Page 102 of The Homemaker

“We should have gone out to eat. I suddenly feel guilty for inviting you to dinner and asking you to cook it,” Vera says as we serve the salads.

“You have a lovely kitchen. It’s a real treat getting to cook in it,” Mom says, placing salads in front of Vera and Hunter.

Dang it! I was going to serve them, but she beat me to it, so I’m stuck serving Blair and the nipple biter. Murphy doesn’t even try to avert his gaze. Just the opposite. I feel it like it’s glued to me. The midday sun in a desert.

“Sit down, Mom. I’ve got the rest.” I nod toward the two free chairs opposite Blair and Murphy.

“You sure?”

I nod. “Uh-huh.”

“Krista, Alice, this is my mom, Janelle. Alice works for the Morrisons and her mom is visiting for a few days,” Murphy says.

“Lovely to meet you both.” Janelle smiles, playing with her hoop earring under her long, dark hair streaked with gray.

“You too,” Mom says, sitting across from Janelle, who’s sandwiched between Murphy and Blair.

As soon as I scurry back to the kitchen, I tug open the freezer and take a deep breath, welcoming the cold air on my exposed skin.

“Get a grip,” I whisper.

When the rest of the meal is on the table, I sit next to my mom, which puts me directly in front of Murphy.

“Your daughter is a phenomenal cook,” Hunter says.

“Thank you.” Mom blots her mouth. “I wish I could take credit for it, but Alice has always loved cooking. She’s curious. And whatever she sets out to do, she does it exceedingly well.”

I glance at Murphy, and he smirks while chewing. He’s thinking about cornhole and bowling. This conversation should have my back straight and chin up. Who doesn’t love a little praise? But I can’t look at Blair, and when I think she’s looking at me, I swear she knows.

Did he leave with a guilty conscience and immediately confess? No way. Surely not.

“Blair is talented too. Not as much in the kitchen, but she’s found herself a good man who loves her for all the right reasons,” Vera says, giving her husband a little smirk that has everything to do with me.

“I can’t wait to have another daughter,” Janelle says, wrapping her arm around Blair to give her a side hug.

Blair tips her head to press it to Janelle’s. They’re so cute I want to vomit.

“How are the wedding plans coming along?” Mom asks.

Vera and Blair perk up, and then it begins, nonstop wedding talk. My mom and Janelle join the conversation with stories of their weddings and Blair’s upcoming bridal shower. Hunter finishes his meal and zones out, focusing on his phone.

Finally, I excuse myself. “I’ll get dessert. Mr. Morrison’s favorite—lemon sorbet.”

“Alice, I like tiramisu and you know it,” he says without lifting his gaze from his phone.

“That’s right. Lemon sorbet is your wife’s favorite. Oops.”

When he finally looks at me, I wink and retreat to the kitchen.

“Ugh …” I sigh, dropping my face in my hands when I’m tucked out of sight. Is it September yet?

After seven glass cups are filled with lemon sorbet, I carry them on a tray to the dining room. My mom’s laughter has hit the second glass of wine volume. It might be time to cut her off, but Janelle is laughing just as much. Of course my mom would get along with his mom.

“Traitor,” Hunter mumbles when I set the sorbet in front of him, but he can’t keep a straight face because he’s too much of a flirt.

Vera gives me a look that says I should ignore him.

“Were you renting out your guesthouse before Alice started working for you?” my mom asks.