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“Yeah. Soon,” I say into his chest.
Then I step into the truck, start the engine, and begin the half-hour drive to Aunt Jade and Uncle Talon’s.
Aunt Jade and Aunt Marj hired extra help for the party, but there’s still plenty for me to do to get the pita and olive bread ready. I keep busy, and I don’t have a chance to think about things I don’t want to think about. A nice respite, actually.
Aunt Jade’s kitchen is mammoth-size, but with everything the staff is setting up and all the extra help involved, it’s suddenly not large enough. Her granite countertops are crowded with large stainless-steel catering pans, white porcelain plates, and, of course, sterling flatware. She and Aunt Marj have chosen paper over cloth napkins. Perhaps because this will be a plated dinner rather than a buffet. Already it’s more work than usual, so using paper alleviates a little of the fuss.
I take a glance outside to where the staff is setting the tables. Each table is covered in a disposable burgundy-hued cloth and sports a centerpiece of a candle in one of my father’s wine bottles, surrounded by a wreath of grape leaves. Really gorgeous.
No one asks me about how things are going with Brendan because we’re all too busy. I don’t ask anyone about what may be going on with my parents because we’re all too busy. Just as well, as I promised I wouldn’t say anything…until after the party, that is.
Time flies, and at six o’clock sharp, people begin arriving.
Oddly, I haven’t seen my parents.
Aunt Jade, Aunt Marjorie, and I leave the kitchen to the staff then and join the party ourselves. Come as you are is always the dress code for a Steel party. Some, like me, dress more casually. The guys mostly wear jeans, but the women go from super casual to semiformal.
Brendan arrives—jeans that accentuate his gorgeous ass, a light-blue button-down that brings out his gorgeous eyes, and brown leather loafers that pull it all together nicely—and he takes my hand. Together we go out to the backyard, which is kept warm on the brisk November night with large heaters.
It’s a beautiful clear Colorado night, and here on the Western slope, we can see the stars so much better than in a big city like Denver. This is what I liked about growing up on a ranch. The big sky. The sheer beauty of nature.
Even living in town, I appreciate the splendor. Snow Creek is a small municipality, and at night, I can still see the beauty of the stars.
“Where are your mom and dad?” Brendan asks.
“I don’t know. Let’s go ask Gina.”
My sister stands by the stage, where Jesse Pike and his band are setting up for their performance later. She looks like a runway model in her velvet leggings and silk tunic, complete with thigh-high leather boots. While I dress down, Gina always dresses up.
“Gina,” I say.
She turns from her conversation with Jesse’s cousin, Cage Ramsey. “Oh, hey, Ava. Brendan.”
Good. She’s focused on Cage, so she doesn’t try that eye batting thing with Brendan.
“Do you know where Mom and Dad are?” I ask.
“I don’t. They actually left the house before I did. They should be here. Aren’t they?” She glances at her Rolex.
“Not that I’ve seen,” I say.
“I’m sure they’re around somewhere,” Brendan says.
I know what he’s doing. He doesn’t want Gina to worry. He already knows I’m worried. My sister is completely naïve to what’s going on with our family, and she still has one semester left of college before graduation. I want her to focus on that, not on some family drama that I can’t even put into words—other than grandmother. Gina will find out soon enough that our parents, aunts, and uncles have been keeping secrets, and she’ll be as pissed as I am. She can be blissfully ignorant for one more semester.
“Let us know if you see them,” I say as nonchalantly as I can, and then I pull Brendan aside. “I don’t like this.”
“They’re going to be here, sweetie. This party is for them, after all.”
“I have no doubt that they’ll show up. But they were late to Thanksgiving.”
“They were late to Thanksgiving because they were talking to me. They’re not talking to me this time, obviously.”
I glance around the backyard. “But your parents… They’re not here yet.”
Brendan raises his eyebrows. “You think your parents might be talking to my parents?”
“I don’t know. I’d believe anything at this point. Maybe—” I grab his arm as his parents arrive. “I guess not. Your parents just walked in.”
He takes my hand and leads me over to them. “Hey, Mom. Dad.”
“Hello, honey.” Lori Murphy looks casual but elegant in midcalf boots, a black skirt, and a white angora sweater. “And hello, Ava. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I murmur. “So do you.”
