My stepdad must tell my mom to back off, because she doesn't bring up the argument we had at dinner the next day. Which is probably a good thing, seeing as I'm so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open. But despite my exhaustion, I can't help but smile when I think back to my all night conversation with Baker. If you could even call it a conversation, seeing as we spent most of the night tossing chemistry questions back and forth at each other before falling asleep on the phone. Still, whenever I think about it, I feel something flutter in the pit of my stomach.

I don't dare tell Beth, because she'll turn it into something it's not. Try to say I'm developing feelings for my rival. Which I'm not. It's not like that. It's just nice to have someone who takes studying seriously. Baker and I meet up after school on Wednesday to study for the chemistry test. We share note cards and toss questions around between kids coming up to redeem arcade tickets and return skates, and by the time I get ready to leave, I feel more prepared for a chemistry test than I ever have before.

"You're a much better study party than Ian," he says with a chuckle as he slides his chem notes in his bag. I release a little giggle, and he smiles. "Seriously. We should do this again soon. Like maybe... I don't know. Every Wednesday?"

I shake my head. "Are you that bored at work?" I ask with a grin, and he shrugs his shoulders. "Well, Thanksgiving is next week, so we'll be on break. Then we only have three weeks until Christmas break. And I won't be back from the U.K. until May. So I think that leaves us with three study sessions before I leave?"

He smiles. "That sounds good to me. And, to answer your question, yes. I am that bored here. If you can't tell, it's not exactly the most stimulating career here. Counting tickets and handing out skates... not all that riveting. And not what I want to do forever."

I nod my head. "Right. So... what do you want to do? You know... forever?"

"Summer, are you asking me what I want to be when I grow up?" he asks teasingly.

I roll my eyes. "I hate when people word it like that. I mean, we're seventeen, you know? We're almost grown up now. Makes me feel like I'm seven again and someone is hoping I'll say something cute like a ballerina."

"A ballerina, huh?" he says with a smirk. "Is that what you want to be when you grow up?"

I laugh and shake my head. "Baker, I'll be a ballerina when you're in the Olympics." He stares at me expectantly, and I sigh. "I always thought about being a lawyer. I thought I'd be good at it. I love to write. Study."

"Argue," he points out, and I give him a playful shove. He laughs. "I can see it. Summer Lumen, Attorney at Law. Has a nice ring to it."

"What about you?" I ask, trying to fight my blush. "You didn't tell me what you want to be when you grow up."

He sighs. "That's because... well, I haven't figured it out yet. Just trying to get into college, you know? I'm kind of hoping I'll have an epiphany when I graduate. But when I was a kid, I wanted to be a chef. Like Gordon Ramsey, you know? I don't know why. I wouldn't even say I was a good cook. Even now, I don't know if I'm all that great. But I can get us by. And Ian seems to like my food. But I honestly don't know."

"Well, with a name like Baker," I say with a smirk, and he shakes his head.

"Again with the name jokes," he replies, but he's smiling.

"So since you like cooking, are you the one who cooks on Thanksgiving? Or does your dad do all the dirty work?"

It happens so fast that if I blinked I would've missed it. But I see him visibly tense at the mention of Thanksgiving. "Um. No. We... we go to... my aunt's house for Thanksgiving. She does all the cooking. We just bring the pies. Kind of a low key thing."

"At least you're getting a home cooked meal though," I say, and he turns to look at me. "My mom makes reservations at the Resort for Thanksgiving. She doesn't have any family. Her parents died ages ago, and she's an only child. And my stepdad's family all live in Maine. I've only seen them in person a couple times. So it's just the three of us. Honestly, it kind of just feels like another day, except it's at the Resort instead of at home. Nothing special."

He swallows hard and looks away from me. "Well, think of it this way. At least you don't have to clean up the mess afterward, right?"

I smile. "Right. More time for hiding in my bedroom and texting later on in the evening."

His whole body turns to face me now. "Is that an invitation, Summer?" he asks, and the way he says it takes my breath away.

"It could be," I reply, and we just stand there for several moments staring at each other. My heart is pumping fast, and it feels like I've just finished a run with Beth. What is going on here? He opens his mouth a bit to respond when he's cut off by a kid at the counter calling out for someone to help him pick a price with his armful of tickets. Baker looks at me longingly before running to the counter.

And just like that, the spell is broken. My heart steadies itself after a few moments, and I collect all my things before making my way toward the exit. Before I leave, I catch Baker's eye and give him a little wave. His lips pull into a little frown when he sees me at the door, but I hold my phone up and mouth the words, "Call me." He nods his head and gives me a thumbs up and wink, which leaves me feeling a little breathless as I make my way outside to the crisp autumn air.

***

When I wake up on Thanksgiving morning, I'm surprised to find my mom in the kitchen wearing an apron and pulling the oven open to check what looks an awful lot like a turkey. When I enter the room, she gives me a tight smile as she says, "Good morning, sweetie. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy... Thanksgiving?" I ask as I catch sight of a bunch of pots on the stove. "Mom, are you... cooking?"

