Saturday Evening Stories Part IV
Myra scanned the crowded dining room with a smile and a contented sigh. She loved this time of year. Christmas was her absolute favorite, but she loved Thanksgiving because it was the time when the most people showed up. This year, the crowd gathered around the Valentine family’s massive dining table was the largest they’d had.
Her father’s new partner was in attendance with his wife and two kids. Joshua and Marilyn couldn’t keep their hands off each other, sitting side by side, their magnetism almost palpable. Rhonda and James looked a little stiff, but James had been a bit uptight recently, and Myra quietly wondered if they were having trouble. Adrian and Brody were at the kid’s table and there were three ladies from her mom’s tea circle, along with their husbands and kids, plus Liam and Keegan.
She glanced across the room to the kid’s table and snickered to herself. Brody and Adrian were showing the other little ones how to make “monster hands” by putting black olives on all their fingers. Every youngster looked satisfactorily entertained and Myra had the thought that she missed being at that table. She smiled to herself, reminiscing about all the great times she and her sisters had had in that very corner with other kids through the years. She sighed again on the thought that she’d better hurry up, or her sister’s kids would all be older, and her own poor children would have to sit alone at that little table. Maybe Marilyn and Joshua would wait a few years and give her a chance to catch up.
She picked up her cup of hot chocolate, complete with two enormous marshmallows, took a thoughtful sip, then closed her eyes as she let the smooth chocolatey sweetness melt across her tongue and glide down her throat. When she opened her eyes, Liam was staring at her again. He seemed to be doing that more and more lately. The dark look in those beautiful chocolate pools made her squirm in her seat. She set down her mug and went back to picking at the deliciously fluffy mashed potatoes, fighting for composure against the heat that rushed through her at his assessment. She hoped Liam’s heavy gaze would be directed someplace else when she looked up. The incident, that’s what she called it because she was uncertain of how else to reference what had happened in the kitchen today, had thrown her off-balance. She was unsure how to act with him right now. For a moment, she thought he would touch her the way she longed for him to. Instead, he’d just slipped his hands into his pockets like he always did. She’d felt the emptiness of the space between them when he strode from the kitchen, thanking her for water she hadn’t poured. Now she wondered, swirling the food around on her plate, if there was anything she could do that would cause Liam to notice her as more than his best friend’s baby sister.
What would she do if he did? That thought stopped her. She didn’t know. Maybe it was for the best that he was nothing more than the lead in her fantasies.
“Myra,” Her mother’s voice pulled her our of her own head. “These lava cakes are absolutely incredible! Where did you find the recipe?”
“It’s just a basic recipe, but I improvised a little, since you love raspberry and chocolate. I thought the vanilla ice cream topping would temper the richness of it. I’m really glad you like it — since it was kind of just a big experiment for me.”
Brenda cocked her head, pure bliss etched on her face as she slipped another bite between her lips. “Myra, you should really open a bakery or something. Your desserts are pure magic.”
She gave a small laugh at that. “I have no desire to run a business, mom, you know that, but I do love baking for you, so how about we just keep doing that?”
“You know, the only reason I have a gym membership is because of your baking!” Brenda laughed. “It’s so good. But okay, if you only want to bake for your family, I don’t think any of us will complain.”
Strong murmurs of agreement, traveled around the room. Myra blushed under the praise and ducked her head with a quick, thank you. She like doing things for people, especially when they appreciated it, but she still had a hard time accepting so many compliments.
Please come back next week for part V!
If you’ve enjoyed reading, but feel a little lost, check out parts I-III
