“It’s okay. I didn’t know her, so it’s not like I miss her, though actually, I do.” Addie squints her eyes and twists her mouth, like she’s thinking real hard. Our baby sister is animated and silly and she’ll talk a mile a minute. She drives Diane batshit crazy. Sometimes she drives Park and our dad crazy too.
But I love her. She’s the closest remi
nder of our mother, and I like spending time with her.
“I lost my dad last year.” At Addie’s blank look, Jensen continues, “He died.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you meant he was literally lost. Like, you know, people go missing, right? Oh my gosh, you must think I’m a complete idiot! I’m just nervous. I don’t know why.” Addie smiles brightly, reaching across the table to grab Jensen’s hand. “I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard.”
“It was.”
“Do you ever go visit his grave?”
Jensen shakes her head. “It’s too…new, his death. I’m not ready to face it yet. Going out to the cemetery, seeing his gravestone. I don’t know if I could handle it.”
I listen to her explanations, appreciating Addie’s questions. Jensen’s opening up to her, and it’s nice. They share something. We all have the dead parent thing in common, and while that’s not a great thing to share, it’s there.
“I go visit our mom’s grave every year on my birthday. Rhett and I have been going together for years,” Addie tells her.
Jensen turns to look at me. “And this year you forgot?”
I nod, feeling guilty.
“It’s not a big deal! We’ll go another time. We don’t just visit her on my birthday, but we go during the holidays too. Thanksgiving is coming up. You can talk to her then, Rhett.” Addie beams. “I’ll drive you in my Jeep.”
Our meals are served and Dad takes over the conversation, talking about work, the holidays, how he expects all of us for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Diane complains that she wants to go to Hawaii for the holidays and Dad tells her, “Absolutely not,” in the rudest voice he’s got. “Addie is still at home. We can’t leave her during Christmas.”
“Do you have plans for Thanksgiving, Jensen?” he asks.
Jensen blinks, her eyes extra wide, like she can’t believe Dad spoke directly to her. “Um, not really.”
“You should come to the house with Rhett,” he suggests, surprising me. He sends me a look. “It would be nice to have her for dinner, son.”
“Yeah, I bet it would be,” Park murmurs under his breath, making Trent almost snort his drink out his nose.
Dad sends Park an irritated scowl while Diane appears ready to spit nails, she’s so annoyed. “You know what I meant. I don’t mean actually have Jensen for Thanksgiving dinner. I meant we could have her over for dinner.”
“We know what you meant, Dad,” I tell him, hoping like hell he’ll stop this particular conversation.
Jensen remains quiet, picking at her dinner. Park sends me a look over her bent head, his expression smug.
I look away, focusing on my food. I want out of here. I want to go back to my house, lock ourselves away in my bedroom, and get naked with Jensen. At least the night would end positively.
After we’re done eating, Addie pushes away from the table and stands. “I’m going to the restroom. Jensen, you want to go with me?”
Jensen looks over at me and then at Addie. “Um, sure.”
The moment they’re gone, Park’s in Jensen’s chair, his voice extra low as he starts to talk. “I know your girl.”
“What are you talking about?” Unease washes over me. I don’t like where this is going.
“Jensen. I recognize her from somewhere, and it’s been driving me crazy all damn night,” Park says with a growl. “Where does she work?”
Fucking great. Does Park go to City Lights? No way am I telling him Jensen works there. “We go to school together. And she cleans offices at night, so I don’t think you’d have a chance to run into her.”
“Weird.” Park frowns and stares off into the distance. “I swear I’ve met her before.”
“She seems like a nice young woman,” Dad tells me. “Is she coming to Addie’s party Saturday night?”