Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“ I really can make myself scarce for a few hours. I don’t mind.”
Ashley was elbow-deep in pizza dough and was using another hand to baste the chicken with a thick and creamy red sauce. She had a smattering of flour on her nose and a large brown stain on the front of her apron, but she couldn’t have looked happier.
It wasn’t something Amy was used to seeing because having people over always threw her for a loop.
By now, Eric would’ve found a way to upset her.
“Nonsense. You’re family, and you’re staying for the family gathering,” Ashley replied with a pointed look. “You can set up the foldable tables in the backyard, and you’ll find a few tablecloths in the compartment under the dining room table.”
“Which ones should I use?”
Ashley waved her comment. “Whatever you want. When you’re done, you can take the plates and cutlery out and set them around the dining room table.”
Amy glanced from the clutter on the counter, with several bottles of sauces, and the pots and pans on the stove to Ashley herself, who looked happy and in her element. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help here?”
Ashley shook her head. “Angie will be here soon, and so will Emily and Sophia. Between the three of them, I’ll have more than enough help. Jude will come and help you once he gets back from the store.”
Sighing, Amy spun on her heel and made her way outside. While she didn’t feel comfortable staying for the family gathering, given everything Ashley had already done for her, Amy knew the least she could do was help set up. So, she found herself in the backyard, standing underneath the late morning sun and studying the greenery around her, with a row of rose bushes on one side and two smaller trees on the other. When Jude stepped outside and lifted a hand to his face, Amy had already unfolded two tables and was wiping them down.
Wordlessly, he left his shoes by the door and walked over to her. “I see Ashley has you on backyard duty.”
“I’m happy to help,” Amy said with a smile. “I really appreciate the two of you letting me stay here and wanting to include me in everything.”
Jude hoisted up another one of the tables, a lock of white hair falling over his left eye. “You’re family, Amy. You don’t need to thank us for anything.”
“I appreciate it anyway.”
Silence settled around them as they moved the tables around. Then, Amy unfolded a few of the tablecloths and spread them out. Pausing to smooth out the wrinkles, Amy heard the first of the guests arrive. She leaned sideways and saw Angie, Rebecca’s daughter and the chef at the Herring Cove Inn, burst in, carrying a black duffel bag. With a laugh, Emily appeared and unzipped the bag, taking out a series of pots and pans to set out on the remaining space in the kitchen. A short while later, Terry, Angie’s sister and a criminal lawyer who had her own practice, appeared, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a determined gleam in her eyes.
Together, all four women set to work, chopping vegetables and marinating the poultry and meat. The doorbell rang, and a tall man with wisps of thinning hair and pit stains under his arms came in. Although it took Amy a while to place him, she eventually recognized him as Lily’s Uncle Frankie, whose loud voice echoed throughout the house.
His wife, Paula, came in shortly after and joined the rest of the women in the kitchen, pulling a cutting board and knife closer to her. The doorbell rang as Amy was heading back inside. She was carrying the dinner plates as if her life depended on it and paused only to offer Jonathan and Suzie, Frankie and Paula’s kids, a small smile. Wordlessly, Jonathan’s wife, Joanne, came over to help her, and the two of them worked in companionable silence while Amy struggled to remember all of the names and match them to their faces.
A pair of teenagers shuffled into the kitchen, and Amy stopped to glance at them over her shoulder, smiling when Ashley swatted them both out of the kitchen. When they brushed past her, Amy’s stomach dipped, not being used to having so many family members around at the same time. She half expected someone to start yelling or a plate to break somewhere, bringing an end to the steady stream of conversation and laughter.
With a sigh, Amy watched as the teenagers went out into the backyard to finish setting up. Joanne Wilson, Jonathan’s wife, introduced them as Jaxon and Reese, her kids.
By the time Amy finished setting up the dining room table, more and more of the Wilson clan was arriving. She spotted Rebecca, Lily’s other aunt, in the living room, clearing away the coffee table and chatting with another woman with bright red hair. The two of them waved at Amy, and she gave them both a polite wave back, taking far too long to recognize the woman with red hair as Alice, Rob’s wife.
Rob, Rebecca’s son, was speaking loudly, his voice spilling in from the backyard and earning a chorus of laughter.
Ashley’s son, Jeff, arrived when preparations were halfway through, his hair in tufts on top of his head and his eyes tight around the edges. His expression immediately softened as he hugged his mother, with his wife, Tay, pausing to do the same. Together, the two of them stepped back and called out to their kids, Jason and Maria. Then, Emily’s kids, Charlotte and Savannah, came in, carrying coolers and plastic bags full of chips and an assortment of snacks.
Amy beamed when they recognized her.
It wasn’t long before laughter filled every corner of Ashley and Jude’s house, even spilling out into the backyard. Every space was occupied, and Amy found herself squeezing past a few times to carry out trays and casseroles of food. She was carrying out pots full of meat to Frankie, who was stationed at the grill, when Lily and Ben arrived.
