A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese!


Chapter Six

Haley was just coming back from her evening walk with Jewel when she heard her cell-phone ringing. She walked over to the phone and picked it up. She was happy when she discovered that Quinn was on the other end. "Hey, I assume that you made it to New York ok?" Haley asked her as she noticed the time. Quinn's plane had landed a half-hour ago.

Quinn laughed. "Yeah, we just got back to David's apartment. You know, I like flying. But I still think it would have been fun if I had driven up with my baby sister." Haley knew what she was getting at. "It's not too late, you know. You still could drive up with Jewel. I know David would welcome her with open arms."

Haley was grateful for the invitation, but she was going to turn it down. "Thanks, but I think that I'll be fine. If Jewel misbehaves, then I'll have to take her home. I don't think that there will be any problems though."

"Do you have to bring anything?" Quinn asked her.

"Yeah, Nathan asked me to get the pies," Haley replied. "So I bought two apple pies and two pumpkin pies. I hope those are enough for six people. I'm so used to our big family dinners that it's going to be weird eating with a smaller group."

"I thought that you would be used to it by now," Quinn replied. "After all, you were always joining Julian and his parents while you were in California. What's the difference with Nathan and his family? Sure, you're meeting Nathan's dad and Rachel's mom. But you know the other three people."

Haley stopped her right there. "Ok, I may have spent the holidays with Julian and his parents. But that didn't mean that I enjoyed being there. I probably would have if both of Julian's parents liked me. But it was only Paul. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with Nathan's family than Paul and Sylvia."

"Are you more nervous in meeting Nathan's dad or Rachel's mom tomorrow?"

Haley let out a sigh. "It's definitely Rachel's mother. From what Lucas told me, she is going to be just as rude to me as Rachel was," she replied. "But Nathan assured me that she will not judge me before she gets to know me."

"I'm glad that he and Lucas are looking out for you," Quinn replied. "Because Mom and Dad were worried about you."

Haley frowned. "Why? Because I moved into a town where I don't know anybody? Mom and Dad really need to stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself. I did it at Stanford. So I can certainly do it in Tree Hill. Besides, I have a lot more friends here than I did in California. Besides the Scotts, I have Jake and Peyton. Mrs. Davis seems nice too."

"Is she your boss?" Quinn asked, trying to remember.

"Yes, she is my boss," Haley replied. "But that doesn't mean she is cruel to her employees. I just wish that I knew what is bothering her daughter, Brooke. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think that there is something going with her. I just wish that she could trust me."

"Please don't tell me that you are going to investigate," Quinn pleaded. "I'm sure that Brooke will tell you when she's ready."

"I'm not an idiot, Quinn. I'll only interfere if I have to," Haley replied as she heard a knock at the front door. "I got to go. There's someone at the door." They then exchanged good-byes before she hung up the phone. She then hurried to the door and gave Nathan a smile. "Hey, I would have thought that you would still be at practice."

Nathan gave her a smile as he spoke. "Actually, I canceled practice. I knew that my players wouldn't be able to concentrate with Thanksgiving tomorrow evening. I just stopped by the store for some things and picked you up a gallon of your favorite ice cream: Mint Chocolate Chip."

Haley returned the smile. "How thoughtful of you," she replied. "Thank you. I actually have a surprise for you too." She let him in and he followed her to the kitchen. She went to the freezer and opened it. Nathan laughed as he saw the ice cream in the freezer. "I was going to bring them over once it was time for dessert. I bought Rocky Road ice cream and vanilla ice cream. Do you want to join me in eating some ice cream now?"

Nathan didn't even have to think before he accepted the invitation. As Haley waited on him, he looked around at the house. "You know, I think this is the first time I've actually been in your house or even invited over for dessert."

"Well, I wanted to make sure that I had unpacked everything before inviting anybody over. I haven't even had my parents or Quinn over since I've moved here," Haley replied. "Besides, I knew that you were busy with basketball season. What do you do when the season is over? Or do you think about basketball all of the time?"

Nathan gave her a look. "I don't think about basketball all of the time." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "Actually, I'm hoping that Rachel and I will get to start our family soon."

Haley didn't know how to respond to that. "I'm sure you will," she replied as she gave him his bowl of ice cream. "These things just take time." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "Are you sure that Rachel wants kids?"

