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“Dig in.” She gestures to the food as she and my brother retake their seats.
The four of us chat for a while before Finn invites Andrew to check out the new pinball game he put in his spare bedroom because my brother is basically a man-child.
I chat with Zahra in the living room and find out that she works in restaurant consultation—everything from concept and brand development to business plans and kitchen designs. It sounds pretty interesting, and I can tell that she loves her profession.
Twenty minutes into my getting to know my brother’s girlfriend, there’s a knock on the door and I hear my parents’ muffled voices out in the hall. Most likely, already arguing.
Let the fun begin.
ChapterSixteen
Andrew
Finn and Kenzie’s parents are not what I expected.
I’ve known Finn for a pretty long time, so of course he’s talked about them, but I didn’t expect them to command the amount of attention they have since joining us. It’s like as soon as they entered, they sucked all the air out of the room, leaving little oxygen for the rest of us.
We’re all seated at the dinner table, enjoying the catered meal, and I notice the way they inquire and show interest in Finn’s life and job but ask very few questions of Kenzie. And when Kenzie’s around them, she’s different. Her light dimmed as though she was the sun and someone hung blackout drapes over her.
“Anyway, all that to say do not stay outside of town if you ever visit Zurich. It’s just not worth it.” Finn’s mum, Katherine, finishes a story I was only half paying attention to.
“Noted,” Finn says with a smile for them both.
“So, Finn, any interesting cases lately?” his dad, Gregory, asks.
Kenzie sits quietly, eating her meal, while Finn tells us about a divorce case where the wife is accusing her soon-to-be ex-husband of forging her signature on the prenuptial agreement.
When Finn is done, Gregory finally turns his attention to his daughter. “MacKenzie, what have you been up to?”
She stiffens and plasters on a fake-as-fuck smile. “The usual. Working a lot.” She shrugs as though she’d be happy to leave it at that.
“Getting any traction? Did you add a price list to your website like your mother and I suggested last time we spoke?”
She sets down her cutlery and rests her forearms on either side of her plate. “I told you, there is no price list. Each client and situation are unique. I meet with them first, hear their wish list and budget, then price the job.”
Gregory frowns. “Are you looking at the analytics and seeing how many people leave your site within a minute of being there? A lot of that traffic you’re losing is probably because you don’t have pricing. The more steps you make a potential customer go through to get the information they need, the greater the chance they’ll abandon you altogether.”
“Dad, it’s fine.” She picks her cutlery back up and stabs at her turkey.
“Your father is just trying to help, MacKenzie. No need to be so sensitive.”
Kenzie huffs. “I’m not being sensitive.” Another piece of turkey gets stabbed.
“You sure about that?” Katherine presses her lips into a thin line. “You don’t see your brother getting all upset when we ask him about his career.”
“No offense, Mom, but I’m not one of your consulting clients.” A green bean stabbed.
Her mum humphs. “Well, maybe you should be.”
Finn claps his hands. “Okay, anyone ready for a refill of wine? I’m going to grab another bottle from the kitchen.”
In unison, Kenzie, Zahra, and I raise our glasses.
Finn chuckles and walks into the kitchen. It’s silent around the table, other than the sound of forks and knives scraping against plates. When Finn returns, he’s holding a bottle of champagne and two champagne flutes.
The meal I just ate threatens to rush back up.
Finn sets the bottle and glasses on the table between his and Zahra’s seats.
