“Hey, Bri,” he said, pulling out a chair next to me. “Hi, Sam.”
“Hey, Max.” Her voice was softer than I cared to acknowledge. I looked up to Max and his eyes were on me. He gave me a wink reminiscent of the one his father had just given me.
“Hi, Kari. Good to see you,” Sam said sweetly.
“You, too, Samantha.” I gave myself a pat on the back for not sounding as bitchy as I felt. I knew feeling that way wasn’t warranted, but I couldn’t help it. Down deep, I knew I should feel sorry for her after all the things she’d gone through. I should understand and appreciate Max’s compassion for her.
But I’m only human.
“Girls, wash your hands and start peeling the potatoes, please,” Fern ordered from across the room.
I tossed the dough on the counter and began rolling it out. I turned the ball into a flat sheet and added some flour to the top and started rolling it into a log. Brielle and Sam both walked past and kissed John on the cheek.
“You girls better get to peelin’ the potatoes. I’m starving,” he joked, opening a newspaper.
Sam swatted his shoulder and made her way into the kitchen. “Need a glass of tea, John?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
“Max?” she asked, that tone back in her voice. “Need some tea?”
“Nah, I just got a glass for me and one for Kari,” he said.
I looked up and Max was watching me, amused. I knew he was thinking I was acting jealous and I was. I also knew he was thinking it was ridiculous for me to act that way and it was.
The fact that he knew what I was thinking embarrassed me, causing my cheeks to flush. I looked away and heard him chuckle.
“You really want Sam peeling potatoes?” Brielle asked. “You know she takes half the potato with the peel. That’s why you usually have her make the noodles.”
“I’m teaching Kari how to make them. She’s gonna be a Quinn, so she has to learn sometime,” Fern said, stirring the big pot on the stove.
“What?” Brielle shrieked, causing me to look up at her. She looked from me, to Max, and back to me again. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re engaged?”
“Not yet,” Max said, his voice rough as he peered across the room at his sister.
Brielle clutched a hand across her chest. “Thank God,” she muttered.
“Brielle Amanda, where are your manners?” Fern said, sitting the spoon down and putting a hand on her hip. She glared at her daughter. “Don’t you come into this house and act like you’ve been raised in a barn!”
My cheeks flushed a brighter shade of red and I looked down at the table, not sure what was going on.
“Oh, Mama. I’m sorry. It’s just . . .”
“Don’t apologize to me, young lady. Apologize to—” Fern began, but Max cut her off.
“Pardon the interruption.” He turned his gaze slowly to his sister. “If you have something you wanna say to me, we can have that conversation privately. But you won’t disrespect Kari in front of me. Do ya understand?”
The room went quiet and I wanted to disappear. If there was some button to hit to make a big hole open in the floor and let me drop through, I would’ve pushed it. Hard.
“You should apologize, Bri,” Sam said smoothly.
“You’re kidding me,” Bri uttered, sending a stern look at her friend. Sam just watched her. Bri seemed to get the message loud and clear. With a long sigh, she sat down the potato she was holding. “Max, I’m sorry. Kari,” she paused, taking a deep breath, “please forgive me. I didn’t mean that to come out the way it did. I didn’t mean to cause you any disrespect. Max has just never been that serious about anyone before. I was caught off guard.”
I looked up at Max. His jaw was working overtime, his eyes blazing. I knew he wasn’t happy and that he would probably be calling Brielle over this later. I knew she didn’t love me, that wasn’t a surprise. Yes, I was caught a little off-guard at her outburst, but at the end of the day, she was right. Max shouldn’t be marrying me.
“No worries, Brielle,” I said, my eyes never leaving Max’s. He didn’t respond to his sister. The room stayed quiet for a minute until John cleared his throat.
“Now that is over, how close are we to eatin’?”
“We’ll get the potatoes boiling as soon as the girls get them peeled and diced. Then we’ll put the noodles in the broth.” Fern walked towards me. “How ya doing on them, Kari?”
“Good, I think.”
She rested her hand on my shoulder. “Those look perfect, hon. You’re a natural.” She squeezed my shoulder before letting it go. “You picked a good one, Maxwell. She’s got all the trademarks for a good wife. She’s beautiful, has a natural cooking ability, and she’s loyal. I can see it in her eyes.”
Max grinned at me, trying not to laugh. I rolled my eyes.
“She’ll be a good mama to my grandbabies.”