Her text makes irritation churn in my gut.
Me: I’m not doing it to be kind. My family would love to have you.
I know this without asking. Our house is always full on Thanksgiving. Abuela, Mami, Papi, Alex, me, Aunt Lucinda, my cousins, and their husbands and kids. Friends and the occasional neighbor. The stray Valencia & Sons employee.
My family isn’t here today because the cold is hard on Abuela and Papi, but if Mami were here, she’d be falling over the bleachers to extend the invitation. A client family and a teammate of Alex’s? Kids who just lost their parents?Santa Maria,she’d push me out of the way to invite them to Thanksgiving.
Millie: Thanks, really. But it’s going to be a tough holiday. Maybe best to just have Whole Foods cater it.
She’s right about one thing. It is going to be a tough holiday, but that doesn’t mean she needs to heat up her Thanksgiving dinner in the microwave.
Me: The offer stands.
Millie shifts in her seat, and I can tell she’s resisting the urge to just turn and talk to me. She looks back at her phone.
Millie: Why are you doing this? The last thing I want is people taking pity on us.
I fight a smile. Yep. That would be the last thing she’d want. It’s one of the reasons I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s so damn tough. Unbeatable. And at the same time, she’s so soft. Gentle. Fragile. I want to get between her and anything that might take a swing at her.
Me: Who did you tell Mattie you were texting?
I watch the side of her mouth curl up.
Millie: A friend.
Me: Exactly.
Chapter Sixteen
MILLIE
It shouldn’t,but the week of Thanksgiving catches me off guard. The clinic will be closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the holiday, so instead of taking my usual day off on Monday, I agreed to cover for Dr. Thomas so she can enjoy some vacation time.
That’s easy enough since the kids are home and no one needs to be ferried to and from school. But being home means they’re bored. Which means they text me all day long. It goes something like this:
Emmett (on Mattie’s phone): It’s me. Emmett the Great. Can Trevor come over?
Me: No, your greatness. I’m not there. See if Trevor can come on Friday. I’ll be home all day.
Emmett (on Mattie’s phone): But what am I supposed to do today???
Emmett (on Mattie’s phone): Are you there?
Emmett (on Mattie’s phone): Why aren’t you answering???
Eleven minutes later:
Me: Because I was with a client. Don’t forget I’M AT WORK.
Emmett (on Mattie’s phone): You don’t have to shout. Sheesh!
Twenty-three minutes later:
Mattie: Emmett needs his own phone.
Me: He’s too young for a phone.
Mattie: He keeps bugging me to play on mine. It’s driving me nuts!
