He looked relaxed and comfortable and his black hair was slightly tousled. The whole scene was perplexing.
"What's happening?" I asked.
"Your mom is practicing reiki on me. Isn't it cool?"
"I have no idea."
"I'm taking my test next week to become a qualified reiki practitioner," said Mom. "Isn't that right, Mariam?"
"It's such wonderful news! We're looking forward to celebrating with you!" replied a disembodied female voice.
"Where is that voice coming from? Who's Mariam?" I asked, frowning.
Mom nodded with her chin towards the kitchen counter where she had a tablet propped up. On screen, a woman who looked to be around my mom's age, with big brown eyes and scarlet lipstick, waved to me.
"That's my mom," said Farid. "She loves Italian cooking."
"We're not Italian!"
"Newsflash! Neither are we," snorted Farid.
"Mariam recommended the reiki class to me," said Mom. "She said it transformed her."
"Wait... you know each other already?"
"Of course! We're friends. Aren't we, Mariam?"
"Very good friends," beamed Mariam. "When I next visit Sadiq, we're going to meet for lunch and see the sights of Montgomery. Sadiq has tried to show me before but he’s always too busy."
"I'm a special agent, Mom! I have an important job." Farid rolled his eyes.
"I know, and you're very good at it. We're very proud of you," said Mariam. "Being a special agent doesn't make any money but that’s okay for such an upstanding job."
"Don't hover. Put your dish on the side but don't block Mariam," said Mom. "Put yours next to Serena's. She's made three sauces and conchiglie from scratch."
"Of course she did," I muttered as I slid my dish next to Serena's.
"Serena could have been a professional chef," Mom told Mariam. "But it's really just a hobby. Lexi is my younger daughter and she has other talents or she would have if she only applied herself. We used to call her our little hiccup. Garrett and Adam are in the garden, darling. Will you see if they need another drink when you get yourself one?"
"Adam's here?" I asked. Maddox didn't mention any invitation to dinner yesterday, or did he?
"We came together," explained Farid before Mom turned his head one way, then the other. "You'll have to let me take you to the exhibition as a thank you for all this great food."
"What exhibition?" I asked, utterly confused while watching my mother wave her hands around Farid's head.
"Not you. Me," replied Mom. "I spotted a pamphlet when I dropped off some food at Sadiq's house last week."
"You've been to his house?" I frowned until Garrett walked in, closely followed by Maddox. Both of them held beers and were not wearing their suit jackets or ties. "Did you know Mom cooks for Farid and delivers the food to his house?" I asked them.
"He brought the leftovers to the office," said Maddox. "And the muffins made our colleagues very happy. They vanished within minutes. Next time, we'll give you the VIP tour, Mrs. G."
Mom beamed. I opened the cabinet nearest me and pulled out a wine glass. Grabbing a bottle of wine from the countertop, I poured a generous amount and drank it.
"Sadiq has a nice house. He should get married but he doesn't want to. Even if he's gay, we love him," said Mariam. "We’ve already spoken about it at length."
"I'm straight," said Farid. "I told you that. I told Dad that too."
"This is so weird," said Lily behind me. I half turned and nodded, grabbing another glass, filling it, and handing it to her. "This will make everything better," I told her. “Where’s Poppy?”
“Asleep upstairs. Tonight I get to eat unhindered. I’m so excited!”
Mom reached for a small cylinder on the counter and tapped it with a tiny baton, creating a pretty, ringing noise. "Finished," she announced.
Farid got up and returned the chair to the table. "I feel great," he pronounced. "You have a natural talent."
"I agree," said Mariam from the tablet.
"Did we adopt him?" whispered Lily.
I blinked and took a long sip. "I think so but I don't know how."
"And Maddox?"
"Apparently."
"They are nice to look at," sighed Lily.
"Hi, everyone!"
I turned at the sound of a female voice that was neither my sister nor my sisters-in-law. No, it was my cousin, Tara. This time, she swapped her uniform for a pretty, blue dress and cute, gray ankle boots, her hair falling in soft waves to her shoulders. She carried a tray covered with a towel. "Wow, it's so nice to see everyone! Wait! You guys were at the bank after the robbery."
Farid stepped forward, holding out his hand.