She closes the oven door and goes back to stirring whatever it is she's got going on the stove. "Yes. I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner."

I stare at her like she's an alien from another planet. "But... what about our reservation at the Resort? Did you forget to make it this year?"

She shakes her head and wipes her hands on her apron. "No. I just... I thought it would be nice to have dinner at home this year."

This is lunacy. My mom hasn't cooked anything outside of spaghetti since... well, ever. "Does dad know you're doing this?" I ask, and she nods her head. "And he's... okay with this?"

My mom turns to look at me, and there's a small spark of annoyance in her eyes. "Yes, Summer. He's okay with it." She turns back around and gets back to stirring. "And last time I checked, I didn't need his permission to cook a family meal at home."

Whoa. Okay. Nerve struck. I nod my head. "Yeah. You're right. I'm sorry."

She sighs and stops stirring again. Then she turns around to really look at me. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I just... I guess I just thought, you know... this is going to be one of your last Thanksgivings with us before you go off to college. And in a few weeks you're going to the U.K. I just wanted to make this a special holiday. You're my only baby. And I'm going to miss you."

There are tears in her eyes, and I feel my heart chip a little bit. My mom never really talked about it, but a couple years after she married Bert, I remember seeing pregnancy tests in the bathroom trashcan, always negative. I know they tried to have another kid for a long time, but whatever the reason, it just never worked out. A small smile curls my lips. "Mom, I'm not going to Mars. This isn't our last Thanksgiving. I'm going to come back."

She nods her head, but the tears in her eyes makes me wonder if she believes me. I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her, surprising her. We haven't really had any of these mother daughter moments since the night of the party. She returns my hug.

"I love you, sweetheart," she whispers into my hair, and I nod my head. I love her too. She drives me nuts, but I do love her. "But I know what's going to happen. You're going to go off to college, meet some nice young man, and he's going to be your family. And I want that for you, honey. I do. But I also want to cherish these small moments while I can. While I still have them to cherish. Family is important, and you and Bert are the only family I have."

And that's when it makes sense. It's always hurt her, having such a small family. Her parents died before I was able to actually form memories with them, and she was never able to have any more kids. She always wanted a larger family, which means she probably wants that for me too. "Is that why you pushed me to talk to my other grandparents?" I ask. "Because you want me to have more family?"

She sniffles. "I never should have pushed that on you. You were right, and I was wrong. But yes. I don't want you to have any regrets. Besides you, they are all that's left of your dad. I want to make sure you're able to form those connections if you want them. And maybe I was projecting a bit. Unfair, I know. But I want that for you, honey. I know you feel a type of way about your real dad, and you're not wrong. That hurt runs deep. But maybe spending time with them... I don't know. Maybe it'll be good for you. And that's all I want for you. Even if I have a funny way of showing it sometimes."

"You don't have a funny way of showing it," I say. "You show it just right. I'm just...." I want to say that I'm not much of a feely person. I don't like to be emotional. But I don't have to say this. She's my mother. She knows. "I love you, mom. I don't know if I'm going to see them while I'm there. I haven't decided yet. But I promise, I will think about it. Just... don't make any promises for me to them. Let me figure this one out on my own."

Her hold on me loosens, and I pull back just a bit. Then she runs her fingers through my messy hair and smiles. "I think I can do that." She turns her head back toward the stove and winces. "Now, I have to be honest, honey... I have no idea what I'm doing in this kitchen. Think you can pull up Google and help me out?"

I grin and shake my head exasperatedly as I pull up Google and start looking for Thanksgiving help. When my stepdad gets home with more ingredients, the three of us work together to make dinner together. And by the time we're done, we have a super dry turkey, somewhat burned yams, soggy stuffing, and some truly delicious mashed potatoes. And I have to admit, it's probably the best Thanksgiving I've ever had.

Once everything is served, my mom, stepdad, and I take a picture in front of our dinner table. One with all smiles, and one with some silly faces. And for the first time in a really, really long time, I feel normal. Funny how sometimes the most abnormal things can make things right again. We laugh while we eat, joking about how everything turned out. But we don't mention a thing about the Resort, and I have a feeling that this is going to be the new tradition. The three of us making dinner together. Enjoying our dry turkey as we spend time with the thing we're most grateful for: each other.

Author's Note:
Two chapters in one day?! Whaaaaaaaat?! I'm on a roll today, you guys! I hope you enjoyed this sweet little chapter. Next chapter coming relatively soon. Like I said before, some of these are already written. And I'm getting to that point where I can start posting some more prewritten chapters.

I'll be back very soon, although probably not before the new year. If I don't see you before then, I hope you all stay safe and have a wonderful New Year! I'm planning to write 1000 words a day next year, so I'll probably finish these stories soon. Can't wait to see what you all think!

Happy New Year!
XOXO,
~Aly