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“I promise.”
“Okay, that’s all for now.”
“Are you okay?”
“I will be. Love you.”
A few seconds passed. “Love you, Lisa,” Pam replied.
“Was that Lisa?” Dan asked.
They’d been sitting on the veranda with the fire pit going, having a beer.
“It was. She must have heard about the house but didn’t ask. She called about another matter. I hope to God Ryan doesn’t tell her I’m buying it.”
“I don’t like to tell you what to do, but that might have been a mistake.”
“I know. But it’s for Lisa’s benefit, too, to have him close by. She thinks it will be so easy doing it alone, but I have experience with this. If Ryan says he’ll commute, I want to facilitate it for him.”
“Yeah, I’m staying out of it.”
Pam tapped her fingernails on the beer bottle, staring out at the dark water. A fishing boat coming back late, its rigging lighted, chugged south toward the marina.
“Thanksgiving is next week,” she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “It just crept up on us.”
“Because the weather has been so nice. We had that one snow, and then it was beach weather.” When she didn’t reply, Dan turned to her. “Pam, ask someone else to have it this year. Why are you doing this to yourself? It’s obvious you’ve had enough.”
“I have had enough. No one has asked about it. Maybe I should send a group text saying that if anyone else wants to host this year, it’s fine with me.”
“Do it! The thought of all those people parading in here for a meal actually makes me sick.”
“I’m shocked, Dan. You love my holiday parties.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, laughing. “Send the text. I’m asking as your significant other to let someone else host Thanksgiving dinner this year.”
She got out her phone.
Dear friends and family, it feels right that Dan and I step aside this year to allow someone else to host Thanksgiving dinner.
Sandra and Andy were sitting on the couch together, having a glass of wine and watching television, when both their phones beeped.
“What’s this?” Sandra asked, frowning.
“Dan mentioned something to Tony and Kassandra when they first moved in that they could host holiday dinners.”
“Um, remember, Tony isn’t here.”
“That might change. He said he’s on his knees, begging.”
“I don’t think that will do any good,” Sandra said. “Kassandra told me she’d laid out her life plans without Tony, that he was welcome to come along if he wanted, and he always knew that.”
“Ugh, I wonder if that’s why he never ended it with Janine. If he always thought she might be superfluous?”
“Maybe,” Sandra said. “Well, I’m not hosting Thanksgiving dinner here. Our house is too small.”
“I agree. Let’s wait and see who answers positively.”
Lisa was on the couch with Zach, who had just arrived, watching television, when her phone beeped. She read the text and then threw her phone aside. “My mother has lost her mind.”
