Page 47 of The Summer We Mended
Anna wiped her mouth with a napkin.“So… what do you guys think?Should we crash game night at Mom’s?”
Cody arched a brow.“Those game nights get intense.I’m not emotionally prepared for charades.”
“Come on,” Jess said, feeling lighter than she had all week.“We can at least stop by for a bit.”
They paid the bill, split it without argument, and walked out together.The drive to her Aunt Lily’s was short.Jess kept thinking about the conversation with her cousins and how they had helped her get out of her head for a short time.She was back in her head, driving alone now, but they’d given her hope that it was possible to get out.
When they all stepped into Lily’s house, it was like walking into a different world.The living room was packed.Kids were sprawled on the carpet in front of the coffee table, deep into a game of Candy Land.The adults occupied the dining area and the kitchen, drinks in hand, laughter ricocheting off the walls.
Jess smiled.There was Margot, animatedly explaining the rules of a new game to Lily and Jess’s parents.The scent of brownies baking wafted through the air.
A tiny blur zoomed toward her.“Mama!”
Jess scooped up Maisie, spinning her around.“Hey, munchkin!”
“I’m having the best time!Grandma gave me a donut!”
“I see that,” Jess giggled.“It’s still on your face.”
“Cody!”Margot called out.“So glad you could join us!We’re about to play some gin rummy.Can I deal you three in?”
Jess stood there, watching the swirl of life around her.Everyone laughing.Kids shouting.Music playing low in the background.
“I’ll play,” Anna offered.
Cody was a little more hesitant.“Margot cheats when she keeps score.”
“Well, I never,” Margot gasped dramatically.
Everyone laughed, and Margot winked at Cody.“You can sit next to me and watch me like a hawk, superstar.”
“Deal,” he chuckled as he made his way to the table.
Jess was hesitant to play, wasn’t really feeling like getting tied up in a card game that went for long hours.As everyone stared back at her, she knew that she couldn’t say no.
“Okay, I guess I can play,” she said with a forced smile.“I’m old now, though.This can’t be a game that goes past midnight.”
“Midnight?”Anna asked with a mock gasp.“I was thinking ten.It’s just past eight now.Surely, we’ll all be ready for bed soon.”
“I’ll outlast you all,” Margot chimed in.
“You used to be the first one to tap out,” Henry chided.
This caused another round of laughter as they all agreed it was true.Anna, Cody, and Jess took their seats around the table.Jess was seated between Anna and Lily, which was nice.She felt more at ease there, knowing that they both understood her better than her own parents did.
She took a deep breath and watched as Margot started dealing the cards.Jess still wasn’t sure if she wanted to be here right now, but these game nights had been a core memory for her, and judging by the giggling coming from the floor where the kids were, it was going to be one for Maisie, too.She would play cards and be present in the moment, because she wanted to give her daughter a good childhood surrounded by love.
ChapterEighteen
Anna
Anna’s cards were fanned neatly in one hand as she eyed the discard pile with playful suspicion.Her other hand drummed a steady rhythm on the table beside her, tapping out a beat that matched the light hum of conversation and laughter that filled the house.She was sitting in an old plastic chair in the middle of her childhood living room, the same space where she’d learned to play gin rummy with her dad, her brother, and her cousins.The old rug beneath them had been swapped out years ago, and the couch had seen better days, but this warm, buzzing joy of family gathered close hadn’t changed.
It felt like old times.Almost.
Her gaze lingered on the empty corner by the fireplace, where her dad used to sit with a bowl of popcorn and a sly grin, always claiming he had the worst hand and then laying down a perfect gin.The ache in her chest tightened, and she swallowed hard, forcing her eyes back to her cards.
Luke would love this.He would’ve had a sarcastic comment ready for every play, and he’d be teaming up with one of the kids to sabotage the adults just for fun.The kids were part of the action now in their own way, cheering from the sidelines, dealing extra cards, or making up new rules that no one followed but pretended to for their sake.When he returned from this deployment, Anna made a mental note that they would definitely have a game night so they could include him.
