Page 91 of Burning for Alexander
Nailed it.
Ella
You are literally in your office with a half-eaten order of mozzarella sticks next to your face.
I glanced up and saw her standing in the hallway outside my office.
“I hate you,” I said without any feeling.
“Mfh. Tell me what else is new.”
She typed on her phone, and another text came through on the family chain.
Ella
Hey, I tried this great red the other day. Alex, can you pick up some…what was it called… Woodbridge Cab Sauv?
Dad
You mock me, daughter.
She snickered and put her phone away. “Tell him you’ve decided to make sangria with Sutter Home because Tastings says it has hintsof Fig Newton.”
“Why are you here?” I asked. “You were here earlier today. I’m starting to feel like there’s something going on.”
“Fine. I was elected to ‘Make Sure He Doesn’t Bail.’ My job is to pick up you and Tavo and bring you to the lodge tonight. Mandatory family fun starts at o’dark thirty tomorrow.”
I glared at her. “No. I reject your interfering ways. I will come to the lodge when I get up in the morning and not a minute sooner.”
She gave me a mock-pitying look. “’Fraid that’s not an option, Alexander the Grape. It’s my way or the highway. Actually, it’s my way, or Uncle Derek said he was bringing the stun gun. Apparently, you owe him a game of Sequence, and he intends to get you to pay up tonight.”
I groaned. The last thing I needed was Marian interference in what had become my nightly pity-party ritual.
“Make concessions,” I insisted. “If I go tonight, I can leave right after the meal tomorrow.”
She held out her hands in an “I don’t know, I don’t make the family’s stupid rules” shrug. We both knew once I was under the tractor-beam-like powers of our fathers, there was no way I was leaving before midnight tomorrow. We also both knew if I didn’t come tonight, our parents would just turn up here, wondering what was wrong.
And there was absolutely nothing wrong.
“Fine. I need to tell Tavo and pack a bag.”
She hopped up and followed me out to the front of the house so I could tell Mali to stop seating people if she hadn’t already.
But when I got as far as the bar area, I stopped and stared.
“Hey, Alex,” Kaidee greeted me with a friendly smile. “How are you? I’m just here grabbing pizza since I got in too late to cook, and Judd had to work late.”
Her words struck like boulders to the chest. “Oh. You’re here for Thanksgiving? With Judd?”
I hoped my voice sounded breathy and high only to me and not to everyone else. Unfortunately, I felt my sister’s eyes on the side of my face.
“Yeah, but he said your family invited us to Thanksgiving out at their place. A historic inn, I think? Is that right?”
This couldn’t be happening.
“Oh,” I managed to say. “Yes, well.”
Thankfully, Ella sensed my freak-out and took over.
