gazed earnestly at Finn. “I didn’t breathe a word about you being...” He mouthed gay.
“Why not?” Megan grinned. “Is it a secret? Because… really?” she muttered under her breath as Nate and Laura approached the table. “Everyone hungry? There’s plenty.”
“We need another chair,” Lynne said as she deposited a covered dish on a mat in the middle of the table. She gave Finn a warm smile. “I think you’ve earned your lunch.”
Finn liked Lynne too. She was shorter than Megan, with closely-cropped gray hair, gold-rimmed glasses, and a great smile.
“Admiring my Lynne?” Megan gave Lynne a peck on the cheek. “I don’t know what she sees in me sometimes.”
Lynne smiled. “You’re adorable and you know it.”
Finn thought they were both pretty adorable.
“Thanks for helping out my little brother,” Megan added. “Although I still think he’s crazy to buy this place. Too damn small.”
“It’s cozy.” Finn glanced at Joel. “Nothing wrong with cozy.”
“And we still need another chair,” Lynne said with a touch of exasperation.
“It’s okay,” Finn said quickly. “I’ll stand.”
“You will not,” Megan retorted. “I’m sure someone will let you sit on their lap.” A smile played about her lips.
“Finn doesn’t need to sit on anyone’s lap,” Joel said in a firm voice. “There’s a folding chair in the closet under the stairs.” He went to get it.
“This looks yummy,” Laura said as she surveyed the table.
“Aunt Megan makes the best mac and cheese,” Nate told Finn. That earned him a warm glance from Megan.
“Okay, now we’re ready,” Joel said as he unfolded the chair. It was a bit of a squash to get everyone around the table, but they managed it. Lynne dished out, and it wasn’t long before everyone was eating with noises of appreciation.
Finn took one mouthful of food and groaned. “Oh my God.”
“I know, right?” Nate’s eyes shone.
“Did you put bacon bits in this? And that topping is delicious.” Finn took another mouthful. He grinned at Joel. “That second helping you mentioned? I’ll take it.” Bramble wandered over to investigate, his brown nose twitching. Joel simply gave him a pointed stare, and the dog huffed and returned to his bed.
“You’ll have to fight Laura for it,” Nate murmured. That got him Laura’s elbow in his ribs, and he winced. “What? It’s true!”
“How’s school?” Megan asked Laura. “You still at the head of your class?” She flashed Finn a glance. “This is one smart kid.”
“Hey, who’s a ‘kid’? I’m fifteen,” Laura retorted. Then her face softened. “That’s okay. I guess kid is a germ of endearment.”
Finn chuckled, and Nate rolled his eyes. “That’s term of endearment, you dork.”
Laura ignored him and helped herself to more mac and cheese. “I tell all my friends about you, Aunt Megan. And you too, Aunt Lynne.”
“Why would your friends want to know about us?” Megan peered into the dish. “Does anybody else want some before Laura eats it all?”
Laura’s eyes twinkled. “Are you kidding? It’s really cool, having aunts who are lesbians. It’s the in thing.”
“So now I’m a ‘thing’,” Megan said with a grin.
“A couple of my professors are gay,” Nate added.
“How do you know that?” Joel asked.
“They talk about themselves. There’s one professor who’s always telling funny stories about himself and his husband.”
“And you don’t have a problem with that?” Finn glanced at Joel as he posed the question.
“Why would I? So what if he’s gay? He’s a great teacher.”
If Finn could have mouthed See? without being spotted, he would have done, but instead he merely arched his eyebrows. Joel narrowed his gaze and continued eating.
“So, Finn…”
He steeled himself. It hadn’t taken Finn long to realize absolutely anything could come out of Megan’s mouth. “Hmm?”
“You sound like you’re a local boy.”
Okay, that wasn’t so bad. “Absolutely. I grew up in Wells.”
Lynne smiled. “Really? I swap recipes on Facebook with someone who lives in Wells. She makes the best oatmeal raisin cookies. Linda Brown.”
Finn gaped. “You’re kidding.”
Lynne widened her eyes. “You know her? No way.”
“One of my best friends, Levi? She’s his grandmother.”
Lynne’s face lit up. “She talks about him all the time.”
“And you’re right. She makes the best cookies.” Then her words sank in. “Wait a sec—Grammy is on Facebook?” Finn wasn’t sure why that should’ve surprised him: Grammy was a remarkable woman. She’d stepped up to the plate when Levi had needed her, that was for sure.
Lynne laughed. “She’s amazing. Wait till the next time I’m on there—I’ll tell her I met you.”
Finn gave an exaggerated swallow. “Just don’t mention apples, okay?”
“I get the feeling there’s a story