Page 27 of Crash

“Listen, I don’t want to be here either,” I say to him.

“And yet, here you are. In my house. With my family on Thanksgiving. I’ll have to deal with you soon enough, did you have to ruin today too?” His back is still to me, so I can’t see his face as he spews that particular load of hate.

I stand up from the chair, irritated at myself for letting his words get to me.

“You think you’re the first person who didn’t want me around? You’re not. And I didn’t ask anyone in your family for a job. Your brother came to me about it, and I realize he probably only did it to make Sandy happy, but I need a job. I don’t have rich parents or a trust fund. Or parents who care, for that matter. I’ll go make up an excuse to your mom and Sandy. Enjoy your holiday.” I put my half-empty glass on the counter and walk out of the kitchen.

I walk around the first floor until I hear Sandy’s voice. I follow it into a dining room beautiful enough to be on the cover of Architectural Digest. The table is long and covered with fall floral arrangements. I count sixteen chairs as Tracy starts to set the table.

Alex walks into the room, looking beautiful with her daughter in her arms. She smiles at me, and I smile back as I stand at the door to watch the scene before me: Lilian Clark and her daughters-in-law preparing for Thanksgiving. Across the space is a TV room where kids are laughing and playing. This is a happy family home. Apart from the summers I spent with my aunt, Tash, and Sandy, I’ve never experienced anything close to a happy family.

I have a mother who has always been detached and uninterested, and a father who’s only interest in me was controlling my every move. Luke Clark is right. I don’t belong here.

I clear my throat to get their attention. “Thanks for the drink, Mrs. Clark, but I’m going to go. I’ll see you all later tonight at Aunt Gabrielle’s house.” I don’t give them time to respond. I turn and leave the room, in search of the coat closet but I nearly trip over Travis.

“Yiyi!” he screams. “Dance!” He grabs my hand and takes me to the TV room where the kids are watching Trolls. The older kids are dancing toCan’t Stop the Feeling. Travis starts to jump and stomp and orders me to dance again.

CHAPTER 11

LUKE

“Fuck!” I say to myself. I grab a bottle of water and stick it in my pocket. I pick up my serving dish with the stewed chicken and walk towards the dining room. I drop it on the table and walk back out, looking for Vivienne.

It doesn’t take me long to find her. She’s in the room with the kids, barely taller than Emma, in the middle, dancing to some song. Travis tries to copy her moves, and I can’t help but laugh as he tries to shake his little butt.

“Yuke!” Travis yells, when he sees me. He runs over and grabs my hand, pulling me into the room. “Dance!”

“Yeah! Dance, Uncle Luke,” Tristan says, and he starts gyrating.

“Let me show you how it’s done,” I say, stepping into the room and doing my best Justin Timberlake moves. As I start to dance, I slap the water bottle in Vivi’s hand, and her face is stunned. The kids all follow me around the room, copying my moves.

I notice she’s just standing against the wall, watching me as she drinks her water. When the song ends, I take a dramatic bow, and the kids all clap.

“Dance!” Travis says, pointing at the TV when another song starts to play.

“Sorry, munchkins, but Uncle Luke has got to help serve dinner.”

“Lukey! There you are,” my mom says as she walks into the TV room. “We can eat soon, but I need help with the kid’s table. And Vivi, eat with us and then you can go help your aunt. JD’s here and we’re going to see if there are any handsome, single doctors he can introduce you to.”

“That’s a good idea, Mom,” I say with a laugh, “maybe JD knows a good shrink. Do they still do lobotomies?”

As if my mom didn’t hear my insult, she links her arm through Vivi’s and grabs my hand, leading us back to the dining room.

“No more talk of you leaving, Vivi. You two get to work.” Like she did before, she kisses my cheek and leaves the room, leaving me alone with Vivienne Chateau.

She happens to be looking right at me, the usual fight seemingly gone out of her. She doesn’t say a word. She grabs the tablecloth covered with turkeys and spreads it on the table. I grab the plates and place them on the table.

“You know,” she says, “I assumed your staff would be doing this.”

“We let them have today off. We just leave everything a mess for them to clean tomorrow, you know. We want to make sure we get our money’s worth after giving them the day off.” I say it as directly as possible. She purses her lips as she looks at me, probably trying to determine if I’m telling the truth. If that’s what she wants to believe about our family, fine, but the truth is, my mom does all the cooking for most of the holidays.

In fact, my parents have employed the same people my entire life. Most of my brothers’ lives too. They’ve paid the college education of the housekeeper’s daughter, but I refuse to tell this judgmental shrew any of that. She’ll probably find a way to twist it and turn it into something ugly.

I ignore her as I finish setting the big table.

“Finally,” I say, as I take off my apron. “Is the meeting of the minds over?” I ask of my brothers, JD, and Dad as they come back to the kitchen. “Just in time to eat while the rest of us did all the work.”

JD spots Alex and Addison and goes right to them, taking them both in his arms. He kisses Alex’s lips tenderly, but when he reaches for Addison, she pushes his hands away and hugs Alex.

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