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I studiously avoided making eye contact with Holden while Macon ordered champagne and appetizers for the table. Appetizers seemed like the best and worst idea: the best because I was hungry, and food would help absorb the alcohol I planned on drinking; the worst because they would just prolong this already painful evening.
Once our orders were placed, we all stared at each other, trying to think of something to say.
“Did you get the Potts file I sent over?” Holden asked Macon.
“I did, and the first pretrial is scheduled for next month so that won’t be a problem.”
“Boys,” Sissy started, her lips pursing, “you both promised me there wouldn’t be any work talk tonight.”
“You’re right, babe.” Macon gave her a chagrined smile. “We’ll behave.”
The same heavy silence settled over the table, a silence that should have had no place among a group of siblings.
“How are you enjoying your visit home?” Macon turned to me. “I know it didn’t start out under the most ideal circumstances.”
“Oh, Daddy was barely even injured,” Sissy answered for me. “I don’t know why everyone is being so dramatic about it.”
“He fell through a floor and had to be hospitalized,” I reminded her before addressing Macon. “I’ve been enjoying myself, especially since our dad is doing so well. It’s been nice to be able to join in on wedding things too.”
“That’ll be much easier for you once we find a place in Savannah,” Sissy said, smiling at me.
I noticed Holden’s hand tighten on his glass. My eyes traveled from his glass to the tic in his jaw, and onward to those navy eyes that had a new glint in them. I shivered. If this was the Holden St. James who appeared in the courtroom, I’d take a plea deal.
“Hopefully your schedule slows down so you have time for us,” Macon added. “You’re always busy when we’re in town.”
“She’s been busy every time we’ve been in Savannah,” Sissy said by way of explanation to Holden. The edge of her heels caught the soft center of my foot and I fought to keep from reacting to the sharp bite of pain. I was going to need to buy shin guards and steel-toed boots for this wedding.
“That’s me, busy busy,” I confirmed, thinking about all the evenings I spent watching bad reality TV on my couch with the piglets. “Work should be slowing down soon though, so I’m sure that I’ll have some free time after we’re done with this project.”
“That’s great. I told Sissy, you’re harder to book than a caterer.”
I forced a laugh, taking another drink so I wouldn’t have to respond to that comment verbally. At this rate, I was going to sue whoever owned the house Daddy’d been injured in for negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The rest of the dinner was filled with stilted, mostly one-sided conversation, interspersed with more forced laughter and fake smiles. By the time I made it home, I was exhausted from having to pretend we were a group of people who genuinely liked each other. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling as sleep refused to come, wondering how many awkward dinners someone could endure before they snapped. I had a bad feeling I was going to find out.
13
“Idon’t know how you find anything in this mess,” I told Daddy, clearing off a pile of folders on his desk to make a spot to work. “Daddy, this file says 2014.”
“I have a system,” he replied, peering at me over his reading glasses. Those must have been a fairly recent addition. “Don’t mess anything up.”
“Chaos isn’t a system,” I fired back, peeling off a blueprint that was stuck to the desk by an unidentified substance I hoped was coffee. “Where do you want me to put this stuff? I’d be happy to file it for you, assuming that’s something you still do.”
“Just set everything on Ford’s desk. I’ll have Madge sort through it when she’s in next.”
“I thought Madge retired?”
“She did, but it didn’t stick. She comes in a couple times a week to help out.”
“Based on —” I gestured to the haphazard piles all over the office — “all this, I think it might be time to hire a full-time replacement for her.”
“I’ve been meaning to put some feelers out, but I haven’t had the time.”
“Daddy, Madge retired five years ago.”
“I’m aware. Since you’ve got all this time to talk, come look at this computer. Maybe you can tell me why this accounting software keeps crashing on me.”
I abandoned my attempts to peel the remaining edge of the blueprint off the desk and made my way to his computer.
