The air was crisp, and a light breeze stirred, rustling the scattered leaves on the ground, adding a gentle soundtrack to the autumn night.
On Thanksgiving, a time for family gatherings and gratitude, Elise joined parents as guests at the Braden's home.
As soon as Elise saw Ruth, she ran over, beaming, and they hugged for what felt like minutes. Then she spotted the man she'd blocked.
"Hey there." Braden waved, flashing her a mischievous grin.
Of course, Elise knew exactly what he was thinking—something like, "Didn't you block me? So why are you at my family's barbecue?"
Undoubtedly, he had some teasing thoughts along those lines.
She turned her head away with shameless defiance. It wasn't him who invited her, so why should she care what he thought?
Unfazed, Braden greeted her a second time, deliberately moving closer. "Pretending you don't know me?"
"Obviously, I don't know you! I blocked you, didn't I? So I definitely don't know you!" Elise rolled her eyes, pointing a finger at him. "I'm not talking to you!"
She'd actually wanted to yell at him, to give him a piece of her mind, but with both sets of parents around, she held back.
She thought back to a few days earlier when he'd taken her and Ruth to a scenic mountain restaurant for a late-night snack. He had tricked her into thinking the phrase meant seeing something so breathtaking it left a person in awe. How had she fallen for the idea that he'd actually compliment her?
Worse, she'd excitedly shared the story with her friend Paige, who barely contained her laughter as she explained that the term meant the exact opposite.
To think, she'd actually wanted to console him about his breakup. Meanwhile, he didn't seem the least bit affected and was instead making her the punchline of his jokes.
Had she really been serving as his comic relief to get him over his heartbreak?
What a joke!
"Still giving me the silent treatment?" Braden put on a mock-sad face, holding up a pink box. "Strawberry cake… guess that means more for me."
"Strawberry cake?" Elise's eyes lit up as she strode over, grabbing his arm. "You can go, but leave the cake."
"I leave, but this stays?" Braden looked at her, stunned. "You tell me to leave but want to keep the cake I bought?"
"I never said 'get lost.' I just meant you wanted to leave! You totally tricked me, saying 'terrified' is what people feel when they see something beautiful, but obviously, it's for something scary or shocking. You were just finding a sneaky way to call me a ghost!" Elise huffed, clutching tightly onto the pink box.
Strawberry cake. Her favorite strawberry cake. How could she let it slip away?
"You must be mistaken," Braden soothed her gently. "You're so beautiful, so cute, and sweet and thoughtful. How could I possibly say anything bad about you? You must've misunderstood."
Elise swallowed, goosebumps rising on her arms as she looked at him with a mixture of fear and disbelief.
Oh no. His words were so sickly sweet she felt nauseated. She might actually lose her dinner.
Was this really necessary? It was Thanksgiving, and the last thing she wanted was to make a mess of herself.
"Braden, come here for a moment," his mother called, waving him over.
Braden nodded, glanced at Elise, then grabbed her wrist and handed her the pink box she'd been eyeing all evening.
"Such a grouch," Braden teased before leaving, implying that her bad attitude had earned her the strawberry cake.
Elise considered stomping on his foot, but for the sake of the strawberry cake, she decided to let him off this time.
When Braden reached his mother's side, he still had no idea what she was up to. She handed him half a pumpkin pie slice and told him to share it with Elise.
"She already has strawberry cake. I doubt she'll want pumpkin pie too," Braden said, looking down at the halved pumpkin pie in his hand, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Just go. If she doesn't eat it, you're sleeping outside tonight." His mother practically ordered him out.
Braden froze, his face almost falling. Wasn't this his house?
Whether he could sleep inside actually depended on Elise's mood?
"Why are you just standing there? Go!" His mother put her hands on her hips, her eyes practically shooting flames.
Braden had been about to say something, but under his mother's, well, affectionate threat, he had no choice but to do as told.
So, he locked onto his target and headed back to Elise.
This time, he didn't dare act cocky. Dignity? That didn't seem all that important right now.
Could dignity put food on the table? No… so why make things harder on himself?
Elise sat on a navy camping chair, fork in hand, savoring the sweet and tangy strawberry cake, blissfully unaware that Braden was heading her way.
Her mood was fantastic. She didn't have to see him, but she got to eat strawberry cake—this was one of life's pure joys.
But her happiness didn't last long. It vanished in an instant.
"My lovely lady, time for some pumpkin pie." Braden knelt down, his voice warm, a gentle smile on his face, offering her half a pumpkin pie with a fork.
Elise glared at him with barely concealed disgust. "I don't want any."
"You won't eat it?" Braden snatched her strawberry cake, threatening her with a wicked grin. "If you don't eat this, no more strawberry cake for you."
"Why? That's supposed to be mine! Why can't I eat it?" Elise puffed up her cheeks, grabbing the cake back. "I'm going to eat every single bite!"
With that, she shamelessly opened her mouth and devoured the remaining strawberry cake right in front of him.
It was the kind of portion that should've taken at least two or three bites, but she managed it in one go. Braden was dumbfounded, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"How about this: you eat half of a pumpkin pie, and I'll buy you a month's worth of strawberry cake," Braden said, practically begging, hoping to get her in a better mood.
"No way. Who told you to keep picking on me?" Elise huffed, turning her head away, looking around for several seconds—anywhere but at him.
"A year…" Braden shook his head, laying down his final offer. "No, a lifetime. As long as you ask, I'll get your strawberry cake—even if I'm working late."
Hearing that she'd have free strawberry cake for life, Elise couldn't stop smiling. She'd already forgotten why she was mad in the first place.
Right, it wasn't that big of a deal. What was there to be angry about? She wasn't some unreasonable woman.
"I wasn't even mad. You wanted me to eat the pumpkin pie, right?" Elise obediently took a big bite of the pumpkin pie, her cheeks puffed out, smiling brightly at him.
Braden was shocked again. The pumpkin pie should've taken at least two bites, but she'd downed it in one.
He couldn't help but wonder who would marry her one day. He felt like he should offer a moment of silence for the poor guy—what a terrifying woman.
Mission accomplished, Braden returned to Mrs. Howe and reported that he had successfully completed the task. Now he wouldn't have to sleep outside, right?
Hearing that the task was a success, Mrs. Howe finally broke into a joyful smile.
Mrs. Howe glanced at the empty pumpkin pie box. "You ate the other half of the pumpkin pie, didn't you?"
Braden kept it brief. "Yeah."
Mrs. Howe was practically one step away from tossing flower petals in celebration.
"Half a pumpkin pie makes you this happy?" Braden was puzzled; he didn't get what was so exciting about it.
"Before I gave you that pumpkin pie, I prayed for you and Elise to have a good outcome," Mrs. Howe added, "And sharing half each means your bond won't break. Haven't you heard that? You really are as clueless as they say."
Suddenly, Braden felt a wave of darkness sweep over him, his world clouded in gray.
Not far away, Ruth noticed Braden didn't look so well, so she ran over to check on him.
"Mrs. Howe, what's wrong with my cousin again?" Ruth waved her hand in front of his face.
Mrs. Howe, seeing the scene, smiled in satisfaction. "He's just shy, don't mind him. Let's go barbecue."
Ruth was full of questions, but the moment she heard "barbecue," her curiosity vanished.
As a true foodie, nothing could be more important than eating!
Braden remained in his own world, unable to snap out of it, replaying Mrs. Howe's words over and over in his head.
Praying for him to have a happy ending with Elise...?
Wait, so he was actually mourning his own fate?
No, he couldn't let this happen! He had to find her a good match.
And more importantly, someone other than himself!
