Ben.”
For the first time since our breakup, I feel bad for him. I know that he wants me to extend an offer to him to hang out with all of us, but I can’t do it. It’s not fair to his new girlfriend, Emily, to have to hang out with his ex, and it’s not fair to myself to offer up something that I’m not ready to give. Maybe in time I can be around him, but not now.
“I should go see if I can help Amy with dinner,” I say, ready to make my exit. I can’t stand here and make small talk with him any longer. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah, later.” Ethan offers me a small nod as I walk past him. “You look really good.”
There are a thousand nasty responses I could make, but instead I settle for a simple thank you.
I turn and make my way down the hall. I can’t see Ethan’s face, but I know he’s watching me walk away.
T HE W RIGHT home at dinnertime is unlike anything I’m used to. Coming from a single-parent household, dinner usually consisted of me throwing something frozen in the microwave and eating by myself while I finished my homework. Here, everyone is gathered together, engaging in conversation.
There is some familial bickering going on in the dining room just off the kitchen; Ben and Nate’s sister Jessa arrived earlier this afternoon from Philly. She and her father are arguing about how much she should pay for the granite countertops she wants for the kitchen renovation that she and her husband are working on. I like Jessa; she’s boisterous like her mother, and she doesn’t take crap from either one of her brothers. She’s gorgeous too, and at twenty-seven, she’s the oldest of the Wright children.
Here in the kitchen, Amy has given me the task of making garlic bread. Truthfully, I’d do anything she asked me to. I love being around her; she makes me feel like part of her family. The lasagna that she made is bubbling away in the oven, smelling so good that I have to stop myself from walking over there, opening the door, and shoveling handfuls into my mouth while it’s still cooking. I bet the burns would be worth it, that’s how good it smells.
“There’s this park in New York that was built on old train tracks,” Amy says enthusiastically as she fills a pot with water. “It’s so gorgeous and green among the concrete buildings of the city. I think I’m going to take the train up this spring and have a nice, long visit. You should come.” She looks over at Gabby.
I pick up a dollop of butter with my knife and spread it on the bread, trying not to feel so left out because the two of them are on the other side of the kitchen making plans without me. It’s not like I’m a member of this family, so I have no rational reason to be jealous. Still, I am.
“We could make a weekend out of it,” Amy says as she scrubs the pot.
Gabby is busy slicing carrots for the salad. “Yeah, that’d be fun.”
“Callie?”
I look up, expecting Amy to correct my butter-spreading technique, but she’s just staring at me expectantly.
“I’m sorry?” I have no idea what she’s waiting for.
“Would you be up for a girls’ weekend in New York? We could see a show or something.”
I look over at Gabby, who is just smiling down at the salad bowl.
“I’d like that,” I say, unable to stop my ridiculous grin.
“We’d have to go to a spa or something, do it up right,” Amy says, and I can tell that the prospect of this trip is going to fuel her for the next few months. She is definitely the type to put together a whole itinerary on her own, and having someone else plan things for me makes the trip sound all that much more exciting. Amy is so organized that I want to take her aside and ask her if she’d mind taking a look at my life. See if she can put things in order.
Once I’ve finished with the garlic bread, I ask Amy if there’s anything else I can do to help with dinner.
“Nope,” she says, looking over at Gabby with a conspiratorial grin. “Why don’t you go out into
For the first time since our breakup, I feel bad for him. I know that he wants me to extend an offer to him to hang out with all of us, but I can’t do it. It’s not fair to his new girlfriend, Emily, to have to hang out with his ex, and it’s not fair to myself to offer up something that I’m not ready to give. Maybe in time I can be around him, but not now.
“I should go see if I can help Amy with dinner,” I say, ready to make my exit. I can’t stand here and make small talk with him any longer. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah, later.” Ethan offers me a small nod as I walk past him. “You look really good.”
There are a thousand nasty responses I could make, but instead I settle for a simple thank you.
I turn and make my way down the hall. I can’t see Ethan’s face, but I know he’s watching me walk away.
T HE W RIGHT home at dinnertime is unlike anything I’m used to. Coming from a single-parent household, dinner usually consisted of me throwing something frozen in the microwave and eating by myself while I finished my homework. Here, everyone is gathered together, engaging in conversation.
There is some familial bickering going on in the dining room just off the kitchen; Ben and Nate’s sister Jessa arrived earlier this afternoon from Philly. She and her father are arguing about how much she should pay for the granite countertops she wants for the kitchen renovation that she and her husband are working on. I like Jessa; she’s boisterous like her mother, and she doesn’t take crap from either one of her brothers. She’s gorgeous too, and at twenty-seven, she’s the oldest of the Wright children.
Here in the kitchen, Amy has given me the task of making garlic bread. Truthfully, I’d do anything she asked me to. I love being around her; she makes me feel like part of her family. The lasagna that she made is bubbling away in the oven, smelling so good that I have to stop myself from walking over there, opening the door, and shoveling handfuls into my mouth while it’s still cooking. I bet the burns would be worth it, that’s how good it smells.
“There’s this park in New York that was built on old train tracks,” Amy says enthusiastically as she fills a pot with water. “It’s so gorgeous and green among the concrete buildings of the city. I think I’m going to take the train up this spring and have a nice, long visit. You should come.” She looks over at Gabby.
I pick up a dollop of butter with my knife and spread it on the bread, trying not to feel so left out because the two of them are on the other side of the kitchen making plans without me. It’s not like I’m a member of this family, so I have no rational reason to be jealous. Still, I am.
“We could make a weekend out of it,” Amy says as she scrubs the pot.
Gabby is busy slicing carrots for the salad. “Yeah, that’d be fun.”
“Callie?”
I look up, expecting Amy to correct my butter-spreading technique, but she’s just staring at me expectantly.
“I’m sorry?” I have no idea what she’s waiting for.
“Would you be up for a girls’ weekend in New York? We could see a show or something.”
I look over at Gabby, who is just smiling down at the salad bowl.
“I’d like that,” I say, unable to stop my ridiculous grin.
“We’d have to go to a spa or something, do it up right,” Amy says, and I can tell that the prospect of this trip is going to fuel her for the next few months. She is definitely the type to put together a whole itinerary on her own, and having someone else plan things for me makes the trip sound all that much more exciting. Amy is so organized that I want to take her aside and ask her if she’d mind taking a look at my life. See if she can put things in order.
Once I’ve finished with the garlic bread, I ask Amy if there’s anything else I can do to help with dinner.
“Nope,” she says, looking over at Gabby with a conspiratorial grin. “Why don’t you go out into
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