“I’m going to change and freshen up, then I’ll come help you with dinner,” Mercedes said quickly.
“You don’t need to worry about dinner,” Margaid piped up. “Hetty and I have this handled.”
Hetty smiled softly. “We do. I’m showing Margaid some of Finn’s favorite things.”
“Apparently, I can’t cook all that well.” Margaid snorted and rolled her eyes, but they were twinkling with humor.
“Oh, and does Finn cook?” Mercedes asked, grinning.
“Only lasagna or fish, but we can’t eat those for the rest of our lives,” Margaid replied as Hetty chuckled.
“I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” Mercedes took a deep breath and pushed open the door from the warm and mirthful kitchen to the open-concept dining room and living room, which she had to cross to get to the bedrooms.
Suddenly, the room felt as vast as the Sahara Desert.
You can do this. Just ignore him.
The theory was good, but the execution of it was another matter. She planned to do that earlier in the day and instead wound up plastered against his hot, wet, naked body. Her body thrummed with excitement as she remembered and she chewed on her bottom lip, trying not to think about it.
The moment she stepped into the dining room, she could feel his eyes on her.
Ignore him.
Ignore him.
Body rigid, she tried walking quickly through the living room, smiling and nodding at Finbar and Phineas, but she wouldn’t look at Magnus. Although she knew he was glaring at her.
Once she was safely behind the bedroom door, she let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. A curl of smoke rose with her exhalation.
Great. Don’t explode anything.
She needed to calm her nerves.
This was going to be a long, long dinner.
So much for a restful night.
When she emergedfrom the bedroom, Finn, Magnus, and Phineas had stepped out onto the balcony, so she was able to scurry off to the dining room undetected.
The table was set so nicely. It wasn’t fancy china or expensive silverware, where everything had to match perfectly. Hetty’s dishes and flatware were mismatched. The colorful linens were something she had stitched herself. The wineglasses were old jam jars etched with designs from the seventies.
It felt very eclectic and Mercedes loved every bit of it.
It was cozy.
Homey.
Mercedes was glad she took a few extra moments to collect herself and change out of work clothes before facing Magnus in front of Pearl’s family. Margaid was bringing out food, but the roast beef was already on the table.
It smelled divine.
Hetty came out with the last two bowls, one with fluffy white potatoes. “Everyone take a seat, it doesn’t matter where.”
Mercedes reached for her usual spot, which was next to Hetty, and sat down. Margaid was on her other side, Finbar sat at the opposite head of the table, and when she glanced up, Magnus was directly across from her.
Great.
Instead of averting her eyes, she met his gaze directly and smiled at him. Brightly. Enough so that it blinded him. His lips pursed together in a thin line for just a moment, but he nodded at her, acknowledging her presence.