Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
This was like a scene from a movie or a TV show. This was what the traditional family looked like, right?
I wouldn’t know.
Neither would Roger or Jude. Kendall was the only one of us who’d grown up with a “traditional” family, but I’d never met them. As a kid, I’d also never been invited over to a friend’s house for dinner. Ever. This was my first experience of a family dinner.
“So, Star, Rafe tells us you met at Charmaine’s birthday party?” Jen sat at one end of the table, Greg at the other. I was on Jen’s right with Rafe on mine. Hugo was on Rafe’s right, and Gigi, Pippa, and Charmaine sat opposite us.
“Yeah. I was Merida.”
“And I really thought you were her,” Charmaine piped up wearily.
I gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”
“That’s okay. I do miss the accent, though.”
I shot Rafe an “aha, I told you so” look and he rolled his eyes in a way that made me stifle laughter.
“Rafe also told us you’ve been dating for a month?”
“Yeah.” I nudged him playfully while still looking at Jen. “I’m still deciding whether I like him.”
Rafe grunted at my teasing while his mother laughed. “Good girl, keep him on his toes.”
“I hear Rafe took you to Konbanwa for your first date.” Pippa leaned across the table. “It’s very difficult to get reservations there last minute.”
I guessed I was supposed to be impressed by that, so I widened my eyes and nodded with an “ooh, really” expression on my face.
“Star hates sushi, so I’m afraid it was lost on her,” Rafe told them before taking a big bite of his burger.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He had a very masculine throat.
“You don’t like sushi?”
I wrenched my stare from Rafe to his sister-in-law. “Why is everyone so surprised I don’t like raw fish in my mouth?”
Gigi choked on a swallow of her drink while Greg and Jen shared a chuckle.
“Sushi is a wonder and we’re going to persuade you of that,” Pippa declared with a determined tilt to her chin.
She could try, but she would fail.
“It’s surprising you got a second date if you took her for sushi on your first,” Gigi teased her brother.
Rafe shrugged, deadpan. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.”
I was beginning to worry that something about him actually was.
“So you’re a Disney princess?” Hugo broke the fun moment between Rafe and his sister. There was just enough hint of disdain in Hugo’s tone to pick up on, even though I didn’t think I was meant to.
“A character actor,” I corrected him, leaning around Rafe to give his brother one of my “kill ’em with kindness” smiles. “And a line sitter.”
“Line sitting? Yes, Rafe mentioned as much. Tell us about that?” Jen peered at me, seemingly genuinely curious.
“People pay me to wait in line for things that they don’t have time to wait for. Theater tickets, sneakers, phones, games, restaurant launch tickets . . . the list goes on.”
“People actually pay you to do this?” Greg was just as bemused by it as Rafe.
I nodded. “You’d be amazed.”
“What is the world coming to?” he murmured to himself, again, like Rafe.
“What’s the longest you’ve ever waited in line?” Gigi queried.
“Four days.”
“You’ve waited in line four days?” Rafe frowned at me.
Surprised by the displeased look on his face, I shrugged uncertainly. “Yes. It was in winter too. Thank God for tents.”
Jen’s frown mirrored Rafe’s. “What was the wait for?”
“Hamilton tickets.”
“My goodness. That can’t be safe or healthy.” She gave Rafe an admonishing look, as if it were his fault that I’d waited in line four days for tickets.
“I was paid extremely well,” I told her. “Seriously. It was worth the four days.”
“Mom’s right, it’s not safe.” Rafe’s brows were so furrowed they almost made one line. I could imagine his brain turning and wondered what problem he was trying to solve. Unfortunately, I had the strangest feeling the problem was me.
“Star. That’s an unusual name.” Jen broke the sudden tension. “In fact, your full name is even more so.”
“What’s your full name?” Gigi quizzed me from across the table.
“Star Shine Meadows,” Jen answered for me.
Gigi grinned. “Isn’t that pretty?”
I swore I heard Hugo snort, but I ignored it.
If you grew up faced with enough derision, you kind of became immune to it. “Thanks.” I smiled at Gigi. “My parents are very bohemian.”
Jen raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How so?”
The entire family seemed to lean in to hear my answer. I looked up at Rafe and he gave me an almost imperceptible shrug, as if to say Tell them whatever you want.
He really didn’t care.
In fact, I had a feeling he wanted me to shock them.
Okay, then.
I looked back at Jen. “They’re artists. Dawn is a silversmith and makes jewelry and belt buckles and all sorts of things. Arlo is a mixed media artist and he sells his work online and in local galleries. They move around a lot, so they’ve sold their stuff all over.”