“Chef, we need you in the kitchen.”
Major turned along with Jenn—and shook his head at the gut reaction.
“I’ll be right back,” Jenn called over her shoulder as she followed her employee around the fishing tackle–decorated wall that buffered the dining room from the kitchen. The snap and bustle of working in a restaurant—he missed it.
Sitting beside Forbes, Major found he had a good view of the front door across the large room, because he saw Anne as soon as she entered.
She paused in her confident stride toward the table when she noticed Major. “What—my invitations weren’t good enough for you? You had to wait until Forbes invited you to come to family dinner?”
Major stood and greeted her with a handshake. “He’s a lawyer—trying to argue with him would just be a losing battle.” He held the chair to his right for her.
She glanced around, a frown forming between her brows. “Where’s Meredith?”
Finally, someone had voiced the question that had been bouncing around in Major’s brain for the last fifteen minutes.
“She’s going to try to come later,” Forbes said. “She called as I was driving down here to say that something came up, and she made other plans for dinner.”
Major’s guts melted into a disappointed puddle.
“What do you mean, ‘other plans for dinner’?” Anne asked.
Major assisted Anne with the chair and waited to hear how Forbes would answer her question. Jenn returned with a couple of baskets of hush puppies and took the seat on the other side of Anne.
Forbes refilled his glass from the pitcher of tea on the table. “I don’t know. I guess something came up at work.” He glanced askance at Major.
Major lowered himself into his chair and shrugged. It would serve her right if he told her somewhat meddlesome kin that she wasn’t working but was on a date ... but that would be petty. “I don’t know. It could be any of a million things that sidetracked her.”
“Well, hopefully she’ll be able to get here soon.” Anne glanced at the printed list of the day’s specials then placed her order. “It would be a shame for her to miss such a historical event as Major O’Hara attending a Guidry family function after so many years.”
And to think, if he’d been paying attention and hadn’t been so wrapped up in his own little life, he might have recognized his feelings for Meredith soon enough to have actually become part of the Guidry family.
He hardly knew what he was ordering when the waiter came around to him. He could almost hear a game show announcer in his head: All of this could have been yours, but the price wasn’t right.
As dinner progressed, Major was slowly able to set his thoughts aside, though the self-recrimination remained. But no one could be around this crew for very long and spend any time inside his own skull. Conversations flew fast and furious around the large, round table, ranging from the bizarre case police officer Jason had just worked to the latest plans for Anne’s wedding.
On that point, Major could contribute to the discussion, teasing Anne about the lack of extravagance in her menu choices.
“That’s our Annie—always suggesting all the frills and froufrou for everyone else, but never indulging in them for herself.” Jenn rolled her eyes.
“I blame it on George—since he’s not here to defend himself.” Anne’s blue eyes twinkled.
“Oh, please.” Jenn stood and went to the wait station to refill their pitcher of iced tea. “George would let you do anything you want.”
“Well, as brother of the bride, I have to say that I’m glad it’s not one of those really over-the-top kind of weddings,” Jason Babineaux said.
“Yeah?” Forbes challenged him. “All you have to do is usher. You don’t have to stand in front of the hordes of gawkers who are going to be sitting there just waiting for someone to flub up.”
“You could always be removed from the list of attendants, Forbes, if the idea bothers you so much.” Anne’s eyebrows arched up, her expression stern, though she couldn’t wipe the smile from her eyes.
“And leave George with only his brother up there with him for moral support? I couldn’t do that to the poor sap. Someone’s got to commiserate with him on his life as he knows it being over.”
Anne turned to Major. “I’m so happy that you could finally come and witness for yourself just how much everyone in this family loves each other.” She winked.
Melancholy wrapped around Major’s chest. Did the people sitting at this table have any idea just how blessed they were to be part of a family at all? To have what Major had dreamed of his whole life, had imagined when he was a kid?
After everyone had overindulged in Jenn’s peach cobbler, people exchanged places at the table as if at a signal. It happened before Major realized it, and suddenly, he found himself not between Anne and Forbes, but next to their young cousin Jodi.
“I’m so glad I was able to get over here to you. I’ve been hoping to see you again for a while now.” Jodi flipped her long, brown hair over her shoulder and gazed at him with wide, dark eyes.
Major straightened and cleared his throat, uncomfortable with what felt like flirtatiousness in the young woman’s demeanor. He was certain he was just flattering himself by thinking she was actually interested in him. But when she leaned closer and rested her hand on his arm, a sense of foreboding stole through him.
“What can I do for you, Jodi?”
“Oh, I don’t want you to do anything for me.” She batted long lashes. “It’s what I think we can do together.”
Meredith leaned against the side of the SUV, her neck starting to ache slightly from looking up at Ward. The in-and-out flow of people from the gourmet deli marked the passing of time as they stood chatting. And while she enjoyed his company and getting to know him better, she couldn’t help but think about the fact that, right now, her siblings and cousins were all down at Jenn’s restaurant.
When she’d agreed to grab a quick sandwich with Ward, she’d been proud of herself for the ease with which she’d called Forbes to tell him she wouldn’t be there for dinner. But over the past hour, the idea that they were all down there having fun without her kept intruding on her thoughts.
Ward reached out and took her hand. She pressed against the back door of her SUV. He was quite handsome; she couldn’t deny it. But the thought that she’d rather be here with Major kept her from enjoying the moment.
“Ward, I hope it won’t offend you that I’m going to have at least one other contractor bid the house.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. “I’d think you a fool if you didn’t.” He rubbed the palm of her hand with his thumb. “But I hope that even if you don’t accept my bid, you’ll still go out with me.”
Come on, heart, flutter! “Of course.”
“Good.” He looked down when his phone buzzed. “That’s my cue to say good night and let you get back to your previous plans.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “G’night, Meredith.”
She blinked twice, stunned that the kiss had been so quick—and so chaste. “Good night, Ward.”
He held her door and shut it once she was in with her seat belt fastened. She waited until he’d started the engine of his massive, four-door pickup before pulling out of the lot and heading toward Comeaux.
Though she hated doing it while driving, she pulled out her phone and speed-dialed Anne’s cell phone number.
“Hey, Mere.” Loud music nearly drowned out Anne’s greeting.
“Y’all going to be there awhile longer?”
“Oh, yeah. Karaoke just started, in case you can’t tell. Jason just did ‘Mack the Knife,’ and Forbes and Major are about to get up there and sing ‘My Favorite Things.’”
“What—from The Sound of Music?” Meredith cautiously but quickly overtook someone piddling around in the left lane. Major was there? And she’d missed it?