Page 31 of Coty

“Come on.” My brother sees my fight-or-flight kick in and ushers me to the kitchen.

“Kayla, there you are.” Aunt Ellen rushes over and hugs me.

Whoa. Who is this alien, and what has she done with my aunt? She’s never hugged me before. Well, not that I can remember.

“Nice of you to join us, dear.” Mom shoves silverware into my hands. She shows no emotion whatsoever.

Okay. Guess I’m helping. “Yeah. Thanks for inviting me.”

After placing a set of silverware by each plate, I take my usual seat on Mom’s right. I’m on this side of the table by myself. David is across from me with Aunt Ellen to his right, next to Dad. The table is covered with dishes like this is Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The meal is awkward. I don’t know why they invited me. Dad and his sister talk about her life in New York. Mom and David talk about his new job at a local winery. I didn’t realize being a winemaker was such a big deal. No one speaks to me. It’s fine. The faster I clean this plate, the faster I can get out of here. This family fiasco is almost over.

“Well, Kayla. What’s up with you?” Aunt Ellen asks.

“What?” I cover my mouth with my hand, almost choking on my food.

“I asked, What are you up to these days?” Unlike my other family members, Aunt Ellen looks me in the eye and waits for a reply.

“Oh.” I dab my napkin to my lips. “My friend, Kira, is getting married in two weeks.”

“Oh, how lovely.” Aunt Ellen isn’t impressed.

“I’m her Maid of Honor,” I add. It was a stupid move.

“You mean Kira Mitchell? Your college roommate?” Mom asks.

“Yes. Her.” I take a sip of water, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut.

“Interesting,” Dad sneers.

“Is something wrong with this Kira?” Aun Ellen looks around the table at each of us.

“Let’s just say everything and forget her,” Dad replies.

“She got Kayla in so much trouble.” Mom rolls her eyes.

“Oh.” Aunt Ellen sits up straighter. “I guess it’s a good thing I showed up then.”

I glance up at my brother. He stares back as he takes a bite of ham. I snap my head toward Mom, then to Dad. Finally, I settle on Aunt Ellen.

“What are you talking about?” All four of them are in on whatever this is. I’m sure of it.

“Well.” Aunt Ellen lays her napkin on the table and shifts her body to face me. “I’m here to hire you for my company.”

“You live in New York,” I remind her.

She nods. “I do, and I was just promoted to department manager. I need an office manager.”

“New York out of office managers?” I ask, snarkily.

“Kayla, mind your manners,” Mom scolds.

“I’m here to offer the job to a family member. If I remember correctly, it was your dream to work in an office in New York.” Aunt Ellen tilts her head. “It would be nice to see that degree of yours and the money my brother paid for it, to go to good use.”

Ah, yes. There’s my snooty aunt. Guess the aliens didn’t want to keep her after all. With her attitude, I can’t say I blame them. But did they have to bring her back here? Pluto would be a lovely planet for Aunt Ellen.

“I don’t have a degree,” I inform her.

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