“Like I would spend this day with you and not make my girl her favorite pie.” She clucks her tongue and wags a short, painted nail at me. “It’s like you don’t even know me.”
“Of course I know you.” I hurry around the car with the pie in my hands as we trek up the walkway to the front door. “And I know this will forever be the best pie in the world.”
The beautiful weather from earlier is long gone. The forecast is calling for snow tonight and the chill in the air that’s nipping at my ears believes it.
“Miss Elle!” a little voice yells just before the Lamar boys come piling out of the house.
“Another pie?” Jax says with wonder in his voice.
“This Thanksgiving is going to be so much better than when we went to Granny’s house.” Jett slams a hand over his mouth and looks around him, no doubt making sure his mom didn’t hear that.
“I’ll help you with that, Miss Elle,” Jagger, such a little gentleman, says.
“Thank you.” I hand over the pie, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “But be careful, because this isn’t just a pie, it’s the best pie, and since you helped, I’ll make sure to sneak you a piece.”
“You’re the best!” I’m pretty sure the only reason he is saying that is because the last time I saw him, I snuck him a few handfuls of gummy bears after Greer ate all of his. He leans in and gives me a shoulder hug, keeping both hands secure on the pie dish as he walks carefully into the beautiful house filled with loud voices and laughter.
“Hey!” Brynn calls out as soon as we walk into the house and runs to greet us. “You must be Mrs. Rafter! I’m so glad you could make it, thank you for coming.”
“It smells like the pleasure is all mine,” Mrs. Rafter says, and she is not wrong.
I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to eat much after Quinton’s mom practically force-fed me, but just smelling everything is making my stomach rumble.
“My dad and mother-in-law went wild.” She puts her arm through the crook of Mrs. Rafter’s. “Lets go get you something to drink and a few snacks to hold you over. They keep saying dinner’s almost ready, but who knows anymore.”
Brynn walks her into the kitchen, but just before they disappear, Brynn turns and points a very aggressive finger toward the stairs. And because I’m going to need her to make me the caramel apple cocktail she keeps telling me about, I follow directions.
When I reach the top of the stairs, there’s a single door open with light and hushed voices spilling into the hallway. All heads turn to me when I walk in, but I focus on one face.
“Fuck.” I rush over to Vonnie, who, for the first time since meeting her, doesn’t have a drop of makeup on her face. “What happened?”
“I told him I couldn’t do it anymore.” She doesn’t even try to wipe away the tears as they fall down her face. “I can’t pretend to be happy with things the way they are anymore. I don’t want to remodel the house again or do any of the other busywork I’ve been doing. I told him I’m tired of feeling like everything I care about is second to what he deems is most important.”
I pile onto the twin-size bed with Greer and Poppy. “Good for you. What’d he say to that?”
She might not be happy with the way her marriage is going, but she still loves the man she married. Even though she’s crying on what I can only assume is Brynn’s childhood bed on Thanksgiving, a part of me is still hoping there’s a chance this won’t end in total heartbreak.
“He told me I was being ridiculous and that if I didn’t like it, I could leave. Then he grabbed his car keys and drove to his mom’s house without even saying bye to the boys.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? What an asshole!” I know it’s not what I’m supposed to say, but my filter has up and left me. My heart is broken for her and my anger is off the charts. How could he not realize that he had the best of the best?
“I can’t believe he did that.” Poppy leans back on her elbows, her sweet baby bump sticking out for all to see. “That doesn’t sound like him.”
“I don’t even know if it is him anymore.” Vonnie swipes at the tears on her face, leaving angry red marks in her wake. “He’s so different now. I don’t know if this is just the man he’s grown into or if it’s some brain thing. But what? Do I stick around and wait? If it is CTE, he’s sick, right? So I should stay, like I promised in my marriage vows. But there’s nothing to do to treat it, and you’ve seen what the women who have lived through CTE have said. Do I take that abuse and let my kids see it? Or do I protect myself and my boys? I don’t think there’s any way I can win in this situation.”
“Alright.” Brynn walks in and slams the door behind her. “The Lamar boys are in the basement with Ace playing that dance game on the Xbox, which is hilarious by the way; TK has Posie; and Mrs. Rafter is being entertained by Maxwell. Should we FaceTime Charli and Aviana? I feel like we should. I hate this whole trading, different teams thing. None of my friends should be allowed to move. Can I make that a rule?”
“Oh my god!” Vonnie shouts, effectively cutting off Brynn’s rambling. We all turn to look at her and when we do, she’s not only no longer crying, but she is staring at me in a way that, frankly, terrifies me.
