The oven timer dinged, and Hallie grabbed two oven mitts from the counter. Opening the door, she slid out a casserole dish, and the entire space filled with the scent of heaven.
Drew was off his stool in a flash, coming to peek over Hallie’s shoulder. “Dang, bruh. That’s fire.”
Hallie sent me a puzzled look.
I chuckled. “That means he likes it.”
“I need to brush up on my teen language,” she mumbled.
“You’ll get there in no time around here,” I assured her.
I clapped Drew on the shoulder. “Will you go get your brother for dinner?”
He made a face. “Do I have to? He’s been in a piss-poor mood ever since you took his phone.”
I fought a groan but nodded. “You can yell it from outside his door, then run.”
“If I get decked with a textbook, I hope you feel really guilty.”
My lips twitched. “Fair enough.”
Charlie slid off his stool as Drew headed out of the kitchen. “What about our dressing?”
Hallie grinned down at him. “I think it needs one more stir, and then it’s ready to go.”
She grabbed the bowl and a whisk from the island and held it out for Charlie. He took the whisk and gave it a few stirs. “Is that enough?”
“I think it’s perfect.” Hallie turned and poured a healthy amount over the massive salad.
“I’ll get the drinks. What would you like?” I asked.
She glanced up as she tossed the salad. “I made some iced tea earlier. I’ll take a glass of that.”
“It’s really yummy, Dad,” Charlie added. “I helped.”
“Then I think I’ll have some of that, too.” I grabbed the pitcher and poured five glasses, putting them on the already-set table. There were even placemats and cloth napkins I hadn’t realized I had.
I glanced back at Hallie. “How did you do all of this?”
She looked confused.
“You cleaned, went grocery shopping, cooked,” I explained.
“I didn’t get all the laundry done, but I should have that finished tomorrow,” she said.
I just shook my head. “Thank you. You’re kind of a miracle worker.”
“And Emmaline loves her,” Charlie added as if that were the most important thing in the world.
I grinned at Hallie. “Well, that seals it. You’re stuck with us now.”
A smile lit her face, morphing her beauty from something that stopped you in your tracks to something you’d never forget. It was the kind of beauty that could change a man if he let it.
“I think I like being stuck with the Hartley fam.”
Charlie grabbed Hallie’s hands and started dancing around the kitchen with her. He was singing some made-up song about Hartleys and Emmaline and Hallie. She laughed as he spun her in circles. It was the kind of life this house had been missing for far too long.
Drew came back and stared at the scene and then at me. “Bruh, I wanna smash that mac and cheese while it’s hot.”
