“Well, she talks about when they first started dating, and how they—” Taking another peek around the table, I looked back at Jennifer. “How should I say this? Progressed in their relationship. I haven’t gotten too far into it.”
Her lips pressed together as she made a disgusted face. “Gross. Don’t ever show it to me or I might gag.”
I let out a soft chuckle as I glanced around the table. “So, I have to ask, would your mom mind if I went and looked around Kate’s room? I was hoping to find her sketch pads.”
“Oh, they’re in the stone house.”
I gasped and looked at her. “What? They’ve been in the house the entire time?”
“Yeah, I think they are in the upstairs bedroom closet. I’m not sure if you know this or not, but Kate used to spend hours in that old house. She said she felt at peace there and more creative. Almost all of her drawings were done in that house.”
A warm feeling washed over me as I smiled and said, “I feel the same way.”
“At first my parents didn’t mind, but the more time she spent out there, the more worried my mother became.”
“Why?”
Jennifer stole a glance to her mother before looking back at me. “If you say I told you, I swear I’ll deny it.”
Oh, this just got good. Family gossip.
I crossed my heart and said, “Promise.”
Jennifer bit her lower lip before blowing out a deep breath and saying, “Kate believed the house was haunted by our great-great-grandmother.”
“Lizzy?”
Pulling her head back in surprise, she said, “Yeah. How did you know about Lizzy?”
“I found your family Bible with a letter Robert wrote to Lizzy.”
“You found the family Bible? Holy crap. Mom is going to freak!”
“I was going to talk to her about it after dinner. I know Ryder said she had already done some family research.”
“Oh, she is going to be your best friend forever. Ever since Kate passed away my mother has been searching for the Bible. She was on a mad mission for a while. She swore our grandmother hid it before she passed away.”
“Why?”
Jennifer shrugged. “She didn’t like Mom at all.”
“That’s terrible.”
Jennifer chuckled. “Yep. Mom said our grandmother made her life a living hell.”
“Who wants dessert?”
Jennifer and I both looked up to see Lucy and Nate Sr. both standing with pies in each hand.
With a low moan, I shook my head. “I’m sure I’ve gained ten pounds since I broke my leg.”
“At least you’re not pregnant like Dani.”
We both turned and looked at Dani who wore a beautiful smile. “She looks beautiful though,” I said.
“Yeah, she really does.” Jennifer sighed. “I hope I find love someday.”
With a grin, I bumped her shoulder. “You will. Just be patient.”
Jennifer rolled her eyes and pushed out a frustrated breath. For someone as romantic as she was, I found it hard to believe she hadn’t been swept off her feet yet.
After everyone ate dessert and helped clean up the table, it was time to head into the family room for what Nate described as four hours of sure torment and hell. Jennifer and Ryder started pulling out games as my mouth dropped open.
“Games?”
“I told you … four hours of torment and hell.”
“I hate board games,” I whispered.
“You are spending Thanksgiving with the wrong family then, sweetheart. It’s tradition. Stuff your face full of food and then play game after game of stupid nonsense until you’re so sick of it all, you would pay to have someone kill you. When what we could be doing is sitting our ass on the couch watching football.”
With a huge grin on my face, I turned to Nate. “I have a way of getting us out of game night.”
His eyebrows rose. “Really? If you can make that happen, I will owe you big time.”
“So, what you’re really saying is you will owe me a favor. Anything I ask for you’ll have to do it.”
Nate pinched his eyebrows together as he looked at me. “I can easily accept this offer because you have no clue how powerful game night is on Thanksgiving in the Montgomery house. You cannot win at this one, my sweet newbie.”
I reached my hand out and said, “The only way to find out is to shake on it.”
Nate laughed and took my hand.
“Deal. If you can somehow make the heavens open up and swallow up all the board games and leave me in peace to watch football … I’ll owe you whatever your little heart desires.”
With a grin, I turned to Lucy, who was instructing Dani’s husband Rich on how to set up the card table.
“Lucy, did Ryder tell you I found the Montgomery family Bible today?”
Everyone stopped moving as all eyes turned to me. Lucy’s eyes widened as she stared at me with a disbelieving look on her face.
I could feel Nate’s eyes burning a hole into me as he leaned in closer to me. “You little sneaky bitch,” Nate whispered.
With a jab in his side, I smiled bigger.
“Where did you find it, Ava?” Lucy gasped.
“On the bookshelf in the stone house.”
Lucy’s head snapped over to Ryder. “Did you see it?”
He nodded and said, “Yep.”
Lifting her hands in the air, Lucy called out, “Game night is cancelled. Ava and I are going on a little history lesson.”