Olivia arrived on my father’s tail, asking him questions about whatever was inside the file she had clutched at her chest. Sighing and scoffing until she took a seat.
“Everything ok?” Mom asked, but it was like poking the bear, and I think she knew that.
“It’s fine,” she said, shuffling the place setting along so that the files would fit on the table. She looked up and saw Lorenzo, that scowl immediately eased on her face, changing from anger to some sort of light embarrassment. “I—I—I totally forgot you were coming to this,” she said across the table at him.
The set up had it so that I was sat beside Lorenzo, my dad at one end of the table and my mom at the other. She wasoriginally supposed to be sat across from me, but when Diane decided she wanted to be part of this, things had to be adjusted.
Lorenzo looked to me, so uncomfortable, maybe because of the situation, but perhaps because he was in the house, and he’d taken such a firm stance on that first day about not wanting to cross the line into the home when he was just a worker.
“This looks delicious,” my dad said. “What’s the occasion?”
“Does there need to be an occasion, Tom?” my mom asked. “Jace loves to cook.”
“Actually,” I said, standing and pushing my chair out slightly. “There is a reason, and there is an occasion for why I’ve brought you all here today. And it’s something very important, so before anyone says anything, I’d like to remind everyone that this is good news, ok.” I looked around at them all, nodding and trying to force them to nod back at me.
“You’re not trying to leave, are you?” my dad asked with a chuckle. His fork was at the ready, nearly scraping at the plate. “Because you know you can’t do that, this place would crumble with you—you and your sister, of course.”
“It’s not that,” I told him. “It’s something else, and I want everyone to give me their word that they won’t say anything. You’ve got to take a minute to think before you say a single word.”
Mom laughed this time. “Don’t be dramatic, Jace,” she said. “You’ve already come out of the closet.” She gasped, glancing at Lorenzo, using family humor on non-family. “I mean, you know what I mean.”
Diane had her lips sealed, almost like she was biting on them inside. Dad seemed far too focused on getting food, and Olivia was itching at the files, probably ready to begin the next big family argument.
“I’m in a relationship with Lorenzo,” I blurted. “We’rein a relationship.”
He stood beside me and held my hand.
Everyone stared, even Daisy the dog raised her head from the little bed she’d settled in against. I kept hold of Lorenzo’s hand, feeling the light slip of sweat nearly forcing my hand to pop out of his.
“I thought you were going to tell us something awful,” my mom said. “You owe me twenty bucks, Tom.”
My father sighed. “I just thought you were enjoying spending time with the horses. And we share a bank account, hon, take it out of there.”
Olivia blinked wildly, her mouth opening and shutting, looking down the table and back again at both of our parents.
“You knew?” I asked.
“I mean, you’re not good at secrets,” she said. “And I might’ve seen the two of you a little close. I didn’t want to say anything in case I was wrong, and that might’ve pushed Lorenzo back to Texas or something. I don’t know.”
Maybe I wanted the dramatics after all, the fireworks, the gasps and pearl clutching. I got none of it, only the eyeroll from Olivia who still hadn’t uttered a word.
“I guess we should eat then,” I said.
“Diane, don’t you have anything you want to say,” my mom nudged her arm.
Diane chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh, Jace told me in the kitchen. But that doesn’t mean I can’t look.”
Lorenzo squeezed my hand a little harder, blushing. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Ma’am,” Diane let out a deflated groan. “You have any brothers? Or anyone single who might visit? I have a nice house, you know, not much in the way of land, but any cowboy will do, as long as he can tend to my garden.”
“Diane,” my mom laughed, swotting her arm. “Come on now, let’s not ruin the moment.”
“Thank you,” I said, as we both sat beside each other again. I didn’t want to let go of his hand, and I don’t know if he would’ve let me even if I tried to let go. “Let’s eat.” I’d been anxious all morning about giving the news, and now that I had, that pit where food went into my stomach opened and it was hungrier than ever.
Olivia stared me down from across the table, her eyes squinting. “What Diane said,” she grumbled. “If you have any friends, let me know we might have more positions open soon, and I’m doing the hiring.” She flicked back hair over her shoulder.
“Hiring?” my dad asked, dropping his knife on the plate.
