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My last Thanksgiving with my parents had ended in my father throwing the turkey against the wall, leaving a streak of grease and my mother in huge, sobbing tears. She’d gotten wasted and went on an online shopping binge. He’d left for his “club”—more likely code for one of his mistresses' houses. I’d spent the following day lining up a painter who could come out on short notice, and by Saturday afternoon, it had been like it had never happened.
That was two years ago. Last year, I hung out on my own and watched the parade and dog show. Turned out, being by myself had been far more preferable than with parents who couldn’t possibly care less for me or each other, quite fucking frankly.
“You’re not coming here for Thanksgiving,” Daisy argued as her mother approached.
Whitney Mae gasped. “Miles, do you need a place to go for Thanksgiving? You’re more than welcome here. In fact, give me your phone number so we can arrange it.”
“Mama, it’s April.”
Whitney flipped her curls. “So what? It’s never too early to start plannin’, Miss Daisy.”
I grinned at them both. They were quite a pair. Sunshine and storm clouds. “Yeah, Miss Daisy. You know how much I like plans.”
We were talking shit. I knew this wasn’t actually going to happen. But, man, the idea of being with this family on a day all about families made me kind of wish it would. I’d even share the cupcakes.
Somewhere around the third time Tom sank my battleship, I got up from the family room floor to stretch my legs. It turned out all Landry had wanted for her thirtieth birthday was to hang out with her family playing board games and eating her sister’s food.
I was waiting for all of them to peel off their skin and unveil their true demonic selves. No one was actually this wholesome. This had to be some supernatural quest to harvest souls or something equally nefarious.
Either way, I was having fun.
I raised my arms over my head to stretch out my stiff spine and twisted left and right. The person standing by the kitchen island had me doing a double take. No one else seemed to have noticed or cared he was there, but I ventured over, focusing on the wrapper in one of his hands.
Casually approaching the dessert tray, which had been picked over but still had plenty left, I plucked up a brownie. Daisy was getting me hooked on all her baked goods. She’d also made a sick baklava and delectable cinnamon and walnut rugelach.
The guy looked up, his shoulders jumping when his gaze landed on me. This had to be Reed, the youngest Dunham. From Daisy’s description, he was fourteen, not an easy age.
“Hey,” I greeted. “I’m Miles, Daisy’s friend.”
The kid wore wire-framed glasses, and his mop of curls hung down his forehead, dipping behind his glasses to half cover his eyes. He peered at me for a second before looking away.
“You’re not her friend. She’s paying you,” he muttered.
“That’s not strictly true. No money has passed hands, but you might be right about the first part. We’re more like acquaintances, but I have a good feeling about her.”
He sniffed. “She doesn’t need a boyfriend.”
“Cool. Are we sharing things our siblings don’t need? Is it that time again? My brother, West? He doesn’t need another pair of hiking boots. He has an entire closet dedicated to outdoor wear. Granted, he owns a company that manufactures it, but I still say he doesn’t need it.”
Reed had the Dunham squint down. His eyes were narrow slits, but his glare was like an x-ray, seeing right through me.
“Why are you talking to me?”
“It would be kind of weird to stand here while you’re standing there and not speak.”
He shrugged. “Would’ve been better than listening to you talk about your rich brother.”
“That’s what you got out of that story? I was aiming for sharing Westie’s overconsumption of hiking accessories, but I see what you mean.”
I wasn’t going to let this kid get to me. I recognized an angry teen. It was like looking in a time machine, though I hadn’t been quite as spindly.
“Why are you even here?” he asked.
“Why are any of us here, really?” I drummed my fingers on the counter. “Are you going to come hang out with your family?”
Another heavy shrug. “I’d been considering it before…this.”
I went to poke at him some more, but Daisy appeared next to her brother. She was older by a decade at least, but he towered over her.
