Page 83 of Siren's Game

He starts eating and really all of us start nibbling on our food. When I realize Kayla is staring at some appetizers on my second plate, I scoot it over to the middle of the table so she can try them out.

She reaches for one and cuts it in half, shooting me a small grin as she puts one half on her plate.

Luca and Millie walk into the room a bit later with confused looks, trying to find us.

"Luca!” My dad waves the two over when it looks like they’re searching for a free table. We scoot together so they can fit at the table as well. “Come over here and spend some time with us. It’s been ages we’ve seen you." My dad greets him, and Luca says hello him with a hand on his shoulder as he sits down. "How have you been?"

"I've been amazing," he says with a grin that could light up the room and reaches for Millie's hand. "You know my girlfriend, Millie?"

"Only from the news," Mom chimes in with a chuckle and smiles at her. "It's so good to meet you." Then she turns to Luca. "You should really bring her to Thanksgiving this year." Then she turns around to Kayla. "You're invited too, of course!" My eyes dart between my parents.

What the hell are they already planning Thanksgiving for? It's not even summer yet.

Millie's eyes dart around nervously. "I usually spend Thanksgiving with my parents."

"Well, bring them along too. The more, the merrier."

"Speaking of, what do your parents do?" my dad asks Kayla, and suddenly the playful banter subsides and the table falls silent. I can see Kayla's jaw tense and a muscle tick, but she gulps down her anxiety and takes a deep breath.

"Oh, they're lawyers. They'll be busy on Thanksgiving." I’m sure my parents don’t notice it, but my gut clenches at the icy undertone in Kayla’s voice.

"Lawyers? Shouldn't they be jumping at the chance to help you out with your label conundrum?" Dad looks a bit puzzled, and given the context he has, I don’t blame him.

"They kind of disowned me fornotbecoming a lawyer, so that's not happening," Kayla says, straightforward, and I feel my mom kick my dad under the table again. Because she misses and hits my shin instead.

"Ouch!" I lean down to rub my shin where she hit me.

"Sorry, hun." Mom shoots me an apologizing glance. "It was not intended for you."

"I apologize," my dad says immediately, to his credit. "I put my foot in my mouth there, apparently."

"It's fine, you couldn't have known," Kayla grits out, and she even manages to make her face look relaxed, but I can see how hard she's fighting for composure.

Luca quickly steers the conversation to a more secure topic for the remainder of the meal, while Millie darts worried glances towards Kayla. I can't help but worry as well.

She's so tense. Only this short conversation managed to ruin her mood. I can see it in her tight shoulders and the way she scoots her food around on her plate instead of eating it, even though she was wolfing down all kinds of food they have here just minutes ago.

"Ellis!" A couple stops at our table, right behind Mom. The man looks a bit older than my dad. The woman on his arm, however, is way younger. She can't be much older than her mid-twenties. It’s a dynamic you see very often in the industry, but it never fails to give me the ick.

"Jordan," Dad says and gives him a curt nod.

"Listen, did you get a chance to look at the e-mail I sent you this morning yet?" he asks, ignoring everyone else at the table, especially my mom whose head he's speaking over.

I want to speak up and maybe remind him of the definition of manners, but my dad gives me a subtle nudge with his elbow. It's probably someone important.

"No, I haven't, Jordan," he answers patiently with a tight smile on his face. "But this is an occasion to celebrate. Let's not talk about work here."

I can see my mom trying to stifle a laughter and even Kayla looks like she's fighting a grin. Oh, how the tables turned within minutes.

"Yeah, yeah." That Jordan guy waves my dad off. "Congrats on a successful event and such."

Now his bored eyes finally wander over the rest of the table and recognize who else is sitting here. "Ah, I see you are celebrating the newest family member."

"Well, actually—"

"You must be gearing up for grandkids soon, right?" He bursts into a booming laughter and the woman on his arm shoots us an apologetic glance. "Means you can finally stop working, young lady," he says to Kayla.

She sits up a bit straighter, challenge twinkling in her eyes as she crosses her arms in front of her chest. Whether it’s a defensive mechanism or because that dickhead was about to leer down her cleavage, I don’t know.

---