Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice, Chapter 7 (Read Receipts and Regrets)

It was barely 10 a.m. on Monday morning, and Brandon’s phone had already buzzed three times. He’d been ignoring it, hoping that if he buried himself in work, he could tune out the buzzing. But the steady vibration of the latest message finally drew his attention. He sighed and glanced at the screen, already knowing who it would be.

Roberto: So… still nothing from you? Thought we were closer than that. Guess Garth’s winning this round, huh?

Brandon grimaced, feeling the prick of guilt but more than a little irritation too. The Thanksgiving pressure was the last thing he needed right now, especially with a full plate at work. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to respond. Instead, he let out a deep breath, turned the phone screen back down on his desk, and resolved to leave Roberto on read.

He got through a few more emails, a meeting or two, and almost began to forget about the drama awaiting him. But as he returned from grabbing coffee, his phone lit up with another message—this time from Garth.

Garth: You know your stepdad just texted me, right? The man’s starting a text war like it’s the Thanksgiving Olympics. Told me to stop meddling with his “plans” and to “stay out of it.” What’s going on, son?

Brandon pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the urge to laugh out loud at the mental image of Roberto and Garth in some kind of Thanksgiving text battle. Somehow, this seemed right on brand for both of them—both wanting control, both determined to one-up the other in some bizarre show of Thanksgiving superiority.

Still, he knew better than to get involved. He left Garth’s message on read as well, setting his phone aside once more. He figured he’d deal with the fallout later, hopefully after his shift.

By noon, his phone buzzed again—this time with a group text from both Laura and Jazlyn.

Laura: Brandon, sweetheart, I know the men are giving you a hard time, but could you please answer them? You know how they are.

Jazlyn: Yes, honey. Just a quick response might calm them down, so they don’t spend Thanksgiving sabotaging each other’s turkeys.

Brandon laughed, both exasperated and a little impressed by the teamwork. It was rare for his mom and Laura to be on the same page, so this was new territory. But he was sticking to his guns; they were all going to stay on read too.

As he scrolled back to his work email, a new message popped up, this time from Adalynn. Immediately, his mood lightened.

Adalynn: How’s Monday treating you? Surviving the holiday pressure?

Brandon grinned, and without thinking too hard about it, he typed a response.

Brandon: Better now! Want to grab lunch?

He hesitated, glancing at the message, and for some reason felt the need to clarify, just in case.

Brandon: Platonically, I mean.

His thumb hit send before he could second-guess himself, and as soon as he saw the text pop up in the chat, he wanted to throw his phone across the room. Platonically? Why had he felt the need to add that?

But his phone buzzed a second later, and her response put him at ease.

Adalynn: lol, yes. Where to?

Brandon’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly typed back.

Brandon: There’s a place a couple of blocks from my office. I’ll send you the address—meet you there at noon?

Adalynn: Sounds good! See you soon.

As he looked at the screen, Brandon felt a surge of excitement. For a moment, he could almost forget about the Thanksgiving drama simmering in the background. Lunch with Adalynn, even if it was “platonically,” was exactly the break he needed.

With a renewed sense of optimism, he headed out of the office, his phone silent for now. He’d face the family frenzy later. Right now, he had a lunch date to look forward to—even if he’d sabotaged his own chances just a little bit.