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Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Delaney's mom said. She escorted Shane and Fin into their living room. "I've heard an awful lot about both of you. And I'm so glad to finally meet you." She cast an eye at her daughter. "We're used to having a big Thanksgiving with tons of family and all the bells and whistles. I'm glad you could join us so that all of it didn't go to waste."

"Mom insisted we have all of the standards, including cranberry sauce, which neither of us eat." Delaney laughed.

"Traditions are important," her mom insisted. "Please, have a seat and Delaney will get you something to drink."

Delaney watched as Shane and Fin sat on opposite ends of the oversized microfiber sectional. There was a barely distinguishable aloofness between them, although they did their best to hide it. She grabbed the remote control and tossed it to Shane. "Make yourself at home." She smiled at them both. "Thanks for coming on your day off. I know that neither of you particularly wants to celebrate Thanksgiving two days in a row."

"It's great for me," Fin said. "My dad and I had pizza yesterday, so not exactly a traditional Thanksgiving feast."

Delaney already knew that Shane's family went all out for the special day since she'd spent the actual holiday with his family the day before.

"I'm honored to be included," Shane replied.

"Water, coffee, cider, wine?" Delaney asked.

"Coffee," Shane said.

"Surprise me," replied Fin.

She took a deep breath as she headed into the kitchen to join her mom. The succulent scents of Thanksgiving emanated from the kitchen throughout the cramped little condo they now called home. It was certainly a far stretch from having her aunts, uncles and three generations of cousins smashed into their spacious two-story colonial back on Spruce Street in Michigan, however she was thankful for her friends to soften the loss.

She poured a coffee for Shane and then retrieved the cream from the refrigerator. He liked his coffee with both cream and sugar. As she was replacing it she noticed the apple cider sangria that had been melding for days, in preparation. She'd began with a gallon of cider and added cinnamon sticks, brandy, white wine and finished it with chopped apples and a hint of orange peel. It was another tradition her family. She pulled it out and poured two generous glasses. She carried their beverages out first and then circled back to get her own. Her mom stopped her.

"They're both so very handsome," she said. "I don't know how you could choose."

"It's not a choice, mom." Delaney was exasperated and had lost the stamina to keep having this conversation. First with Genna, but mostly she'd been engaged in a battle in her own mind for the last couple of weeks. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't deny the feelings she had for Fin. But on the other hand there was Shane, who was perfect for her, and she had feelings for him too.

"Well dear, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but one day you will have to make that choice, unless one of them makes it for you. And trust me, you don't want that."

Delaney sighed, her response stuck in her throat. That was happening a lot lately. She had been hoping for a brief moment with Fin to process and discuss what had happened that night at the concert, but unfortunately she could never find the right time. And he hadn't brought it up either, further adding to the shame of what she'd done.

She headed out with her sangria, which was nearly gone already, and looked at the sectional with uneasiness. She knew she should sit closer to Shane; after all, they were dating. However, it would be rude to cozy up to one guest, leaving the other on his own. Awareness of their eyes on her during the awkward moment caused her to drop to the floor, sitting on the rug in the middle of the room. Shane looked at her with a bewildered expression while Fin, on the other hand, disguised his smirk by raising his cup to his lips.