You know?”
“I think I know Ivy well enough to know she wouldn’t want you to do anything you weren’t comfortable with.”
“I know, she’s great. I appreciate her inviting me. It’s a little much in there.”
“That’s definitely Holly’s style. She’s loosened up since last Christmas, but Holly is still definitely Holly.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Look, if you want to head up to your room, I can tell Ivy you weren’t feeling well.”
“I’ll be alright. Dinner’s almost over.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Sure. You have to grow a tough skin to live in Empire City.”
“Did you grow up in the city?”
“No, we had a nice place in the ‘burbs. I moved into the city for work.”
“That’s nice. Are you close to the office?”
“I used to be, but the industry has changed a lot. I could work from just about anywhere these days, but the city gets hold of you.”
“That’s what I would be worried about. Even with superheroes, I still hear about muggings and all that.”
“People always think that about the city, but it’s not as dangerous as all that if you’re reasonably cautious.”
“That’s good. I don’t think I’d last a minute in the city.”
“You’d be surprised what you can get used to.” Meredith shrugged. “Everything has its pros and cons. You know?”
“That’s very true.” Nancy turned to head for the ladies’ room. “Sometimes the pros outweigh the cons.”
Meredith followed. “I’d call that a win.”
“I call it being married. If you find the right person, it’s mostly pros.”
“Oh, brother. You, too?”
Nancy giggled mischievously. “It’s what we do.”
“Yeah? Does she have somebody in mind?”
“That would be telling.” Nancy vanished into a stall and bolted the door.