Chapter 3: An Invitation
After the ice cream sundaes were gone and their sides hurt from laughing so hard (and eating too much ice cream). Eric turned and faced Calleigh, looking her in the eyes. "Calleigh I was wondering…" he said nervously "I mean if you aren't busy…and you don't already have plans. I mean I understand that its short notice..." He looked down nervously, "What is it Eric" Calleigh asked, almost laughing, "Would you like to join me for Thanksgiving this year?" He asked nervously. "Yeah. I'd like that." She replied, looking him in the eyes. "Usually I go to my parents in Louisiana. But they decided to take a vacation to California and my brother and his family are going to visit his wife's family in Boston this year, so I was planning on staying in."
"Great!" Eric said excitedly. "Every year my family goes all out for Thanksgiving. It's the one time except for Christmas that we're all together as a family. All my sisters and their families came home. My mom is an unbelievable cook. She studied Culinary Arts in College. She had planned on opening her own restaurant, but when I was born, her plans changed. The need of her son took priority over her dreams." Calleigh looked at him surprised. "Your family?" She asked. "Yeah." He said with a bit of a chuckle. "Where did you think I was spending Thanksgiving?" "I…I don't know, I thought you maybe meant just you and me, and maybe Ryan and Natalia." Calleigh said nervously. Eric was bringing her to meet his family. She knew all about them, but in all the years she had known Eric she had never met his family, except for his sister, Marisol. "You ok Cal? You're not nervous are you?" He asked resting a hand on her knee. She looked him in the eyes. "Calleigh Duquesne. Nervous about meeting new people? Well, that's a first. Listen everything is going to be fine. If they are anything like me at all then they're gonna love you." He leaned over and wrapped her up in a big hug. "Well, It's getting late I should head home." Eric said with a smile. Calleigh walked him to the door and closed it behind him as he walked down the hall to the elevator. Calleigh rested her head on the door and exhaled heavily thinking of the days to come. She smiled as she remembered what Eric had said moments earlier: "If they are anything like me at all then they're gonna love you."