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

Haley shook her head. "No reason," she replied and didn't say another word about it.

The next afternoon, Haley took Jewel for a quick walk before heading over to the Scotts. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Nathan. "Come on in and make yourself at home," he told her as an older gentleman came into the foyer. "Haley, this is my dad, Dan Scott. Dad, this is Haley James. She is my new next door neighbor and coworker."

Dan gave her a warm smile as he took the pies from her. "It's so nice to meet you, Haley. Nathan told me all about you. I hope my son has been making you feel welcomed in Tree Hill."

Haley smiled in return as she handed the ice cream to Nathan. "You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Scott. Your son has been the perfect host."

"Please call me 'Dan'," Dan replied before he noticed Jewel. "And this must be your dog, Jewel."

Haley nodded. "Yes, it is," she replied as Jewel went towards him, wagging her tail. She wasn't surprised since Jewel had liked Nathan and Lucas. She was more concerned about Rachel's mother than him. However, she decided not to worry about it until she arrived.

Dan greeted her before Nathan led his guests into the kitchen, where Rachel was hard at work. Rachel turned around for a quick moment and greeted them. "Do you need any help?" Haley asked her, noticing how frazzled she looked.

Rachel was about to answer when her husband gave her a look, telling her to be nice. "Yeah, that would be great," she replied. "I'm not much of a cook. But according to Nathan, I manage to do ok."

Nathan gave her a smile. "You do. Don't sell yourself short," he replied as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I just hope that I'm making enough for six people," Rachel said.

Dan frowned as he asked, "Don't you mean eight people?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, Lucas didn't invite Lindsey," he replied. "Why would you think it would be eight?"

"Because I invited my new girlfriend and her daughter to our Thanksgiving dinner," Dan told him. He then frowned again as he added, "I thought I called you and asked you if they could come."

"When did you get a new girlfriend?" Nathan asked him. "From what I remember, you were still dating Emily Chambers."

"We broke up months ago," Dan replied. "I've moved on to Victoria Davis."

All three were surprised. "Victoria Davis? As my boss, Victoria Davis?" Nathan asked him in a shocked tone.

Dan nodded. "Yes, and this is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew that you would overreact."

Before Nathan could respond, Rachel spoke up. "I think that the point you're trying to make is that you invited a few more guests, right?" she asked Dan. He nodded. "Then we'll make it work." Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had never expected that answer from his wife. The holiday must have gotten to her. "Just make sure that you call Nathan next time. You know how much I hate surprises."

"Why? Surprises are so much fun," Haley replied.

"This is why. Because the surprises that I get are never fun," Rachel told her before she turned back to her work. Haley then knew that the conversation was over. Rachel then instructed her about what she could do next.

As she and Rachel worked, they heard the doorbell ringing. "Do you want me to get that?" Haley asked her. Dan and Nathan had left to join Lucas at the River Court. Rachel nodded so Haley walked through the house and to the front door. She opened the door and gave a warm smile to Victoria and Brooke. "Happy Thanksgiving. Come on in."

Victoria returned the smile. "Happy Thanksgiving, Haley. I didn't realize that you were going to join the Scott family too."

"Well, Nathan invited me a couple of days ago," Haley replied as Jewel came into the front hall. Jewel immediately starting growling once she saw Victoria. "I must apologize. She doesn't like strangers."

"It's perfectly alright. I understand," Victoria said as Haley tried to calm her down. Brooke let Jewel smell her just before Jewel's tail started wagging. Haley smiled at the cute scene. However, Victoria just ignored her daughter. "So why don't you lead me to the kitchen?" she asked Haley. "This jello salad is getting heavy."

Haley quickly apologized and led her to the kitchen. Rachel and Victoria started chatting while Haley went back to Brooke and Jewel. "I wish that I had a dog," Brooke said as she and Haley walked into the living room. Jewel was right behind them. "That way, I could have a guard dog to protect me."

"Well, I think Jewel is a little too overprotective of me sometimes," Haley admitted. "But she has really warmed up to you. The only other people I've seen her do that so quickly is Nathan and Lucas." She then corrected herself. "Or should I say 'Coach Scott'?"

Brooke managed a smile. "Coach Scott is usually for the basketball players and cheerleaders. I call him 'Mr. Scott'."

