"Pies are in the oven." Thomas had hoped for a little recognition from Sophie with all his efforts, but she left the kitchen without so much as a nod.

The metal pan was heavier than he expected and he had to use an elbow to open the door. In the dining room, most of the occupants now formed a long line that reminded him of a trip to Disney World as a kid. He found his spot in the production line and slotted the pan full of green beans into the empty holder. Beside him, Sophie carved the first turkey.

To say nobody looked excited as he attempted to scoop a helping of the legumes on to their plate was an understatement. The only reason he had any success was due to his prime location beside Sophie. Or from the dinner guests' perspective, the turkey. Although she carved the roast beast like a pro—which he guessed she was — there was still a slight delay and patrons squished together before him.

"C'mon now Garrett. We talked about this. No dessert if you don't eat your vegetables." The fork paused in Sophie's hand, her face as serious as a traffic officer with a quota to fill. One of the teens had retracted their plate the first time Thomas swayed the spoon in his direction.

Garret's face squished up like he'd licked a lemon rind. "Don't like green beans."

"But Sophie made these." Thomas scooped out half a spoonful and waved it in the air. "So you know they taste delicious."

"Well, you did make those beets the other day edible."

"Go on, just try a few." Thomas slid the vegetables onto his plate. "Make Sophie proud."

The kid rolled his eye in exaggeration, but Thomas caught the curve of his mouth. Seemed Sophie had the interests of more than him tonight. But he couldn't blame the guy. She was something special.

At least the expression of disgust on Sophie's face had turned to... shock, maybe? Thomas wasn't sure, but he was certain the way her mouth was forming a little o caused blood to rush in the wrong direction in his body. He needed to keep his wits about him to find a way to sway Sophie.

He desired to impress Sophie more than his fifth-grade piano teacher, driving test instructor, and the admissions dean combined. Because he needed a reason to have hope that when he asked her out later tonight, she'd say yes.

Unable to resist, he leaned in and whispered, "We make a pretty good team."

The flush of red that seeped across her skin sent sparks of delight down his spine. This had happened in the kitchen too, but he had put it down to the sweltering conditions and her generally overheating. But out here, in the open dining room, a sense of satisfaction settled in. Perhaps he was having an effect on her.

She sawed furiously at the turkey breast. "Will my green beans go in your memoir?"

Yes. An effect indeed. His back straightened, but he reprimanded himself not to get cocky here. He wanted smiles from her, not glares. "If you teach me the secret recipe one day."

The side eye she gave him nearly bowled him over and a chuckle caught in his throat. "I'll text you the brand name of the can I opened."

"Oh, so you want my number?" He smiled and slid more beans off his spoon. "Good."

"I never said that." A slab of turkey slapped onto a plate, and the teenager grinned at the extra thick slice.

Thomas brushed his elbow against her arm. "All you had to do was ask."

"Coming through." Brodie pushed his way between them, a fresh turkey in hand. Sophie removed the carcass and headed for the kitchen. Brodie picked up the carving utensils and dug into the bird. "Are you studying political sciences too? I haven't seen you in any of my classes."

Thomas stifled a moan. Both at Sophie's retreat and the sinking feeling Brodie might be stalking him. When Sophie returned, Thomas flashed her a smile, but she ignored him, scooting down to the end of the line, taking over salad serving duties from another volunteer.

"Maybe we can study together sometime. I have Professor Saunders' class on Mondays and Thursdays." Brodie ignored the woman standing in front of him, patiently waiting for her portion of the turkey.

"Sorry, not in that class." Thomas turned to the girl, eying his spoon like it contained snakes. "Green beans."

***

The room bubbled with conversation, and it didn't take long to fill plates and satisfy customers. The line petered out and Thomas searched for Sophie to ask her to sit with him during dinner, when he noticed Matt hovering at the end of the serving table. "Can we finish the game?"

"You've earned a break." Sophie patted Thomas on the shoulder. "Take some food with you."

Disappointment spread across his chest. Gone was a chance to talk to her. He watched as she took the last empty seat at a table beside Garret. Maybe he'd pushed too much with the texting joke. He'd attempt to be less eager if he got the chance to sit with her for dessert. Making sure both he and Matt had food, Thomas took his seat in front of the chess set. He checked the time. Fifteen minutes left on his timer until the pies were ready. He put his phone face down on the table and stood. "I'll be right back. Just want to wash my hands."

When he returned, Thomas inhaled bites of his Thanksgiving meal between running strategies and removing pieces from the chessboard.

"Why'd you do that?" Matt kicked at the table leg, and one of the discarded pawns rolled off the side. "My queen wasn't bothering you. You should have taken the rook."

Thomas bit the inside of his cheek to halt his lips from twisting into a smile. He had a hunch Matt was protecting his queen. The most powerful piece on the board to some, Thomas had had to learn to win without it after losing hundreds of games to his father.

"Can't always focus on the big things in life." His finger tipped the tiniest of the chess pieces, swiveling the pale plastic pawn back and forth. "Sometimes it's the small details that mean the most."

Unable to control himself, he sought out Sophie. That strand of her hair had come undone again and fell across an animated face as he watched her talk to another volunteer. "They lead to the big moments."

Matt huffed. "Whatever."

Thomas moved the pawn diagonally. Matt swiftly snapped up Thomas's remaining white knight and grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. "Easy as pie."

Pies. The smile on Thomas's face wavered. He'd forgotten about the pies. Acid frothed in his stomach. Out of his seat, he bolted into the kitchen, trailed by Matt's complaining, "Are we ever going to finish this game?"

The pungent stench of burnt crust accosted him before he saw the gray tendrils curling from the stove. Despite the sight, he naively hoped the pies were okay. Dishtowel in hand, he flung open the oven door and plumes of smoke billowed out, sending him into a coughing fit.

He reached into the smoldering mess and pulled out the first tray and dropped it on the counter. The smoke cleared, revealing a row of black-crusted disasters.

"What have you done?"

Hi D L here. Anyone else getting hungry reading this story. In my family, pumpkin pie is a dividing line. I love it, others can't stand it.

Comment with your opinion on pumpkin pie

L for love it

H for hate it

R for really couldn't care

N for no opinion

No judgement, I promise.

If you have any feedback on the story, either what you like or don't like, I'd really appreciate it. Writing a day in the life and trying to create emotions is a challenge!