Page 18 of Unbelonging
Keith tried to press the issue of disturbing the peace, and since at least one of the guys – Lawton Rastor – was easy to identify, the police promised to look into it. But Keith's sullen demeanor for the remainder of the night suggested he thought this unlikely.
What I couldn’t figure out was what started the fight in the first place. One of my customers, a tall guy with a window seat, swore he saw the other two guys jump Lawton in the parking lot, but since I didn't see it for myself, I tried to withhold judgment and not think too much about it.
But it wasn't easy. Lawton was proving easy to think about, but hard to forget.
Chapter 11
The soft trilling sound made me want to throw my cell phone across the Parkers' guest room. Somehow, I'd forgotten to turn off the ringer, and no matter how soothing the sound wassupposedto be, it still grated on my foggy brain.
I glanced at the digital clock on the night stand. It was just after nine in the morning. My waitressing shift had ended only four hours ago. After driving back, walking Chucky, and taking a shower, I hadn't been sleeping nearly long enough to function like a real human being.
Groaning, I fumbled for the phone and looked at the display.
Shit. It was Loretta.
For the briefest instant, I debated letting the call go to voicemail, but that wouldn't solve anything. I'd have to call her back later, and the dread of it would make it that much harder to fall back asleep. Better to get it out of the way so I could slip back into oblivion.
I took a deep breath and hit the button. "Hello."
"Don't tell me you're still asleep?" she said. "God, it's practically noon."
Obviously, noon was still a few hours off, but math had never been my stepmother's strong suit. "I worked late," I said.
"I wish I could sleep all day," Loretta said. "Must be nice."
"Nice?" I gritted my teeth. "Yeah? Well, whileyouwere sleeping, I was working, so I guess it all evens out then, doesn't it?"
"There's no need to get snippy," she said.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Snippy? I could show her snippy. But telling her off wasn't an option. My short-term satisfaction would only lead to long-term misery for my younger brother, Josh, who still lived there. Sort of.
"Hey!" Her shrill voice interrupted my thoughts. "You didn't fall back asleep, did you?"
"No, I'm awake." I hated that I sounded defensive, like a teenager caught smoking in the bathroom.
"Good," she said. "Because your Dad's gotten this idea that we should all celebrate Thanksgiving together. And I'm telling you now, so you don't screw up our schedule."
"Thanksgiving?" I mumbled. "Really? Who does he mean by all?"
"Don't be dense," she said. "Him, you, me, Josh. Who else?"
I didn't bother asking about Grandma. Even if she were invited, she wouldn't go. But she wasn't the only person missing from Loretta's little list.
"What about Lauren?" I asked. Lauren was Loretta's natural daughter. She was nearly my age, but rated a lot higher than me or Josh. No way she'd be left out.
"She might come over later," Loretta said.
The whole thing was odd. Loretta loved to cook, but never for us. Honestly, I was surprised my Dad would suggest such a thing. Even for him, this was incredibly stupid.
I had a pretty good idea how the day would end, with Loretta hurling insults, and maybe a couple of dishes. Dad would pretend not to notice, I'd pretend not to care, and Josh would pretend Mom hadn't left us for some washed-up racecar driver.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Unfortunately, saying no wasn't an option. Josh wouldn't have a choice. And if Josh was going to be there, I was going to be there. If nothing else, Loretta's special brand of holiday cheer would fall on my shoulders instead of his. Still, the whole thing would be a total nightmare, unless –
"Hey, can I bring someone?" I asked on impulse.
"Like who?" she asked.
