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As promised, Kookie helps me all day long.  He and Emmie peel, core, and slice apples for the crisp.  Janna makes the topping.  They assemble the sweet dessert and bake it.  Everett and Noel help me put together the potato casserole. 

I toss the chicken in the crockpot and make the homemade rolls.  A fact which has my entire family dancing around in the rafters.  We just ate the rolls on Thanksgiving, but I don’t make them often, so they are still something special.  And they are quite delicious.  I think we could eat them every week, and they would never lose their savor.

The twins help me set the tables and get the party supplies set up.  The whole house and the entire meal are ready when kids begin to arrive at six o’clock.  I’m a bit nervous about inviting Heath.  I’m really hoping that he doesn’t cause any trouble.  We never did determine positively the identity of our prankster, but I can’t help but believe that Heath was the most likely culprit.

However, he’s perfectly polite when I answer the door and find him standing on our doorstep.  “Heath!  Come in.  It’s nice to see you tonight.”

Interestingly, I notice that his eyes fly across the room to land on the face of a pretty redhead, Hannah.  As I observe him, I feel my heart shift in my chest.  A softening of his countenance occurs as he watches her laugh at something Janna says.  I realize that Heath might just have the teensiest crush on Hannah.  Tonight is shaping up to be even more interesting than I anticipated.

I am surprised to discover both Melody and Yoon standing outside when I open the door a couple of minutes later.  Lyric is with them, so it’s obvious to me that Melody rode with her brother, but apparently Yoon arrived at the same time.  Shyly, Melody glances Yoon’s way.  Only to disturb his intent eyes staring back at her.  Their eyes collide, and they both look away instantly.  Still dancing around each other.  Very much like Kookie and Emmie were behaving a couple of weeks ago.

I smile at them all and invite them into my house.  As I close the door, my eyes find Heath.  He’s wandered towards Hannah, but he’s clearly uncomfortable with the idea of speaking to her.  I watch as he sits down on a chair a few feet from her.  Close enough to have an excellent view of her face, but far enough away from her that she most likely will not notice his rapt perusal of her.

Except that she suddenly glances his way.  He’s hiding under the hood of his black sweatshirt again.  When her eyes clash with his, I see his eyes widen in surprise before he averts his gaze.  Suddenly, he finds something on my floor quite fascinating. 

But I follow her expression.  Her eyes remain on his face for a few seconds.  She bites her lip.  That’s when I realize that she just might reciprocate his feelings. 

Hmm.  Quite interesting, indeed.  Perhaps I should seat them next to each other.  I decide to do just that.

“Hey, everybody,” I announce a few minutes later, after I’ve had a chance to set out place cards at the tables, “it’s time to eat.  Find your name at the table and pick up your plate.  I’ve set all the food up on the island in my kitchen.  Help yourselves.”

Slowly, they wander over to the table.  Yoon smiles as he finds Melody’s place card next to his.  Lyric is seated between his sister and Janna.  To Janna’s right, I’ve seated Abigail, Jocelyn, and Hannah.

Heath is the last one to move.  But he is watching intently as all the other kids discover their seats.  Which is why a look of shocked pleasure flows across his countenance when he realizes that the seat next to Hannah is the only empty one left. 

I bite back a smile as I watch him make his way slowly over to the table.  He picks up his plate and steps into line behind Hannah.  She glances back at him.  A sweet smile lights up her face as she realizes that Heath is standing behind her.

She turns towards him.  “Hi, Heath,” she murmurs quietly.

He looks astonished that she just spoke to him.  “Hi, Hannah,” he responds with a straight face, but his eyes are riveted to her pretty countenance.

“Did you enjoy helping out with the pageant?” she asks him suddenly.  I get the distinct impression that she is searching for something to speak to him about.

He shrugs.  “It was all right.”

“Yeah,” she nods, clearly at a loss for words.

I watch as an expression of disappointment flits across her face for a moment.  Clearly, she thinks he’s not into her.  And she seems unwilling to try any more topics of conversation.  With a sigh, she turns back towards her friend, Jocelyn. 

But Heath’s eyes are still fastened to her face.  What he can still see of it.  His shoulders slump, and his head slides farther inside of his hood.  My heart aches for them both.  Then I shake myself as I remind myself that they are only – what? – thirteen?

I turn towards Kookie and Emmie as they approach me.

“Mom, did you seat us at the kids’ table?” Kookie asks teasingly.  “I noticed we don’t have a name tag on the dining room table.”

I chuckle.  “Well, it’s all in your perspective, Kookie.  You’re either seated at the kids’ table or at the adults’ table.  Take your pick.” 

I point at the kitchen table where I have seated my husband, Everett, Noel, and my younger set of twins.  There’s also a place there for my eldest son, his almost-girlfriend, and myself.  

“Sorry, there’s just not enough room at the dining room table for ten people.  You would have all been packed around it like sardines.  Really, each of our tables effectively seats only eight people.  So you guys got the short straw.  You get to sit with your family.”  I glance at Noel.  “Both of you.”

Kookie grins at me, and I realize that I’m still not over the beauty of that smile.  No matter how many times he flashes it at me, I will always find it irresistibly adorable.  “It’s okay, Mom.  I don’t mind sitting with you.” 

He glances at Emmie for a moment, and I feel like his words are every bit as much directed at her as they are at me.

“Well, aren’t you a doll?” I coo as I reach up and ruffle his hair.

“Mahmmm,” he whines, “why are you still ruffling my hair like I’m five years old?”

I simply stare at him for a moment.  “Because you’re every bit as cute as you were when you were five years old.  And to me, you’ll always be my baby.  Even when you’re eighty-five years old.”

“Won’t that make you one hundred and fourteen years old then?”

“You got it.”

He laughs suddenly.  “I can just see you now.  Still coordinating parties and plays.  You’ll have all your grandchildren and great-grandchildren lined up doing some activity.”

“You know it,” I confirm his predictions.  “If I’m going to be living, I’m going to be living.  No use in sitting around growing old.  Life is meant to be savored.  Speaking of which, that island is full of things meant to be savored, and the line has dwindled to nothing.  Let’s go eat!”

Kookie bows to me with a flourish.  “After you and Emmie,” he declares gallantly.

I smile at him and turn towards her.  “Emmie, you go ahead.”  Then I slip my arm around Kookie’s waist and draw him close to me.  “Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite eldest son?”

He chuckles.  “Yes, Mom, all the time.  And I always tell you that I’m your only eldest son.”

“It doesn’t matter.  You’re still my favorite one.”

“Your favorite eldest son?”

“That’s right.”

He just shakes his head.

I give him a squeeze before reluctantly releasing him to go find my plate.