Page 16 of The Love We Deny
He might be right about me. I am a dick for saying that. And I feel terrible when his frown deepens, and his eyes catch in the light from the street.
But staying away from his family isn’t going to help him in the long run, and he knows that.
“Fine.”
I hold the door open, letting him walk through it without looking at me. And even though I’m trying to do better, as I lock up my practice, the familiar dread that comes with having dinner with Will Davis creeps its way into my chest.
Chapter 5
Before
Joyce got out the good china tonight.
She spent hours in the kitchen, making her famous roast, lit candles, and hung up a congratulations banner. All for me, because I got my medical school letter of acceptance.
I think I might actually be the luckiest man alive. I have that thought more and more these days, but with Jess’s hand on my knee under the table, the indentation of her ring digging into my skin and Frank cutting the chocolate cake—
This family took me in and loves me as their own, and it’s been all smiles tonight, everyone genuinely happy because of my success.
Except for Will.
He’s been off the entire night. Barely said a word. Hasn’t touched his food. And nobody is saying anything about it.
There’s a disconnect between Jess and her parents and Will. When Jess and I started dating, he was a nice kid. Annoyed Jess, but I think that’s normal. As an only child, I wouldn’t know.
But somewhere along the way, he started to act out. Started to hang out with different people and stay out later. Argues with his parents if he does talk to them, but most of the time, he doesn’t.
I try to include him anyway. He’s nineteen, still practically a kid. And it makes me feel bad, seeing him like that, secluded atthe end of the table. All but ignored. I ask him about his day and tell him a story I figure he’d get a kick out of. The first time he gives me a one word answer and looks away. The next, he sayscoolandstabs his roast with his fork.
Jess’s hand slides up my thigh under the table with a squeeze, and I’m distracted long enough that I forget my concern.
Until Frank raises his beer, beaming at me from the head of the table. “To my son-in-law,” he says, and I’m smiling immediately. “First doctor in the family. We couldn’t be more proud.”
Joyce cheers in agreement, and Jess pulls me into a kiss, bordering on inappropriate for the dinner table. It’s all perfect, until—
“Must be nice.”
We all go quiet, looking over at the forgotten member of the family. What he said sounded casual, but it had a weight to it that everyone at the table felt.
“Will,” Jess chides in that voice she always uses when speaking to her brother.
“What?” He looks up, and his eyes don’t look right. Red around the edges, glassy. “I’m just saying, it must be nice having everything come so easily to you.” He shrugs. “Good for you, man. Really.”
“William—” Joyce chimes in, but he’s not paying attention to her.
He meets my eyes, and I don’t like the way he’s looking at me right now. “Doctor Nolan Murphy. The good son. Everybody loves you. That’s great.”
The way he says it doesn’t sound like a compliment.
I match his stare. And I should be annoyed. I am. He’s making a scene when we’re supposed to be celebrating something I’ve worked my ass off for. But I can see somethingthat he tries to cover up. The silence at the meal. The way no one speaks to him.
It doesn’t feel right.
I open my mouth to respond, but Jess takes my hand, pulling me into conversation with her and Joyce, and that’s that.
Everyone goes back to normal while Will and his antics are all but forgotten.
Until I glance over at him again, when dinner is winding down. He’s staring at his hands in his lap, his food gone cold, and like he can feel me watching him, he looks up.
