Page 139 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

"Obviously."He grins."Not at all symbolic of you finally making space in your life for someone."

I toss him a glare."It's a chair, not a metaphor."

"Everything's a metaphor when you're in love, my friend."He claps me on the shoulder."Speaking of which, should we wait until dessert to present our gift?"

"What gift?"I ask warily.

"Just a small token from your closest friends commemorating your viral journey."His expression is far too innocent to be trustworthy."Nothing embarrassing at all."

Before I can interrogate him further, the restaurant staff begins ushering in our guests.

Karina arrives with her family—mother and sisters in elegant dresses, Dr.Finnegan in what appears to be his finest suit, complete with a tartan bow tie I strongly suspect was Fiona's influence.

She spots me across the room, and the smile that illuminates her face still catches me off guard with its genuineness.

After months of her carefully professional demeanor, I'm still adjusting to the unfiltered Karina.

Expressive.Warm.And occasionally capable of knocking the breath from my lungs with nothing more than a glance.

"You've outdone yourself," she says, taking in the elegant private dining room with its panoramic view of Seattle at twilight."Mom's already commenting on how she could have cooked for everyone at half the price."

"And twice the flavor," Nadine adds, appearing at her daughter's side."But very nice.Very fancy for Scottish-Armenian family dinner."

"A worthy occasion deserves a worthy setting," I reply, kissing her cheek in greeting."Thank you for coming, Nadine."

"Miss chance to see you in kilt?Never."Her palm pats at my arm."Fiona texted me you might wear traditional clothes tonight."

"My grandmother has an overactive imagination and a concerning attachment to my cultural heritage.”I sigh."I'm wearing a suit, as you can see."

"Pity,” she exhales.“Good legs should be displayed.Like good fruit at market."

Karina makes a strangled noise beside me."Mom, please stop comparing my boyfriend's legs to produce."

"Just observation.”Nadine shrugs, spotting Fiona across the room."Ah!My podcast partner!We recorded new episode this morning.'How to Know When Your Child Has Found The One.'Very insightful."

As she bustles away, Karina turns to me, brown eyes the size of saucers."I'm so sorry.Our mothers have become unstoppable forces of nature."

"I've faced worse," I tell her, though I'm not entirely certain this is true.

The room fills quickly with our unusual extended family.

Viktoria immediately corners Luke to discuss encryption protocols, while Susanna charms Grayson and Roz with stories of her latest jewelry collection.

Connor and Ariana move between groups with the subtle ease of natural hosts, despite this being my event.

"Quite the gathering.”Dr.Finnegan appears at my elbow with two glasses of whisky.He offers one to me."Scottish fortification for surviving a family convergence of this magnitude."

I accept gratefully."Is this from your private collection?"

"Indeed.My father's father's father's bottle.Or some such lineage.We Irish aren't quite as obsessed with ancestry as you Scots, but we do take our whisky heritage seriously."

"It's excellent," I comment after a appreciative sip."And thank you for wearing the tartan.Fiona's doing, I assume?"

"She can be quite persuasive," he admits with a twinkle in his eye."Claimed it would 'harmonize the cultural vibrations of the evening.'I suspect she just enjoys seeing men in plaid."

"A family weakness…”

"Speaking of family," he says, his tone shifting to something more serious, "you've done well by our Karina.Her mother is pleased.Which means I am pleased.Which means your life will proceed with significantly fewer medical lectures about Scottish dietary deficiencies."