There was no way that Pam was ever going to miss a social event as long as she was in the house. This was her thing. Back home, she had grown up with her mother throwing little socials almost monthly, and they had continued to do so up until Pam was last home. She tried not to wonder if those had stopped now that she was missing, and she wondered if it was selfish to hope that, at least for now, they had. Even though her mother was known for her Christmas parties.
Maybe today was the right day to have a little gathering, so she wouldn't be stuck in her room thinking about how she would be bringing in the new year without Fletcher. Unless, of course, everyone somehow woke up at home two days from now.
Preparing meals was fun though, and she'd found that she might have even liked Kiley more when it came to hanging out in the kitchen and cooking with people. She slipped away as things were in the oven so she could go change into something a little nicer, with a little less flour on it, then returned downstairs when she could smell the strong scent of pizza.
And fresh mowed grass. That part was weird.
She returned to the kitchen without the smell of grass, thankfully, and threw a slice of veggie pizza and one of the extra cheese onto her plate. "Jack, are you really going to sit there for this whole meal?" she asked as she collected her food, but set it aside as she approached him. "First of all, you know we all do some of our best brainstorming at these group meals, so you should come chat with us. Second, no one can hug you and thank you for cooking while you're up on the counter? Come on now."
She didn't wait for him, though, hoping that the promise of hugs might lure him into the dining room, which was still fairly empty. She took a seat next to one of the other occupants. She couldn't remember if she had spoken to Tara before she had helped in the kitchen earlier, but she had at least seen her hanging around places. She knew the woman's name, and that counted for something. She was pretty sure she was the new girl who liked animals.
"The food's delicious, isn't it?" she asked her, despite not having tasted anything herself yet.