“You’re the best, doll. I’ll let you get back to work, but I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”
After severing the connection, Tori pulled up the to-do app she used on her phone and made a note to find the fishing pole. She tried not to wonder if he hadn’t needed her to intercede with her mother, how long would have passed before he called her, but she couldn’t help it.
She’d thought moving three hours away would remove her from the middle of their battles. And, while it was definitely better than when she’d lived in the same city as the two of them, all it meant was more time on the phone and less time in person. They were just as draining long-distance.
Once she’d made the note to do her daughterly duty, she hit Play on the remote. One of the benefits of not having neighbors was the ability to crank the television as loud as she wanted, and she cranked it loud. Then she stretched out on her couch and watched Bruce Willis save the world.
Chapter Eleven
Butch Benoit was always the first to arrive to watch football and this Sunday was no different. Max wasn’t sure if he wanted first choice of parking spaces or to get away from Fran, but he was never late.
Butch handed over the pepperoni-and-cheese plate Fran had sent him with, then grabbed a beer from the fridge. “Heard you were out with Nola Kendrick last night.”
“We had supper at the diner. Which you already know, of course.”
Butch snorted. “How was the lasagna?”
Heaven forbid the gossips not get the details right. “It was good.”
“Fran told me more, of course, but the only thing I really paid any attention to was lasagna. Then I realized she didn’t mean she was making it for me and I stopped paying attention again.”
Josh and Katie arrived together, with Gavin on their heels. Max took the basket Katie was carrying so he could lift the corner of the towel and inhale the delicious scent of Rose’s baking.
“I think Rose should be the one who gets to watch the game,” he said.
“Trust me, you do not want to watch sports with my mom,” Katie said. “She’s not a fan, but she’ll try to enjoy it, which means she asks a thousand questions.”
He laughed, then turned to Tori’s cousin. “I’m glad you could make it today.”
“Me, too.” Gavin held up the glass baking dish covered with foil. “Where should I put this?”
“Is that buffalo chicken dip?”
“Of course. I swear, I can’t go anywhere in this town without it.”
Max put a trivet on the island and gestured for him to set the dish down. “I think I have some tortilla chips for that.”
“Tori said she’d bring them.”
For a few seconds, Max wasn’t sure he’d heard Gavin correctly. Tori didn’t follow sports. Why would she want to watch a game with them? His gaze fell on Katie, who was checking out the food, and he realized she and Tori would both be watching the game, but only one of them could sit in the corner of the sectional.
Game day was supposed to be easy. He wasn’t supposed to wonder about social niceties because guys didn’t really care. As long as Butch got the recliner, the men were always happy.
Matt showed up with his slow cooker of Swedish meatballs. He and those meatballs had become a regular addition to the crowd when he moved to town in the spring. And he was engaged to Hailey, who usually made plans with Tori on Sundays, according to Matt.
By the time Tori arrived, the game had started. With everybody in the living room and already yelling, thanks to a crazy opening drive, he was able to meet her in the kitchen.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, holding up a bag of chips. “I hope people aren’t in there eating the buffalo chicken dip with spoons.”
“I had a half a bag, but we’ll need those, too.” He set the bag on the counter and faced her. “Katie’s sitting in the corner.”
“Um...is she being punished?”
He sighed and tried again. “I mean she’s sitting in the corner of the sectional. Where you like to sit.”
“I’ll sit somewhere else.” She snatched a brownie out of the basket from Rose. “Have you been worrying about that?”
“Not worrying, exactly.” Not much, anyway. “I guess I tend to overthink things when there are a lot of new things in my life.”
“You can cross Katie and I coming to blows over your couch off the list of things to worry about today.”
She filled a plate and followed him into the living room, where everybody gave her some variation of a hello. Max had left his plate on the coffee table, and he watched Tori place hers between his and Gavin’s. Once she sat next to her cousin, Max was free to take his spot again.