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When we arrived at the Frosts’ dining room with its vaulted ceiling and monstrous oak table, the others were already there. Mr. Frost, who I had not yet met, was at the head of the table, Mrs. Frost at his right. Maddi and Ryan sat down the side of the table beside their mother. Trina must’ve gone to bed, late as it was, as a place had not been set for her. There were two places set to Mr. Frost’s left. When we entered the dining room, Frost snuck up behind his mother and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her long blond hair that made her turn and smile up at him. As Frost and I sat down, he beside his dad, I took in the spread. There was corn, baked potatoes, and what I guessed was roast beef and asparagus, though that was up to conjecture as I hadn’t seen or eaten either. Mrs. Aaron’s cooking was very limited. My entire body seemed to be comprised of hunger and nothing more; it felt as though my stomach had given up on waiting for food and was devouring my other organs. I thought back and realized that the last time I’d eaten had been Campbell’s soup the night prior.
Briefly, I remembered awkwardly what Doctor Robinson had said about clear liquids, but then noticed a small bowl of steaming golden-colored broth near my place, as well as a glass of water. Mrs. Frost caught my eye and smiled at me nervously, whispering across the table, “If you feel up to it, you’re welcome to eat other things, too, but I just thought….”
I smiled and it seemed to cut her off, because she quieted and just smiled back. Hot tears rose in my eyes and at that moment, I would’ve given up my entire life if I could’ve rewound time and been raised by this woman for only a year. It would be more mothering than I had gotten from sixteen years with the Aarons.
Mr. Frost smiled at me, his ocean-blue eyes welcoming. It was an entire family of blue-eyed blondes. “You must be Poe. I’m Caleb’s father,” he said, greeting me as I sat down.
I half-smiled back. “It’s a pleasure. Thank you for letting me stay here tonight.”
“No problem. Any time,” he said warmly, I thought, though it was difficult to place his exact tone. I imagined he was trying to be hospitable after a very long day of work.
I ate the way I would if I was starving and for a while during dinner, I wondered if I was actually starving myself to death. Soup, apples, and peanut butter were probably not a sufficient diet, especially when I often missed meals. The broth Mrs. Frost had prepared for me was only chicken broth, but it was the best thing I’d ever eaten in my life. When I had eaten a good portion of the broth, I cautiously probed the corn and potatoes. Not only was Mrs. Frost’s cooking the best I had ever had, though, but watching the family was eye-opening. They didn’t behave like privileged, naturally attractive people. They acted like a sweet, average family. Like a family was supposed to. I thought back to the meals I had shared with the Aarons and how they had always included horrible food, lots of fighting, often shouting and even violence.
This was not even comparable. Mr. and Mrs. Frost smiled happily as they talked, looking into each others’ eyes warmly. Maddi and Ryan were talking animatedly about school, Maddi working hard to convince Ryan to ask a girl to a winter dance. The entire evening was very comfortable and smooth save for one incident.
“So, Poe,” Mr. Frost had begun, sawing through his roast beef as he did. “What do you do for a living?”
I took my time chewing a spoonful of corn, then swallowed painfully slowly. “I’m a writer, actually. I’m holding a job as a waitress while I work on getting my first novel published.”
The neurosurgeon frowned deeply, looking down at his dinner in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his disapproval. “I see.”
“I’ve had a lot of great feedback from literary agents,” I added, the discomfort and embarrassment seeming to eat my stomach alive. This was Frost’s father and at that, the sort of father that I gathered expected far too much of his son and any friends of his son. I would have to work a lot of white lies to get this man’s approval. “I’m just waiting to hear back on some queries. It’s a bit tough to keep up on my tuition bills and rent right now, but I’ve been told that my work has a lot of potential once I get published.”
“I see,” he repeated numbly.
After that, Mrs. Frost jumped in and covered up the awkward conversation with questions about work and school. But, even more foreboding than Mr. Frost’s disapproval of me, I noticed that he and Frost never looked at each other in the course of the meal, much less spoke.
Following dinner, Maddi and Ryan started clearing the dishes. I collected my silverware on my plate and pushed my chair back to get up and help clear the table, but Frost caught my wrist and held me seated. “What are you doing?” he asked quietly, an eyebrow risen.
I frowned at him, returning, “What do you mean?”
He glanced at my hand on my empty glass, ready to bring it to the kitchen to wash, then met my gaze again, his icy eyes confused, but sympathetic. “Poe, you’ve been through a lot today and it’s their turn anyway. Let them get the dishes.”
A solid five seconds of silent contemplation ensued, then I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“What’s not to understand? We take turns on dishes and you’re a guest. You’re not on the schedule, especially after the day you’ve had. Just relax.”
I shook my head again. “But…why…no. I have to help at least.”
Frost read my face in silence for a moment, his icy eyes probing me. Finally, he frowned. “Really, Poe. Relax. You don’t have to do anything but sit here.”
“Um…okay.” I sat back, confused. It was not that complicated, really, but something about not doing dishes just did not click in my head. I had washed dishes at every meal since I could reach the Aarons’ kitchen faucet. A break didn’t seem right. I was exhausted, though, and I tried to let the weird feeling pass. I rested my elbow on the arm of my chair and put my head in my hand. My head was pounding again, this time throughout my skull rather than just at the injured areas, as if I had a migraine coming. I shouldn’t have been surprised, really.
“Tired?”
I nodded to Frost, not lifting my head. He sighed and I could hear the exhaustion in his voice too. “I’m going to bed. Are you coming?”
I nodded again, rubbing my temples to try and ease the headache away. Frost stood up out of his chair, then gently took my upper arm and helped me to my feet. I blinked coming sleep out of my eyes and walked with him out of the dining room and to the staircase, leaving the sound of clattering plates and voices behind us. “Where’s your room?” I asked him.
“I’m the last door at the very end of the hall. Don’t hesitate to wake me if you need anything. I’m supposed to check on you every couple hours anyway for your concussion, so it’s not like you’ll be interrupting a restful sleep.”
“Frost, you don’t have to do all this, you know.” I protested quietly, feeling guilty and pathetic. He should not have to make sacrifices for a girl like me. He barely knew me and I knew that I wasn’t worth his time or effort.
We reached my room and Frost held the door open as he turned to me. “You know, Poe, you’re not alone. If you want to talk about anything…I know you have a lot to say and I’m a good listener.”
I bit my lip. “Thanks, Frost. That…means a lot to me.”
He nodded, eyes swimming with molten ice. “No problem. Goodnight.”
