Golden Threads

Chapter 12: Dinner With Max

She was awoken about a half hour later as her mother and Sammy bounded into the house. Loud exclamatory noises echoed up the stairs.

She made her way down - Michael's door still closed - and rounded the corner, and took in the state of her mother.

"Omigoodness!! What happened!?"

"That dog attacked mom Mals!"

"What!?"

"It's fine I probably spooked him, I should've called ahead and let Max know we were coming." Lucy raised her arms and tried to settle the kids.

"Max's dog did this to you!? Mama your skirt is ruined." She gently turns her mother to get a better look at the damage.

At least it seemed like only the skirt was ripped.

"It's fine it's fine! I'll apologize to Max another way." Her mother breathed out a shaky breath.

"Are you okay mom?" Mallory held her hands.

"Yes sweet girl, I'm fine." She reached up and gently patted Mallory's cheek. Then her eyes spark. "Oh I know! I'll cook dinner tonight. Let me call, if I miss him I can at least leave a voicemail."

Mallory and Sam exchange a look as Lucy left the room to call Max before Sam looks behind her and his brows furrow. She looks at him confused before she turns around, and only sees her reflection staring back at her.

She looks back as Sam. "What?"

"No, it's nothing... actually it is something but I'm gonna take care of it. Don't worry Mals. The forces of evil won't take our home!" He vows.

Mallory just stares at her brother confused. "Sam... what are you talking about?"

"I'm headed to town!" He announces to the house in lieu of answering. Leaving Mallory confused and shaking her head.

"Okay be safe sweety! Oh! Mallory, sweetheart, can you help me cook dinner?" Lucy gives her a smile Mallory couldn't refuse.

Mallory sighs with a smile and grabs an apron. "Sure mom, what do you have in mind?"

"Well! I was thinking Italian with-" Lucy goes into everything she planned on making, the ingredients she needed, how she wanted the table to be set up.

And Mallory got to work gathering ingredients, and tableware as Lucy gather pots and began to boil water.

———

They cooked for hours, laughing and joking with the ease that only a mother and daughter could have, when they heard rustling from upstairs.

Lucy was defending the food from a hungry papa, joking with him about there being company and how there hasn't been company since the passing of grandma 8 years ago.

Mallory looked and saw Michael walking down the stairs headed for the door. Their mother spotting him in the same moment.

"Michael! Max is coming to dinner, I'd like you to meet him!"

"We made "Italian", it's gonna be great!" Mallory called proudly as she stirred some pasta sauce to keep it from burning on the bottom of the pan.

"I can't I have plans." Michael grumbled as he quickly made his way towards the exit.

Mallory sighed even as Lucy voiced her displeasure and promised that this was gonna change when school started back up.

Mallory's knowing began to whisper to her in that moment.

'Two threads of green with a thread of blue,
A golden thread in the midst,
Chaos at the table,
A mother on her last nerve,
A noose around the neck.'