she screamed at me to go away.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too. I don’t know what’s wrong, and I don’t know how to get through to her.”
“You need to talk to her.”
“I’ve tried.”
She looked at him without speaking.
“You’re saying try harder?” he asked.
“I am.” She stepped close and rested her hands on his waist. He pulled her close and hugged her.
“Kids are difficult,” he murmured. “Even when they’re grown up.”
“Yes, they are. But you love her, Garrick. You’ve got to keep pushing until she lets you in.”
“I know. I’m the parent and all that, but I have to tell you, the rejection is tough. Sometimes she looks at me with such loathing, I wonder if she wishes I was dead.”
“She doesn’t. You’re her dad.”
The doorbell rang and they stepped apart. Wynn let in Jasper and Renee, along with their dog Koda. The old guy sat politely until Hunter came running.
“Koda! Happy Thanksgiving.”
The dog’s tail wagged as Hunter collapsed to the floor and wrapped his arms around the dog. Then Hunter glanced up at Jasper and Renee.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” he told them. “Thanks for bringing your dog.”
Renee glanced between them. “You really should think about getting—”
Wynn shook her head. “Don’t even say it. I don’t need one more thing right now.”
Jasper shook hands with Garrick, then kissed Wynn’s cheek and handed her a ceramic frog container filled with a leafy plant. “Not for the table. I know you do your own thing for that. Maybe for the windowsill.” He started for the family room in the back. “Got the game on, Hunter?”
“Uh-huh. It’s tied at seven.”
“Come on, Garrick. Football.”
Garrick glanced at Wynn. “The age-old division of the sexes. Let me know when you want me to pull the turkey out of the oven.”
“I will,” she murmured, carrying the plant into the kitchen.
Renee trailed after her, then put the sweet potato casserole on the counter. “He does know this isn’t your first Thanksgiving, right? That you managed to wash, season and stuff the turkey, not to mention get it in the oven, all by yourself.”
“He’s trying to be helpful.”
“I know, but they’re so unaware of what we do in a day.”
Wynn pulled a pitcher of orange juice and a bottle of champagne out of the refrigerator. While the guys had a few beers as they watched the game, she and her girlfriends would sip on mimosas. Hunter had the thrill of soda pop in the house. It was a holiday tradition that he looked forward to.
Wynn had just opened the champagne when the doorbell rang again. She and Renee greeted Silver, Drew and Autumn. Drew made his way to the family room while Silver and Autumn walked into the kitchen.
“There’s soda,” Wynn told Autumn.
Autumn laughed. “Hunter must be excited.”
“He is,” Wynn said with a smile. “How’s school?”
“Good. I’m doing really well in my math and science classes.”
Silver put her arm around her daughter. “She got into a STEM school. They have a fairly rigorous application process, so we’ve all been crossing our fingers.”
Renee sat on one of the stools by the island. “What’s a STEM school?”
“The academic focus is science, technology, engineering and math,” Autumn said. “I want to be a chemical engineer.”
Silver grinned proudly. “I know. Where did she get that?” she asked with a laugh.
“Oh, Silver. You’re smart, too. And Drew. I get it from you guys.”
With that, she left to go hang out with Hunter. Silver watched her go.
“She’s amazing.”
“You and Drew should have more kids,” Renee offered.
Silver sighed. “Maybe. We’re talking about it. At first he just wanted to focus on getting to know Autumn, but now he’s mentioned having more kids.” She looked at Wynn. “What do you think?”
Wynn handed her a mimosa. “Why are you asking me?”
“You have a child almost the same age. Would you start over again? Have more kids?”
“I don’t know. It’s never come up.” Wynn passed a drink to Renee. “When I moved here, I was terrified of failing so all I thought about was raising Hunter and making my business successful. I didn’t date for years or think about having more kids.”
“But that’s all different now,” Renee said. “You’re successful, you have a network of friends. Were you waiting to fall in love? Did you want a partner this time? Because while you make being a single mom look easy, I doubt that it was.”
Wynn sipped her own drink. “Having a partner would make a difference.” But she’d never let herself go there. She hadn’t dated—not in the conventional sense of the word. She’d had