Page 60 of An Unexpected Turn
This wasn’t that—not by a long shot. But the feeling of being in trouble at my job for who I was dating while at work kept taking me back to it. I reached for the Malbec and drained what was left in my glass.
“Let’s help Peyton clean up the kitchen so she can plop into bed when we leave.” Erin pushed off the chair and waved a hand at Deirdre.
“You guys don’t have to do that.” I stood, shaking my head as I grabbed a couple of garbage bags.
“Think your garbageman will be able to tell you had a bunch of teachers over?” Deirdre snickered as she held up the recycling bag full of bottles.
“Maybe.” I chuckled, stuffing all the half-eaten snacks into the garbage bag.
“So then, what’s one more?” Erin grabbed another bottle from the basket they’d brought me and popped it open. “I’m a guest at someone else’s house this year and have no turkey to wake up for.”
“Aw, but you’ll miss the parade on TV,” I joked, agreeing with a reluctant nod for her to refill my glass. I had dinner to prepare for, but the anticipation of aggravation tomorrow would get me up more or less on time.
“It’s not that cop who knew you, is it?” Erin grabbed my arm.
“No,” I sighed as I stuffed the last half-eaten container of dip into the trash. Uncle Keith had sent Ron to school one afternoon to check on the extra security guards he’dstrongly suggestedto Arlene to have at school for a couple of weeks to ward off any more trouble. Ron spotted me and lingered until I’d told him I had to prep for a class.
“Not him.”
The inner workings of a small town amazed me. We had to beg for more security for a school I’d worked at during my master’s, but here, the chief just had to make a suggestion to the principal to get anything done.
It was more proof of how Kelly Lakes and Brooklyn were different planets, how respected Uncle Keith was, and how he went the extra mile for the people he cared about.
I came back to the table and took a long gulp from my glass, a futile effort to numb the familiar but sharp pang of guilt when I’d remember what a great man my uncle was and how much he’d always meant to me.
“Well, I think you’re all set,” Deirdre said as she stabbed at her phone screen. “We’ll get a car home and be out of your hair.”
“Stop. This was really great. Thank you for doing this.”
Itwasgreat. The past couple of hours were so fun and easy, it was as if I’d always lived here and had known my friends forever. In fact, I was getting so used to it that it made me nervous.
One of the worst things about how I’d left my old job was that I couldn’t enjoy anything—not fully. Happiness for me always seemed to come with a caveat now or an inner warning that it wouldn’t last. Jake and everything surrounding us had a lot to do with that, but would I ever truly shake that off?
“Of course. We’re happy to see you finally settled in,” Erin said as she pulled on her jacket. “I’m jealous of your amazing new floors. Your contractor must be awesome.”
“He sure is,” I sighed and gave them each a hug before they rushed out the door.
“Go have some more cake! It’s almost your birthday!” Deirdre called out before she slipped into the back seat, and they drove away.
Every few years, my birthday landed on Thanksgiving. My family always made a big deal out of it when it did, but I couldn’t look forward to it like I usually would. Having them here, with me, in the first home I could call my own, would be great, but the one person I really wanted to spend my birthday with wouldn’t be here.
I smiled, thinking of how Jake’s face had fallen when I’d told him my birthday fell on Thanksgiving. He probably felt the same way I did—that it was one more reason that we should have been together tomorrow and made it even more awful that we couldn’t be.
I eyed the open wine bottle and shrugged as I poured another glass. Jake and I had made some big strides in the past weeks, but truly being together out in the open was a hurdle we hadn’t cleared yet.
I opened the fridge and pulled out the C-shaped remnants of the birthday cake my friends bought me. I poked my fork in the corner where all the chocolate icing had pooled and speared a large chunk before bringing it to my mouth. My gaze dragged to my sink, all the sweet and dirty memories of Jake and me since that night we’d finally lost control washing over me.
It was hard to claim something, or someone, when you couldn’t tell anyone they were yours.
TWENTY-SIX
JAKE
“You can’t stay up all night,” Kristina told Mike and Chloe, my niece, as they ignored her, focusing onSuper Smash Bros.on the TV screen. “One more game and then shut it down.”
“Mom, we’re not little kids.” Chloe’s mouth twisted as her fingers raced over the controllers. “We’re not going anywhere tomorrow—ugh!”
“I winagain,” Mike said, turning to his cousin with an arrogant smirk.
