When dinner was ready, eight adults and two kids crammed themselves around the six-top table. Lauren sat squashed between Andrew and Rhonda. Andrew’s left leg pressed against the length of her thigh, and she felt the contact as if no fabric were between them. She tried to conspicuously shift in the opposite direction, but then her other leg would meet Rhonda’s, and she kind of thought that would be even more awkward.
Dinner conversation was lively and, having gotten used to the constant volume over the previous hour and a half, Lauren enjoyed herself immensely. She learned about what each of the sisters did for a living and asked Andrew’s dad (whom she’d finally been introduced to before dinner) about his farming business. He was a man of few words but opened up about his life’s work, a gleam of excitement in his eye.
Andrew remained strangely quiet during that conversation.
Jeni asked about Kansas City, and Lauren told her about the best restaurants and coffee shops, and where the best shopping venues were. She liked Jeni very much and made a mental note to suggest they get together sometime in the near future.
Halfway through the meal, Andrew’s mom frowned at her son. “Andrew, you’re not eating much. Are you okay?”
The table went silent.
“I’m fine.”
“Do you feel sick?” Valerie asked. She sat on Andrew’s opposite side and put her hand against his forehead.
Andrew gently pushed her hand away. “Seriously, I’m fine. I’m just not very hungry.”
Rhonda leaned across Lauren. “You’re always hungry. Are you nauseous? I can get your medicine, if you need it.”
Lauren felt Andrew stiffen, and it was obvious he didn’t appreciate the attention.
“You know, appetites come and go during chemo treatment. It’s completely normal,” Lauren said. “Andrew’s been doing great, there’s nothing for any of you to worry about.” She paused, searching for a change of topic. “You mentioned earlier you were making a pie, Mrs. Bishop. That’s my all-time favorite dessert, and I’ve never met a kind I didn’t like. What did you make?”
It did the trick, and the conversation moved on to Mrs. Bishop’s famous buttermilk pie recipe and how many times it had won awards at the Nebraska State Fair. Andrew reached his hand under the table and squeezed Lauren’s fingers with his own. It was quick, the contact a mere second, but her skin tingled as if he still touched her.
After dinner, Lauren found herself on the screened-in back porch with Jeni and Duke, the big dog whom she’d learned was the family pet that refused to be left at home alone. The men insisted on doing the dishes, and the rest of the family had moved into the living room to watch a movie with the kids. Valerie discovered Andrew’s phone in the pink purse Alva was carrying around and returned it to its proper owner.
The porch, outfitted with a small fireplace and a space heater, was surprisingly cozy, and the women enjoyed mugs of coffee while they chatted.
Andrew joined them not long after, and in a move that was an obvious ploy to leave them alone together, Jeni excused herself, Duke jumping off the chair to follow her.
Andrew settled on the couch next to Lauren, close but not touching. He propped his feet on the coffee table and leaned his head back, the corners of his eyes crinkling adorably as he smiled at her. “Well?”
“Your family is…”
“Loud? Overbearing? Nosy?”
“I was going to say wonderful.”
A shade of relief fell over his features. “Yeah?”
Lauren nodded. She turned her upper body to face him, pulling her right knee up to her chest. “I barely know any of you, but I felt included. Like I was part of it.”
“My mother has never met a stranger.”
“It felt really nice.”
Andrew’s eyes bounced back and forth between hers. “Earlier, you said you were used to spending holidays alone. Do you mind if I ask why? What about your family?”
“No, I don’t mind.” Lauren took in a deep breath and exhaled. “My parents met in college. They were together for most of it, and during senior year my mom got pregnant. She had me right after graduation, and they didn’t stay together long after that. My dad ended up being the one with primary custody. My mom moved to New York City for medical school, and my dad stayed in Oklahoma for pharmacy school. They met other people, remarried, and both started new families.”
Lauren tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Growing up, I always felt like this extra kid that no one really knew what to do with. My parents took care of me, and I wasn’t neglected or anything like that. But I always kind of thought they saw me as this mistake from their college days, and their new families were the real ones. Several years ago, my dad and his wife and kids went to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving. I called my mom and asked if she’d like me to spend it with her. She said yes, so I drove down to Dallas, where she lived at the time. When I showed up for dinner, she’d completely forgotten I was coming. Because she hadn’t planned for me to be there, the dining room table was set up and full to the brim with her children and in-laws, and I ended up on the couch next to the kids’ table.
“I didn’t really have the desire to repeat that, so I’ve spent it alone ever since.”
Andrew’s jaw had drifted down as she spoke, but suddenly he snapped it shut, a muscle popping in his cheek. “What assholes.” His cheeks flushed immediately and he added, “Sorry. Those are your parents and I don’t even know them. But…that pisses me off.”
Lauren looked at her hands. “It doesn’t matter.”