"You don't cheer?" Haley asked her. "You look like a girl who could be a great cheerleader."

Brooke turned red. "No, I've always been a little too scared to do it. Besides, I've heard that the head cheerleader is such a bitch." She then became quiet. "I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to swear."

Haley gave her a smile. "It's ok. I won't tell anybody," she whispered.

Brooke smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ms. James. I really appreciate it."

Haley was about to ask her more questions when they heard Victoria's voice. "Haley, Rachel needs your help," she told her. Haley nodded and got off the couch. As she left the room, she could see the tension between mother and daughter. For a moment, she wondered why. However, she couldn't think on it for long since Rachel was waiting for her.

A few hours later, the Scott men returned from their game. By then, dinner was nearly ready. The only person who was absent was Rachel's mother. She was running late, but she promised that she would be there as soon as she could. Rachel was disappointed, but she understood.

Lucas rolled his eyes after he had heard about the conversation. "Why am I not surprised that she's running late?" he asked as he turned to his guests. "The only time that her mother wasn't late was for her daughter's wedding."

To Haley's surprise, Nathan didn't even scold him. She then realized that he was too preoccupied in paying attention to Dan and Victoria, who were in their own little world. She could see that he was really annoyed by it. As for Brooke, she was just quiet.

"Nathan, why don't you carve the turkey?" Rachel asked her husband, ignoring Lucas's rude comment. Nathan snapped out of his daydream and started carving the bird. Rachel then began pouring wine into the glasses except for Lucas and Brooke.

"Could I have some wine?" Lucas asked his brother. Nathan thought for a moment before nodding his head.

"Is Brooke allowed to have wine?" Rachel asked Victoria.

"Absolutely not," Victoria quickly replied. "She's too young to drink."

Rachel then knew the conversation was over and didn't say another word about it. Instead, they started going around the table saying what they were thankful for. Just when Haley was about to take her turn, they heard the front door open.

Rachel instantly got up from her chair and left the room. Haley started to get nervous, but Nathan gave her a comforting smile as Rachel walked back into the room with her mother. "Everyone, this is my mother, Charlene." She then did introductions for Victoria and Brooke first. She then came to Haley.

However, Nathan spoke up first. "Charlene, this is Haley James, our new neighbor and my coworker."

"Welcome to Tree Hill, Ms. James," Charlene said as she gave Haley an appraising once over. "I hope you are enjoying our little town."

Haley nodded. "I am," she replied. "In fact, I was just going to take my turn in saying what I'm thankful for."

"Well, don't let me stop you," Charlene said as she found her place next to her daughter. "Please say it. I would love to hear it."

Haley was startled by the tone that she used. However, she didn't let that bother her as she started her short speech. "I'm grateful that I'm able to start my life over in this quiet town of Tree Hill with my new friends and neighbors." Nathan couldn't help but smile at that. "I can't thank you enough for letting me into your lives."

"You don't have to thank us," Victoria replied. "We're happy that you're here."

The others nodded in agreement except for Rachel and Charlene. Once they started eating, Charlene immediately began grilling Haley about her life. Both Lucas and Nathan had to come to Haley's rescue a few times; especially after Charlene started pushing Haley to tell her more about her relationship with Julian.

Finally, Haley couldn't take it anymore. She angrily glared at Charlene. "Why don't you mind your own damn business and stopping butting into mine?" she exclaimed angrily. "Or do you really have something else better to do than listen to the lies your daughter told you about me?" she snapped. There was silence as she left the dining room. Nathan glared at Rachel before following Haley out the door.

"Haley, please don't go," Nathan pleaded.

Haley didn't want to listen. "This was a mistake. I never should have accepted your invitation. Especially once I knew that it would be Rachel and her mother ganging up on me. They hate me because Rachel thinks that I'm competition for you."

"That's ridiculous," Nathan replied.

Haley gave him a look. "Why else would her mother interrogate me like I was some type of criminal? Your dad didn't do that." Nathan hated to admit it, but she had a point. "Next time that you want to invite me over, make sure your wife and mother-in-law aren't home," she told him before heading back to her house. Nathan sadly watched her go before returning to his own house, furious at his wife for ruining Thanksgiving dinner.