“That’s why.” Alicia points a finger at him. “I wanted to start living on my own. I’m twenty-six, for fuck’s sake.”
“Alicia, language!” Mrs. Attleborough cries out, and I agree with her. Alicia doesn’t curse much, not really. And I don’t expect her to start in her parents’ house. She’s anxious and frustrated.
“Sorry, Mom.” Alicia winces and turns back toward her brother. “Really, Justin, what’s wrong with you? I supported you when you messed up with Kayla. Why can’t you be supportive of me?”
“It’s not the same.” His voice drops low. “Completely different, Alicia.”
“It’s really not. It’s either you support my choice or not.” Her voice is firm, reminding me of the one she used to explain why she had a body in her backyard.
“Alicia, you don’t—”
“This is a Thanksgiving dinner that your mom spent hours making. Stuff your faces with food and keep quiet.” George booms firmly.
Everyone quiets, even Justin. I look at Mr. Attleborough with newfound respect. Alicia gives me a small, warm smile and finally starts eating. I inhale deeply, filling my senses with delicious smells, and dig in.
Maybe, just maybe, we will survive this dinner without bloodshed.
ChapterTwenty-Two
ALICIA
I knew from the beginning that at some point at dinner something would blow up. I expected Justin to be difficult about me bringing a man home, even if I just said we’re friends, but the way he’s been looking at Mark throughout the whole dinner was something… different than a brother giving his sister’s boyfriend a hard time. I take a moment to thank the heavens that Jake is away. I can’t imagine how bad things would be if he weren’t. Two overprotective brothers at one table is two too many.
Even though we haven’t put a label on our relationship, I was still excited to introduce him to everyone. At first, I thought he’d drag Mark out of the truck and punch him in the face. I’m sure he’d get punched back because Mark is bigger than Justin, but I also know my brother, and he can be vicious. In fact, I think he should be in that rehab along with Jake. But Kayla acts as his leash, so he’s been doing better.
Until he saw Mark. I’m sure he wanted to drive him off, but he seemed to change his mind when he saw me coming out of the house. The look on his face when he noticed what I was wearing was one of pure, unfiltered wonder as a million things raced through his head. The world hasn’t seen my butt in anything other than super baggy pants in nearly eight years, so it’s reasonable for him to be surprised… and smart enough to put two and two together and figure out that Mark was probably the catalyst for my change in wardrobe.
And now, every time Mom sings a phrase to Mark or offers him something to eat, Justin squeezes his glass tighter. And even Kayla can’t relax him, even though she’s been trying to the whole evening. She looks like she knows more than I do though, like there’s something no one is telling me. Since the moment Mark walked in, she braced herself for a fight. I noticed how her posture changed the moment he showed up. Her back straightened and her shoulders drew back as she plastered a fake smile on her face. She’s been trying to lighten the atmosphere the whole evening.
To be honest, for a moment there, I thought they might have been something in the past, and that might be why Justin was acting this way. But then I quickly ditched this theory because Kayla would find a way to tell me about that at dinner. She’s too much of a decent person to keep such a bombshell from me. I mean, we live in a small town, so it’s expected that someone has dated someone you might know at some point, but Kayla is family now, so it would be weird for me. And for Justin too, to be fair.
“Mark, honey.” My mom’s hand is placed on his shoulders while she’s holding a tea kettle with her famous raspberry leaves over his cup. “Would you like more tea?”
“No, I’m good, Mrs. Attleborough,” he answers with a forced smile. There is a dark cloud over the table, even though my mom and dad are trying really hard to make him feel welcome. I was surprised when Dad did a one-eighty somewhere in the middle of dinner. He wasn’t happy to see him at first.
“Oh, honey, you stop it. I told you to call me Mary. You’ll be seeing a lot of me, I’m sure.” She giggles like a schoolgirl, and Dad chokes on his dessert. We share a look with him, and I’m trying to keep myself from laughing. Mom is charmed by Mark’s warm presence in the best way possible.
“Of course, Mary.” He gives my mom a small smile, and she giggles again. I nearly cackle, knowing how uncomfortable he is.
“Stop, Mom. He’ll be leaving soon and won’t be coming back,” Justin says as he leans on the back of the chair and throws his arm over Kayla’s shoulder.
“Justin.” She hisses and pokes his ribs. “Be nice, you behemoth.”
“Why would I?” He turns toward her, not bothering to even try lowering his voice. “You know he can’t be here.”
“Why is that?” She pulls away from his hug.
“Becauseyouout of all people know who he is.”
Kayla rears back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“C’mon, Kay baby.” He lowers his voice, but we still can hear him. “You don’t think he’s here because of Alicia, do you?”
“I think that’s exactly what he’s here for.” She shoots him a glare, and he laughs.
I’m scared to look at Mark because it’s clear something is happening that I'm not privy to. All three of them know what it is, and I’m the only one on the sidelines who doesn’t. And something tells me I won’t like the truth.
I take a deep breath and turn toward Mark. His face is a mask of pure anger. His gaze is fixed on Justin, his huge hands in tight fists on his knees. I want to touch his hand, but he pulls away without looking at me.
