her head. "Only if I get to pick first."
Nick rolled his eyes and laughed. "Women!" He took a step back and swept out his hand. "Okay, you go first."
Alexa grinned, looked toward Paula, and pointed. "I want Paula."
A few people gasped, but Nick didn't seem fazed. "I want Aunt Ophelia."
Alexa pointed again. "Steph."
"Mama."
And so it went until all the adults and kids who were old enough to play charades were on a team.
At first Alexa's choosing her confused Paula. She thought part of the plan would be to have her on Nick's team. However, shortly after they started playing, the reason became evident. Nick was competitive, but he backed down for Paula.
After Team Alexa won, she high-fived Paula and Steph. Nick didn't waste any time making his way over to enemy territory. "You've been practicing while I was away."
Steph laughed as she planted a fist on her hip and shook her head. "You're kidding, right? Do you think all we do around here is play charades, waiting for our cousin to come home?"
"Well, don't you?" Nick teased.
"Not I," Alexa said.
"Me neither." Steph pulled Paula to her side. "And neither does she. In fact, Paula is so busy we hardly have time to talk, let alone play games."
Everyone, including Nick, turned to see her reaction. Paula wished Steph and Alexa weren't so obvious, but they were who they were, and she loved them anyway.
"I think it's been established that we're all busy," Paula agreed.
Steph scowled at her then mouthed something Paula couldn't understand.
"I'm sure," Nick said. "At any rate, I'm ready to crash. This welcome-home party is exhausting."
Paula lifted her hand in a wave. "It has been a long day. Thanks for inviting me, Steph."
She hugged everyone, including Nick, who held her an extra second or two. Paula made her way into the kitchen, where all the aunts congregated. "Thank you so much for including me, Mrs. Papadopoulos. I had a wonderful time."
Steph's mother smiled at her and looked at Nick's mother, Ursa. They both turned toward her with grins. "No thanks necessary, Paula. You'll always be like family around here."
Paula thought she'd slip out the back without having to see anyone again, but she was mistaken. She'd barely gotten to the bottom step when Nick came around from the side of the house. "I'll walk you to your car."
3
A fter being around the noisy, rambunctious Papadopoulos family, her house seemed eerily quiet and still. Her ears still rang from the sounds of adult chatter and children's shrieking laughter.
Paula's tiny house had been a fixer- upper when she first bought it. It took a couple of years of painting, repairing, and shopping thrift stores to get it the way she wanted. Last summer Steph and Alexa helped her lay sod in the yard. As she parked her car in the driveway, she looked around at the place she called home. A little mulch and some flowers would make it her dream cottage.
With a sigh, she got out of her car, walked up the sidewalk to the tiny front porch, and let herself into the house. After turning on a few lights and tossing her handbag on the floor of her bedroom, she walked through her dining room on the way to the kitchen.
She stopped in front of the sideboard her grandmother had left her. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a photo album she had stuck away after she came home from college and learned that Nick had joined the Air Force.
As Paula turned each page, she saw the steady progression of their relationship, from her shy smile in the beginning to her comfortable posture with his arm draped over her shoulder while they posed for pictures on one of his uncles' boats. The Papadopoulos family accepted her as Steph's friend first and Nick's girlfriend later. They went out of their way to make her feel like one of them—and that hadn't changed.
Her mother was in some of the snapshots. Paula stared at one of the pictures with just her and her mother. She thought about her own family and how confused she'd been by her parents'
Nick rolled his eyes and laughed. "Women!" He took a step back and swept out his hand. "Okay, you go first."
Alexa grinned, looked toward Paula, and pointed. "I want Paula."
A few people gasped, but Nick didn't seem fazed. "I want Aunt Ophelia."
Alexa pointed again. "Steph."
"Mama."
And so it went until all the adults and kids who were old enough to play charades were on a team.
At first Alexa's choosing her confused Paula. She thought part of the plan would be to have her on Nick's team. However, shortly after they started playing, the reason became evident. Nick was competitive, but he backed down for Paula.
After Team Alexa won, she high-fived Paula and Steph. Nick didn't waste any time making his way over to enemy territory. "You've been practicing while I was away."
Steph laughed as she planted a fist on her hip and shook her head. "You're kidding, right? Do you think all we do around here is play charades, waiting for our cousin to come home?"
"Well, don't you?" Nick teased.
"Not I," Alexa said.
"Me neither." Steph pulled Paula to her side. "And neither does she. In fact, Paula is so busy we hardly have time to talk, let alone play games."
Everyone, including Nick, turned to see her reaction. Paula wished Steph and Alexa weren't so obvious, but they were who they were, and she loved them anyway.
"I think it's been established that we're all busy," Paula agreed.
Steph scowled at her then mouthed something Paula couldn't understand.
"I'm sure," Nick said. "At any rate, I'm ready to crash. This welcome-home party is exhausting."
Paula lifted her hand in a wave. "It has been a long day. Thanks for inviting me, Steph."
She hugged everyone, including Nick, who held her an extra second or two. Paula made her way into the kitchen, where all the aunts congregated. "Thank you so much for including me, Mrs. Papadopoulos. I had a wonderful time."
Steph's mother smiled at her and looked at Nick's mother, Ursa. They both turned toward her with grins. "No thanks necessary, Paula. You'll always be like family around here."
Paula thought she'd slip out the back without having to see anyone again, but she was mistaken. She'd barely gotten to the bottom step when Nick came around from the side of the house. "I'll walk you to your car."
3
A fter being around the noisy, rambunctious Papadopoulos family, her house seemed eerily quiet and still. Her ears still rang from the sounds of adult chatter and children's shrieking laughter.
Paula's tiny house had been a fixer- upper when she first bought it. It took a couple of years of painting, repairing, and shopping thrift stores to get it the way she wanted. Last summer Steph and Alexa helped her lay sod in the yard. As she parked her car in the driveway, she looked around at the place she called home. A little mulch and some flowers would make it her dream cottage.
With a sigh, she got out of her car, walked up the sidewalk to the tiny front porch, and let herself into the house. After turning on a few lights and tossing her handbag on the floor of her bedroom, she walked through her dining room on the way to the kitchen.
She stopped in front of the sideboard her grandmother had left her. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a photo album she had stuck away after she came home from college and learned that Nick had joined the Air Force.
As Paula turned each page, she saw the steady progression of their relationship, from her shy smile in the beginning to her comfortable posture with his arm draped over her shoulder while they posed for pictures on one of his uncles' boats. The Papadopoulos family accepted her as Steph's friend first and Nick's girlfriend later. They went out of their way to make her feel like one of them—and that hadn't changed.
Her mother was in some of the snapshots. Paula stared at one of the pictures with just her and her mother. She thought about her own family and how confused she'd been by her parents'
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