“That’s all my mom,” I said.
She beamed as I gestured to her. “Oh, don’t be so modest. Jonah helped me decide on what color napkins to use. Now everyone, sit, sit. Jonah, dear, would you mind doing the honors?” She handed me the large cutting knife and I stood at the head of the table and sliced the turkey, serving a little bit onto each plate before passing it down. People struck up conversations amongst themselves and I took a moment, while they all seemed distracted, to look at Kat who was on the other end of the table sitting next to her brother. She glanced my way, and we shared a smile, but that was it.
“Jonah,” Dean said when I finally got a chance to sit down. “Tell me more about Japan. Kat says you two are leaving maybe as soon as next week, is that true?”
I nodded. “Mid-next week, I think. Or the week after. There are still a few last-minute details we need to iron out. Your daughter has been so understanding; I don’t think there’s anyone else in the office I could ask to go on an international trip with me on such short notice.”
“Well, she likes to travel. Always has. And how are things looking, for finalizing the deal.”
“Good,” I said. “Actually, better than good. Things are looking great.”
Wonderful,” he said. “Absolutely wonderful. This is going to really put us on the map, don’t you think?”
“I really do, yes,” I said. “I’m very excited.”
“And I’m so happy you decided to take Kat with you. I’m glad you see her potential; I knew you would.”
“I’ll drink to that.” We clinked glasses, sipped, and then Dean engaged my mother in conversation, and I chatted the rest of the evening with Sean about his plans of buying a new bar.
* * *
After dessert, most of the guests filed out one by one. Becca was the last person to leave, and I realized as she lingered in the living room with Kat and I, that she wanted to talk to her friend alone. I excused myself to the kitchen to get started on the dishes and the two of them spoke in hushed tones. I heard the name Paul mentioned, and I remembered that was the name of Becca’s fiancé. I figured there was trouble in paradise, but when Becca finally left and Kat joined me in the kitchen, she didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it.
“Is your friend okay?” I asked.
“I think she’s fine,” she said. “Hey, um, do you know if there are any pharmacies open on Thanksgiving? I mean, some of them have to be, right? Like, people need their medication even if it’s a holiday.”
I shrugged. “Not sure. Why? Do you feel sick or something, because I have medicine here.”
“No,” she said, letting out a non-committal laugh. “It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”
I frowned, and thought about asking for more details, but then I remembered who I was talking to. Although Kat and I had been growing closer over the last couple of weeks, there had been times when I felt her drawing away. At first, I didn’t understand what was going on, but eventually, I saw the pattern—she drew away when she thought I was trying to get too close. Like the time I’d asked her about her mother’s passing, or the time I suggested we take a weekend trip to New York City at Christmas time.
Getting her to agree to staying for the weekend after Thanksgiving had been a trial in and of itself, and I was intent on not ruining it by asking too many questions.
“Let me help you with the dishes,” she said, smiling and moving past me. I noticed that she kept her head down and her eyes trained on the floor, and I wondered if we hadn’t been in such dim lighting, whether or not I would have seen a tear in her eye. She saddled up to the sink and turned the faucet on, getting started on the tougher dishes that I had left to soak.
“We can do that in the morning,” I said.
“Why not do them now?” she asked with a little shrug of her shoulders. I watched the bones of her shoulder blades shiver beneath the skin, visible through the opening of her backless dress. She lookedso goodthat night, more delicious than anything that I’d served for dinner. There were a few times, throughout the evening, where I had let my mind wander in the company of dangerous thoughts, but thankfully I had been good about snapping back to reality and calming myself down before anyone had a chance to notice.
But now—those thoughts weren’t so dangerous.
Everyone was gone.
I walked over to her and put my hands gently on her hips. She started to say something, but as I went to move her hair out of the way and kiss her neck, the question got lost somewhere on her lips. She let me run my hands up and down her body, and I felt her flesh prickle with goosebumps. She dropped the dish she was scrubbing and put her hands on the sink, bracing herself for a wave of pleasure we both knew was about to crash over us.
“I want you so bad,” I said, grabbing the hem of her dress and pulling it up on her legs.
“Then take me,” she whispered back in a voice that made me groan with want.
I had my finger underneath the elastic of her panties when there came the sound of a door closing down the hall. Quickly, I stepped back, going around to the other side of the kitchen island to hide my arousal, as Kat shimmied her dress back down to its natural resting place—a good six inches above her knee—and went about fixing her hair.
A moment later, Dean appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, and because of what had just been going on between me and this man’s daughter, the question came out far more accusatory than I meant it to.
Dean looked at me with an expression that told me he was a little offended by my tone. “I’m sorry,” he said, sleepy eyed and his sweater slightly askew. “It seems I fell asleep in the study. I was in there looking at your collection of books and then I sat down and bam, next thing I knew I was out. It’s that turkey and wine combination, it gets me every time.” He looked at Kat. “Dear, what are you still doing here?”