CHAPTER TWENTY
Tim
It was a couple of weeks after the Orchid Ball, and I’d been in a terrible mood ever since. Natalie had left the ball with Heath, and if anything, they’d seemed even closer over the past several days. Every time I’d asked her to hang out, she’d had an excuse as to why she couldn’t do it.
And I hated it.
I was pouring syrup over Mom’s homemade waffles, when she said something that almost made me snap.
“We’ve invited Heath Reyes, Natalie’s surgeon friend, for Thanksgiving. Isn’t that great?”
I stared at her while Dad, Sadie, Harrison, and Alexis were all very supportive.
“Tim! Watch what you’re doing?”
I looked down, realizing I’d never stopped pouring syrup. I had a fucking lake of syrup in my plate. “Oh, shit. Sorry.” I winced. I’d used almost the entire container. And I was pretty sure I’d ruined my waffle. “I guess I just assumed it would be all of us plus Nat and Wyn. And that would be it.”
Mom gave me a look while Alexis took my plate to the sink and tried to pour the syrup back into the container. “We should just be glad that she’s made that man understand that we’re her family.”
“I guess.” The thought of having to see his face across the Thanksgiving table from me made me sick.
“Now, we’re doing a breakfast. Diana Crenshaw has invited everyone for Thanksgiving lunch around three or four that day.
You know Carrie filed for divorce from that husband of hers, and I think she wants as many friends around her daughter at this time as possible.
I doubt Nat and Heath will go to that, of course. ”
“I’m glad Carrie’s divorcing him,” I said. “She deserves better than that jackass.”
I didn’t get an argument from anyone.
“I saw you and Carrie dancing at the Orchid Ball,” Mom said in what she probably thought was a sly voice.
“Mom,” Sadie snapped. “Carrie’s not even divorced yet. Leave Tim alone.” She looked at me and gave me the smallest possible wink.
I frowned. Did she know I’d kissed Natalie in the haunted maze? Did she know how I still felt about her?
Thanksgiving dawned bright and beautiful. I would have been in a lot better mood if I’d gotten to spend any time with Natalie since the kisses in the maze at the Orchid Ball. I’d thought I would get to today, but if Heath was going to be here it didn’t count.
I had picked up a huge platter of pastries from the bakery downtown and brought them over to Mom and Dad’s.
Sadie and Harrison showed up with orange juice.
Lots of orange juice. Wyn had brought a huge fruit salad and chocolate chips for anyone who wanted them in their pancakes or waffles.
Alexis brought Redi-Whip and fruit. We all knew Nat had never really liked maple syrup.
Dad was handling the meat, making sausage balls and bacon.
Mom had fired up the waffle iron, and Sadie manned the pancake station.
When Nat and Heath got there, Nat immediately got to work on the eggs and hashbrowns. Heath had brought a huge basket of gourmet jams, jellies, apple butter, biscuits, scones, and bagels.
I think we could’ve eaten for a week off all the food in the house that morning.
But that’s kind of what the holidays are all about. And who doesn’t love the leftovers?
We all sat around the table like usual and had a free for all over the food. Heath kind of got lost in the shuffle, which pleased me until I realized Nat had made a plate for him.
I heard a car door close from what sounded like across the street. Oh no.
Mom went back to her new favorite hobby—spying on the neighbor across the street. She had her binoculars set on a side table in front of the window with the best view.
“What is she doing?” I heard Heath whisper to Natalie.
Before Natalie had to answer, I came to her rescue. “My mother has decided the nice lady who moved in across the street is a serial killer.”
Heath blinked. I’d never seen him rattled before. But this did it. He looked around the table to see if maybe we were playing a joke on him. Everyone just went on eating, as if everything was normal.
“Oh, don’t act like it’s so weird,” Mom said from her perch. She didn’t turn around or stop spying. “This is the first time she’s had family over since she moved in. Suspicious, if you ask me.”
Alexis rolled her eyes. “Could you please pass the biscuits, Dad?”
He did it without commenting.
“Do you know she said she doesn’t like cookies?”
It was unclear who my mom was talking to.
I loved Natalie even more when she spoke up. “Are you serious, Lynne? She doesn’t like cookies?”
Mom whipped her head around. “Yes! Can you believe it? I took her an assortment of homemade flavors. Worked all day on it. She turned her nose up at it and said she didn’t like cookie or sweets of any kind.”
“You… you think she’s a serial killer because she doesn’t like cookies?” Heath said in a very judgmental tone.
“That is strange,” Nat said, defending Mom. I mean… it was weird that she thought someone’s cookie preferences were somehow tied to homicidal instincts, but whatever. Mom had said stranger things before.
“Well, that and I saw blood dripping from the trunk of her car.” Mom said angling her binoculars for a better view.
Heath gasped.
“I’m pretty sure it was just rusty water,” Dad said, finally speaking up. He looked conflicted, though. “I mean… it did look like blood. But surely it was rusty water.”
“Well, they went inside. Show’s over.” She came back to the table. “Natalie, will you be going over to Heath’s family sometime today?”
She acted like she hadn’t just done something super strange in the middle of Thanksgiving breakfast.
“Yes,” Heath said, bemused. “For dinner.”
Natalie looked at him in surprise. “But Heath, your parents are on a cruise…”
Heath cleared his throat, cutting her off. “On behalf of my parents, I’d like to invite all of you to our formal Christmas Eve ball.”
Everyone got quiet and paused in the middle of what they were doing.
It was quiet for too long, and I could tell Nat was dying for someone to say something.
“Well, thank you, Heath! We’d all love to be there,” Mom assured him.
The look on Dad’s face said everything about how much he’d ‘love’ to be there. I agreed with him, but everyone else seemed pleased enough to go.
And I had to admit I was glad it seemed that Heath was including us as Natalie’s family, just like Mom had said.
She needed that. “We’ll be there,” I said and received a warm smile from Nat.
“Feel free to bring a date,” Heath said, looking at me with less than friendly eyes.
“I’m not dating anyone right now,” I said with a big smile. “But it’ll be nice to hang out with Nat some at the ball.”
Was I giving up? Did I think she belonged with Heath?
Hell, no.