Page 10 of Always Us

“I’m sorry, Sean.” Jade nods at me, telling me she’ll stay out it. “But you’re still going to the surgery?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Okay, well, have a nice Thanksgiving.”

“You, too. Garret, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah. Bye.”

“I didn’t mean to race you off the phone,” Jade says.

“It’s fine. He’s at his parents’ house. He couldn’t talk long.”

“He shouldn’t be going to Harper’s surgery on Friday. It’s just going to cause problems.”

“I know, but he really wants to be there.”

There’s a knock on the door and I hear Frank’s voice. “Jade? Garret? We’re having dinner in a few minutes.”

Jade opens the door. “We’re coming. We fell asleep and didn’t realize it was so late. Garret, are you ready?”

“Yeah.” I follow her out to the hallway, taking a deep breath to get control of myself again. That call with my dad put me on edge and I need to relax.

It’s time to put on a show. Smile and act happy. Pretend everything’s good.

CHAPTER THREE

3

JADE

Garret and I walk into the living room. Frank is standing there, next to a tall, thin woman with blond hair, who I’m guessing is Karen. She has on dark jeans and a light blue, v-neck sweater. Her hair is chin-length and straight, but cut in layers so it has some fullness to it. It’s a cute haircut. Very modern. I pictured her looking older, with an old-lady haircut. I don’t know why. She’s 50, but could easily pass for mid-forties.

Frank has this big grin on his face. “Karen, this is Jade and her husband, Garret.” He looks at us. “Jade. Garret. This is Karen.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you both.” She shakes our hands. “It sounds like you live in a beautiful area. I’ve always wanted to visit California.”

“You’ll have to come out there sometime,” I tell her.

“Yes, we should do that,” Frank says.

We? I didn’t think Frank and Karen’s relationship was at the point where they’d take a trip together. But I guess it is. I guess their relationship is more serious than I thought. They’ve only dated a few months, but maybe when you’re old, things move faster.

Ryan comes up behind Frank, tongs in his hand. “The steaks are almost ready.”

“I can help with dinner,” I tell him. “What do you need?”

“Karen took care of the rest, so we’re all set. We’ll eat in a few minutes.” Ryan goes back outside.

“Let’s head to the dining room.” Frank puts his hand on Karen’s lower back and keeps it there as they walk in front of Garret and me on their way past the kitchen.

Garret nudges me and raises his eyebrows, like he thinks Frank’s getting lucky later. I nudge him back and mouth ‘stop it’ which makes him quietly laugh.

“Frank said you’re a nurse,” I say to Karen as we sit down.

“Yes, I work in obstetrics. Delivered two babies today.” She smiles. “Well, the doctor did, but I assisted her.”

“Do you like being a nurse?”

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