Lily pulled her in for a hug and lingered before greeting everyone else.
Ian and Sophia, her late Aunt Kelly’s kids, called out when they came in through the door, looking flushed and sweaty.
Lily’s Aunt Heather was the last to arrive with her husband, Ed, in tow, and their two kids, Luke and Tammy, following close behind, carrying even more coolers full of drinks and snacks. Tammy’s husband, James, and Luke’s wife, Denise, immediately dispersed, finding different ways to help. Their children, Josh and Emma, introduced themselves briefly before vanishing in the avalanche of people around her.
Amy had never seen so many family members in one place.
All of them looked genuinely happy to be there.
Conversation rose and fell as Amy made several trips to and from the kitchen, always finding Ashley when she needed help. Her arms ached from carrying so many casseroles and dishes, but she didn’t mind. Being around the Wilson clan, in all of their messy and chaotic nature, made her feel like she was part of something bigger.
Something that mattered.
And she hadn’t realized just how much she missed being part of a functional and happy family until she was included. Everyone went out of their way to be nice and talk to her, making her feel less and less like an outsider with each passing minute. Her stomach was full of butterflies, and her heart was racing as she moved steadily back and forth, basking in the warmth and love around her.
This was how a family was meant to behave.
And this was how it was meant to feel to host parties.
Although a small part of her kept hearing Eric’s voice in her head, finding reasons to criticize everything she did, she did her best to push it to the back of her mind. Instead, she focused on the stories being told and the sound of laughter filling the air.
Her forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat when she paused to lean against the nearest wall and catch her breath.
Her entire body hurt, but it was a pleasant kind of ache.
The kind she wouldn’t trade for the world.
When Ashley waved her over, she squeezed her way past the teenagers, who were all sulking in the corner and eyeing the food intently. Amy carried the last of the food out to the dining room table and lingered there. Ashley and Jude materialized at the head of the table, and in the next instant, everyone descended on the food. Platters of mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, and an assortment of meat and chicken in thick, creamy sauces littered every inch of the table, along with several plates of salad.
Someone handed Amy a plate, and she found herself sitting at a table outside with Emily next to her and the grass beneath her feet. Unable to enjoy her food, Amy pushed it around and thought of her own children and how much she wished they were there. Still, a steady stream of conversation continued around her, with Amy only half-listening. Emily kept giving her concerned looks as Lily and Ben joined them at the table.
Eventually, Amy stood to carry her half-eaten plate back inside.
On her way past, she collided with Ruby, Tara’s sullen and pale-faced daughter. Amy’s plate went flying out of her hand, and it fell to the floor with a crash, sending little shards of it in every direction.
Horrified and feeling her stomach twist into tight knots, Amy got down on her hands and knees to collect the pieces, hardly caring they nicked her skin or were drawing blood. Her palms were sweating, and her heart wouldn’t stop hammering uneasily in her chest.
Amy even felt that morning’s breakfast rise to the back of her throat.
She didn’t realize people were looking at her until Lily pulled her to her feet.
Most of the Wilson clan was now openly staring.
There was a ringing in Amy’s ears, and her chest felt tight with worry. As she glanced around, half-expecting to see Eric’s cruel sneer in the sea of faces, Amy only felt worse. She dropped the little pieces of the plate she’d collected, and her hands flew to her mouth. A low choked sound fell from her lips, and Amy darted off down the hallway, pushing her way past people.
The tightness in her chest didn’t ease until she reached her room and slammed the door shut. When Emily poked her head in, brows furrowed in concern, Amy was pacing and struggling to breathe past the fear and panic clawing their way around her chest. With a frown, Emily stepped in and let the door click shut behind her. She crossed over to Amy, took both of her hands in hers, and waited.
Amy didn’t realize she was crying until her shoulders shook. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause a scene. I just…when the plate broke…”
“You reacted on impulse because you were expecting Eric to appear and yell at you.” Emily squeezed Amy’s hands and gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know it’s hard, but you’re going to get through this. It’s just going to take some time.”
Amy blew out a deep, shaky breath. “I thought I was over it already.”
And she desperately wanted to be.
She didn’t want Eric to have any kind of hold on her, especially not here, of all places.
“You need to go easy on yourself,” Emily offered, pausing to give her a kind smile. “And don’t worry about the plate. Do you want to come back out? Everyone is worried about you.”
Reluctantly, Amy allowed Emily to lead her back out. Emily took her to the couch, and the two of them sat down. As soon as they did, they were surrounded by members of the Wilson family, all of them wearing identical expressions of concern. Amy was handed another plate of food, and the tightness in her chest was replaced with a swell of emotion: gratitude and happiness all rolled into one.
Her heart was full, and she felt lighter than she had in years. Almost as if she was floating from one end of the house to the next.
More and more of the knots in her stomach were being replaced by a warm and pleasant unfurling in the center of her stomach.
By the end of the night, she had almost forgotten about the plate incident completely.