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“So, should I order us some takeout for later?” Cal asked as he stepped over the threshold. As usual, her sister’s fiancé was perfectly packaged in a tailored sports coat, rustic jeans, and a massive Rolex. He might be handsome if his eyes weren’t just a little too close together and he wasn’t always flashing that overly toothy grin. Alanna noted chunky diamond earrings hanging from Layla’s lobes.
Alanna knew her sister despised big, flashy jewelry, but whenever Layla went out with Cal, she obligingly covered herself in the diamonds he bought her for every birthday and anniversary.
“Let’s consider that a last resort,” Layla said. “Mom!”
Their mother stepped out of the kitchen and opened her arms. Layla ran to her, leaving Alanna and Cal at the door.
“Looking lovely as usual,” Cal said, showcasing a blindingly white grin.
“Nice Rolex.” Alanna matched his smarmy smile with one of her own.
“Oh, this old thing?” He glanced at the $50,000 watch beneath his cuff. “Got it last year for highest Q2 sales in SoCal Region 6.”
“Congrats.” Alanna kept her voice flat.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Just had to run my sales guys into the ground. Whoops. Salespeople. Just went through some sensitivity training last week.” He gave her another smug grin. “You don’t need a new car, by the way, ‘cause I can put you behind the wheel of a new Tahoe, no money down for a monthly payment you wouldn’t believe—DEDE!” Cal stepped past Alanna and made a show of bowing over their mother’s hand and pressing his lips to her knuckles. “You look stunning. Seriously, you CANNOT be Layla’s mother. It shocks me every time.”
Their mom put a hand to her chest. “Oh, stop that!” Her cheeks pinkened. “You’re such a flirt, Cal.”
“What can I say? Layla clearly gets her beauty from you.”
The effort it took Alanna not to roll her eyes was worthy of a Homeric poem.
“So, I don’t have a name for what I made for dinner, but it’s kind of like a lasagna, except without pasta or sauce,” their mother said, ushering the group into the dining room.
Alanna brought out a pitcher of ice water from the kitchen while Cal insisted on carrying the massive and bubbling tray of mystery dinner. He placed it in the center of the table with a flourish and gave a little bow as Layla clapped for his effort.
Alanna’s phone dinged. She pulled it from her pocket, and her soul melted just a little.
What was your best Halloween costume?
They took their seats and Layla cut into the mystery dinner.
“How’s work, Cal?” their mother asked.
Cal glanced up from the text he was typing under the table. “Honestly? Not great, Dede. We’re behind eight sales for the month, but we’ve got three days. It’ll be tough to hit our numbers, but it’s possible.” He paused as Layla plopped a steaming, brown hulk of mystery dinner on his plate. “I’m riding my guys hard. Excuse me, my people, hard. They’re all slackers. I’ve got to threaten to fire half of them nearly every week just so they do their job. This smells delicious, by the way. What’s in here? Is that, um, asparagus?”
Alanna hid her phone under the table. She imagined the handsome handyman in his crumbling house, some fluffy white cat on his lap. He’d be a little dusty, a little sweaty from working on the house all day. She got a little tingling at the thought.
She glanced at her phone screen again. His question waited.
What was your best Halloween costume?
Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard on her screen. She was embarrassed to admit the truth to Sully. But she’d told him so much already. Why not this? Her thumbs moved.
When I was little, I always dressed up as a princess. One of the reasons for my Sheba nickname. [princess emoji, crown emoji]
She’d worn the costume three years into a row, until it’d gotten tight in the arms and she’d had to grudgingly pass it down to Layla. Alanna remembered how she’d loved putting on the poofy pink dress, in spite of the small, dark stain on the bodice. Her mom would curl her hair and pin a plastic crown to her head. On that night she could dream she was a different little girl in a different world. A girl who could have anything her heart desired.
“Alanna, hand me your plate,” Layla said. She gave Alanna a secret smile. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on Mom’s dinner.”
Alanna handed her plate over, and her sister slopped a graciously small helping onto it. The plate was returned.
Under the table, Alanna typed.What’s your favorite movie?
“Here, let me get you some wine, m’lady,” Cal said to Layla, who giggled in response.
Thank God he brought wine,Alanna thought as she looked at the brown goop on her plate. She could just make out the shape of a soggy baby carrot sticking from the side of the mass. Maybe the wine would help it go down better.
