I nodded somberly.“Yes. They do.”
The girls retreated tosit with my parents, easily jumping into animated conversation, and I knewCharles and Alice had to be aware of the stark contrast. Jealous hurt twitchedat the corners of their mouths and flashed with every blink of their eyes. Butthey pretended not to notice as Alice shook the hand of my brother and turnedto Tess with instant intrigue.
“I don’t think we’vemet.” Alice smiled forcibly, clasping her hands around one of Tess’s. “Are youwith Jeffrey?”
Jonathan, Jeffrey …Their penchant for using full names always grated on me, and I could tell withthe flare of Jeff’s nostrils that he wasn’t too thrilled with it himself. Thosenames were reserved for our parents, and our parents only.
“Oh, no. I’m with Jon—”Tess caught her choice of words one second too late and her jaw unhinged. Noamount of Botox could mask the amount of anger and hurt showing on Alice’s faceas she turned to me, ignoring Tess as she continued to explain, “I’m hisbabysitter. For the girls.”
“Jonathan. Will youplease join us in the kitchen?” Both Alice and Charles hurried toward the swingingdoor at the back of the room and disappeared behind it, leaving me alone withmy family and Tess. All paranoid eyes aimed directly at me.
“You’ve been here twominutes and they’re already pulling their crap,” Jeff grumbled under hisbreath, shaking his head.
“Jon, I’m so sorry.”Tess’s hands worked worriedly over her stomach.
Mom’s sympathetic eyesmet mine. “Honey, I can talk—”
“God, everybody, justrelax. I’ll talk to them. It’s fine,” I muttered and went to find Beth’sparents on the other side of the door.
They stood at the widekitchen island, their eyes downcast and mouths set firm, unable to look at meas I stood across from them.
“Did you really bringyourgirlfriendto dinner?” Aliceaccused, her voice tremoring. “Did you even think of what that would do to us,being the parents of yourwife?”
“Ourdaughter,” Charles spat, red-faced andseething.
“Tess isn’t mygirlfriend,” I spoke calmly, even if it felt like a lie. “I hired her at thebeginning of the summer to babysit the girls, and she’s been with us eversince.”
Alice’s anger fadedquicker than Charles’s, but she still wouldn’t meet my gaze. “You didn’t ask tobring a guest. This wasn’t open to—”
“I’m sorry,” I offeredthe genuine apology. “I should’ve mentioned it. I just thought having her herewould make it easier for the girls.” A stab of guilt struck between my ribs. Iknew I was using my kids as a scapegoat. My parents and Jeff would’ve beencomfort enough for them; I’d asked Tess strictly for me. As my friend, as myanchor.
As my muse.
I worried they’d pickup on the fib, but they relented. Alice claimed she understood, Charles insistedit was no problem, but I could still see the questions and accusations hidingbehind every word spoken.
***
Dinner began with a scream, and it didn’tcome from me. Annabel’s incessant shrieks of horror could be heard around theworld when she got a glimpse at the main course—Cornish Hens. Or, as Shelly putit, baby chicks.
Tess had to usher thegirls into the sitting room to calm them down.
“They should’ve knownbetter,” I muttered, as Alice and Charles, with the help of my parents, hurriedaway with the plates of tiny chickens, to carve them in the kitchen instead.Away from little eyes and impressionable minds. “My kids aregonnabe traumatized now.”
Jeff snorted withamusement. “This is amazing.”
“Oh, yeah. Realamazing, Jeff. I’ll call you when Annabel wakes up screaming in the middle ofthe night.” I laid my palms over my face and groaned. “God, I justwannago home.”
“They’re not being thatbad,” he mentioned gently, and I hated to admit that he was right. The people Ihad remembered as my strict and judgmental in-laws had been seemingly replacedby these nearly-kind older people, living in a very big and very lonely house.Even sitting in their dining room, I couldn’t look anywhere without seeing apicture of Beth. Memories. Pieces of their history. I was struck with aheaviness and a bitter realization, that while I was granted the reluctantfreedom to move on and maybe even mend, they had lost their only child. Therewas no moving on from that, and they had turned their house into a shrine.
“Hey. You okay?” Jeffasked, nudging his foot against mine underneath the table.
I shook my head. “Ifeel bad for them.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Sodo I.”
***
After dinner was resolved with the chickensliced behind closed doors, we converged in the sitting room once again. Thegirls promptly fell asleep, sprawled out in chairs and on sofas, while theadults shared in a nightcap before once again heading our separate ways.
