Page 36 of The Very First Night

“Oh, you’re going to get it,” he laughs as he stands up and gathers an armful of the pillows.

I quickly dart away, placing the kitchen island between us as he adopts what I can only describe as a fighting pose, preparing to strike.

At the exact moment he moves to lift a pillow, the sound of a key turning in the lock alerts us both to the front door opening. Tanner lowers the pillow to his side.

My mom steps into the room with little spatial awareness, looking down into her purse, searching for something. “Katarina?” she says loudly before looking up to make eye contact with me.

“Hey.”

“Sorry I’m home so late—one of the cooks called in sick, so it got a bit hectic.”

I look at the clock and realize it’s well past 1:00 AM. My gaze darts to Tanner, who has since set the pillows gently on the couch and is now standing tall, ready to be introduced to my mom.

Oh, shit. I guess I should do that.

“Mom, this is my friend Tanner from school.”

Her head jerks as she notices him standing there, a flush coloring her cheeks. “Where are my manners? I’m sorry, Tanner, it’s lovely to meet you. I’m Kat’s mom.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. M—” He pauses, no doubt realizing the flaw in his thinking. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You may call me Julie.” She gives him a reassuring smile before stepping into the kitchen. She inspects the freezer, clearly noticing the uneaten frozen lasagna. “Did you eat?”

“Yeah, uh—Tanner brought food.”

She nods, peering down at her watch. “Well, I need to get to bed. Randy called off tomorrow, so I have to work a double.”

And there it is, the words I was anticipating.

She’s bailing on Thanksgiving again.

She disappears into her bedroom and I stand in complete shock, though I shouldn’t be surprised.

“Are you okay?” Tanner asks as he approaches and rests his hand against the small of my back.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I wave my hand in an attempt to feign indifference and force out a laugh. My voice cracks as I do.

“Come to my house tomorrow,” he whispers so quietly I can barely hear him.

“I can’t do that. That would be rude.”

“It’s not rude, because I’m inviting you. Come tomorrow—my mom loves meeting new people.”

I dwell on the thought for a moment before turning to him. His eyes are so sincere that I quickly come to a decision.

“Okay.”

SIXTEEN

KAT

I squirm uneasily on the creaky front porch of Tanner’s childhood home, the scent of roasted turkey wafting out the door and teasing my senses. Nervousness tightens my chest at the thought of facing his family after being invited so last-minute. Despite Tanner’s reassurance, I feel like an imposing idiot. I quickly wipe my hands on my sweater, hoping it will conceal any stains from my disastrous attempt at making green bean casserole. Trusting that Tanner’s mom has the dessert covered, I take a deep breath and timidly knock on the door, wondering if I am intruding on their cherished family holiday.

The door swings open to reveal Tanner, smiling ear to ear.

“You made it!” he says as he reaches to grab the casserole dish from my hands.

He is dressed in dark-wash jeans and a cable-knit maroon sweater. Weirdly enough, it is almost the exact same shade as my sweater.

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