AndrewEnding the call with Lanie myself, I checked the time. Raven would be out of school soon. The rest of the day’s work, I could take care of in my home office.Getting what I needed for the rest of the day together, I left the building as quickly as I could. Raven had declined my offer to pick her up from school anytime that week, saying instead that she wanted to ride the bus.At the house, the whir of the vacuum cleaner greeted me. Leaving Karen to her cleaning, I went right to my office in the back. With my computer powered on, I kept the screen showing the front security cam open as I responded to emails. That way, I’d known Raven was home the minute the school bus dropped her off.Before long, movement in the corner of the screen caught my eye. Jumping up, I raced down the hall and to the front door, opening it as she stepped onto the porch.Raven’s eyes went wide at the sight of me.“Welcome home,” I said.The round eyes narrowed. “Right.”“What?”She pushed past me, her ba
LanieThe light turned yellow, and I slowed the car down, not in any rush to get to my parents’ house.“When are you leaving?” I asked Erica.“First thing tomorrow morning,” she answered, her voice coming through the car’s speakers. “Traffic is going to be a bitch.”“You’re not complaining about the romantic weekend your boyfriend is taking you on already, are you?”“Never.”I smiled to myself. Each time we’d talked since the interaction with Dirty Pirate Guy, aka Troy, Erica had gushed about Matt in one way or another. It seemed that having another guy ask her out was all it took for her to remember she was, as she put it, one of the luckiest people in the world.“And when are you back?”“Sunday night. It’s the full, extended weekend, baby.”“Sounds nice.” The light changed to green, and I sighed as I hit the gas. “I’m four blocks away.”“Don’t be afraid. You’ve already told them you’re sleeping with Andrew. Telling your parents about Thanksgiving will be a piece of cake.”“Just to c
LanieI nodded, liking where the conversation with my mom about Andrew was going more and more.“Also,” Mom continued, “His ex-wife is dead, so that’s good.”“Mom,” I gasped.She pursed her lips. “Oh, stop. You know what I’m saying. Her death was a horrible thing, especially with Raven being so young. But at least you won’t have some ex meddling in your affairs, trying to interfere with Raven all the time like if Andrew was divorced.”“Right,” I nodded, looking at my reflection in a red ornament.“What are you making to bring?”“Um.”“Lanie!” Mom’s eyes were wild. “I thought I raised you better than that.”“You did. I haven’t decided what I’m taking yet, that’s all.”Mom gently set the angel on a bed of tissue paper. “I assume you want things to work out between you and Andrew.”“Um, yes?”“Yes with a question mark or with a period?”I bit on the inside of my cheek with frustration. How come it felt like everyone was grilling me on the seriousness of our relationship? The only people
AndrewI stared at the multiple grocery bags on the kitchen table, my head spinning.“Okay. How many recipes are we following again?”Raven inspected the laptop on the counter. “There’s the stuffing, the turkey, the green bean casserole, the cranberry sauce. That’s for Lanie. Um, sweet potatoes, salad. Course, any idiot can make that.”I sucked in a long breath, wondering if I was having my first anxiety attack. “Salad. Okay. We can do that. Where’s the lettuce?”Raven made a face. “That’s the last thing we have to make. We need to get the oven ready for the turkey. Did you thaw it?”“Uh.”“Dad!” Raven loudly clapped her hands. “Keep it together. Did you thaw the turkey?”“Y-yes,” I stuttered. “I think so.”“What?” She looked disgusted.I opened the fridge and cautiously poked the turkey. “I think it’s thawed. How do I tell?”“Drop it on the floor,” she sarcastically snapped. “If it breaks a board, it’s still frozen.”“Don’t start an attitude with me, Raven. Not right now.”As I spun
AndrewBy the time the meal was finished, my kitchen was unrecognizable. Not even when Karen went on a cooking frenzy, as she sometimes did when stressed and made enough casseroles for a week, did the counters look like this.“You have carving tools?” Lanie asked me as she took the turkey out of the oven.“Sure do.”“And never been used,” Raven added.We moved with a rhythm, taking the dishes into the dining room, a place I only ventured into if a client was over for dinner.“Can we light those?” Lanie asked, pointing at the tall, untouched white candles in the center of the table.“Of course.” Grabbing the lighter from the fireplace’s mantle, I handed it over—making sure my fingers grazed Lanie’s an undue amount in the process.She lit the candles, adjusted the angle of the turkey, and straightened the cloth napkins.“I think you missed your calling,” I said. “Maybe you should have gone into home décor or the culinary arts.”Lanie wrinkled her nose. “Nah. I like my life the way it is
LanieThe beeping coming from the computer made me jump in my seat. Turning around in my chair, I stared at the screen in confusion for a second before realizing someone was calling me on video chat.A smile pulling at my lips, and I hit the green answer button. Andrew’s face popped up, his large office windows behind him.“Well, hello,” I answered, glancing at my office door to make sure it was closed all the way. Taking personal calls at work wasn’t forbidden, but I still felt weird about it and didn’t want to spend too much time chatting people up when I could have been bettering tomorrow’s minds and all that jazz.“Hello, Miss Jacobs,” Andrew purred. “Have I caught you at a bad time?”Heat traveled through me, and I crossed my legs, trying to get rid of that familiar ache Andrew’s voice always caused. “I can chat for a bit. How are you? How is work?”Andrew scrunched his nose slightly. “Can’t complain. I’ve been distracted by thoughts of you all day, though.”“I know the feeling,”
Lanie“Video chatting?” Raven asked, dropping into a chair and settling into a cross-legged position.“Huh?”She nodded at the computer screen. Although I’d closed out the conversation box with Andrew, I’d neglected to shut down the entire video chat program.“Uh, yeah.” I hastily clicked the program closed.“Anyone interesting?”The cheeky look on her face said she suspected I’d been talking to her dad. Embarrassment flooded me, and I looked for a way to dodge the question but then realized there was no point. I wanted to connect with Raven, to find out what was happening with her and Jason, but our relationship had gone beyond that of counselor-student. It was even beyond that of Dad’s New Girlfriend. If I wanted transparency from Raven, I needed to offer it myself.“Just some hot guy,” I said.Raven made a disgusted face. “Ew.”“Sorry.” I laughed. “It’s true.”“You can stop right there. I don’t need to hear any more.”I leaned forward in my seat, resting my arms on my desk. “I had
AndrewRaven ran down the stairs like a monster was after her.“What’s up?” I asked, going to the living room doorway. “You okay?”“What?” She wrinkled her nose and ran her fingers through her hair. “Yeah. Everything is fine. I’m going out.”I took in a long breath, calming my racing heart. When I’d first heard her steps coming down the stairs, fast as they were, I’d freaked out for a second. Now I noticed she wore a jacket and beanie.“On Sunday night?” I questioned. “You didn’t ask me.”“It’s only six o’clock, and I’m just going to Taylor’s house.”“Taylor?”Each time I checked, Raven had a new friend. It’s what I’d wished for a month ago, but now I was left feeling weird about her burgeoning popularity. Who were these kids she was hanging out with?“Taylor?” I asked once more, letting it hang there.“Chuck.”“Is that supposed to be funny?”Raven stepped forward and planted a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be back at eight.”I arched an eyebrow. “Text me if anything—no, call me if you n