For Better or Worse by Jennifer Johnson Read Free Book Online

into Zoey’s folded arms. “Make the casserole.”
    Zoey glared at Kelly. “I don’t remember how.”
    “Follow the directions on the fried onion can. It tells exactly how to do it.” She turned and grabbed a glass pan from the cabinet. “We’ll cook it in this.”
    “Fine.” Zoey walked to the table and placed the ingredients on top of it.
    The three finished Thanksgiving dinner in near silence. Occasionally, her mother would try to talk about school or their Thanksgiving menu, but Zoey would only mumble her replies.
    “We’re here.” Kelly’s sister-in-law’s voice echoed through the house.
    “Grandma! Grandpa!” Ellie, her young niece ran through the living room and into the kitchen. She spied Kelly’s mom and wrapped her arms around her. “Grandma! I missed you.”
    “I missed you, too, sweetie.”
    While Kelly’s mom bent down to hug the young girl, her dad walked through the doorway from the den. “Did I hear a little munchkin calling my name?”
    “Grandpa!” Ellie squealed. She raced over to him and he picked her up. She pushed out her bottom jaw and pulled down her bottom lip. “Look, I lost a tooth.”
    “Well, you did,” Kelly’s dad responded.
    “She sure did, Dad,” Cam walked through the kitchen, stopping long enough to deposit a couple of pies and give Kelly and Zoey a kiss on the forehead and his mom a hug. “Head on back into the den so she can tell you how she did it. You’ve got the game on, right?”
    Sadie rolled her eyes at Cam’s words, and Kelly noted how the arrival of her brother and his family had lightened the mood of her home. She gave her sister-in-law a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
    “I bet. I brought two homemade pumpkin pies.” She placed the pies on the counter beside the ones Cam had deposited. “And a homemade pecan pie and a sugar crème pie. I’ve never made the sugar crème from scratch, so I guess we’ll find out soon enough if I did all right.”
    “I’d be glad you’re here even if you didn’t bring food.” Kelly glanced over at Zoey, who was arranging fruit on a tray and hadn’t even uttered a greeting to her uncle and family.
    Sadie winked and mouthed, “Got it.” She walked over to the table and sat in the chair beside Zoey. “How’s it going, Zoey?”
    Zoey shrugged. “All right, I guess. Mom’s making me help.”
    “At seventeen, I’m surprised she doesn’t have you cooking the whole thing.”
    Zoey smiled. Kelly awed at the way Sadie could soften Zoey. From everything Kelly could see, Sadie didn’t say anything special or specific that would make Zoey respond so positively to her, and yet she did. Maybe it was because there was just a little under a decade between their ages. More than likely, it was simply Sadie’s attitude. The woman never judged Zoey—no matter what she wore, no matter what she said. There were times Kelly wanted to wring her oldest daughter’s neck, but Sadie’s belief remained steadfast that Zoey would be all right.
    “Grandma!” Ellie called from the den. “Come here and see the cheer Candy and I made up for the ball game.”
    Her mother handed the wooden spoon she’d been using to stir the gravy to Kelly. “Here you go.” She wiped her hands on a towel. “Okay. I’m coming, sweetie.”
    Kelly turned down the heat on the gravy. “Harold had better hurry. The food is almost done.”
    “Are you kidding me? Harold is coming?” Zoey asked.
    Anger welled in Kelly. “Of course, he’s coming—”
    “He’s part of the family,” Sadie interrupted Kelly. She placed her hand on Zoey’s. “I really like Harold. He’s been good to your mom.”
    Kelly took several deep breaths as Zoey sat back in her chair. “Fine.”
    The doorbell rang and Kelly went to open the door for Harold. She hoped Zoey would be nice for the holiday. Her daughter had shown moments of an improved attitude, but with the holidays approaching, Zoey seemed to have sunk back into her shell. Kelly opened the