Chapter 12
Cat
Thanksgiving Dinner
God, this is going to be awful. It’s freezing out here; what’s taking them so long to open the door?
I fold my hands under my chest and bounce up and down.
I should use my key, but it feels strange now that I’ve moved out.
I wish Ava could be here with me, I’d feel better.
She flew out to Nashville to spend the weekend with her parents.
Come on, this is ridiculous. I reach into my pocket to pull my key out and I hear my mother ask who is it.
Great, she’ll probably leave me out here to freeze and get frostbite to punish me.
“It’s Cat.”
She opens the door, and I see her for the first time since our fight and her physical attack on me.
She is flawless, as usual. A real socialite; every inch of her well-manicured from head to toe, string of pearls, blue form-fitting evening dress.
Not a hair out of place, it lays on her shoulder pulled back from her face perfectly, as if every hair is trained to stay in position.
“Good evening, Catherine. Happy Thanksgiving.”
Aloof. Looks like that will be the word for tonight. There’s a good chance inside is also going to be chilly for me tonight.
She moves back to let me in. “Hello, Mother. You look nice.”
“Thank you. So do you.” She folds her hands in front of her and motions toward the dining room. “Everyone’s here except for your sister. When she arrives, we’ll start dinner. As you know, Sophie is off tonight, but she made us a beautiful dinner. I’ll see you inside.”
She leaves me to close the door behind me. All right. After two hours I’m outta here. Me being here is all a show for my father and my brothers.
“Hi, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving.” I make my way around the table and greet Vanessa, Chris, Jay, and my dad with a kiss and a hug. My dad hugs me tight as usual. I don’t mind putting on a show for him.
“My kit Cat, where have you been, baby girl?”
“Dad, I talked to you yesterday.”
“It’s not the same as coming home to see you. I know you’re grown up now and you need your space, but you can still come over to see your parents.”
“I will try to come around more, but I’m working now.”
“You need to make time for family, baby girl. Family is everything. If you don’t have family you don’t have anything.” Oh my God, this is going to be the longest night of my life.
“You’re right, Dad. I will make time even if it’s just to pop by the office and say hi.”
“That’s my baby girl.”
I take a seat at the table next to Chris. “What’s up, sis? Haven’t seen much of you lately.”
“Like I told Dad, I’ve been busy.”
“Like Dad said, you can’t be too busy for family,” Jay says from across the table.
“Like I told Dad, I’m going to make time to come around more. Okay, Jay?”
I don’t mean to snap at him but this talk about family sticking together is getting on my nerves. They’re acting as if I’ve abandoned them. It’s only been two weeks since I moved out. I lived in another country for four years, and they didn’t complain about not seeing me.
“How is it living with Ava, Cat?” Vanessa asks.
“It’s great. We’ve gotten into a routine that works for us.”
“That’s good. Maybe Sasha and I can stop by one day to visit.”
“That would be fun, I’d love that. Sasha and I need to spend more time together, we had a lot of fun when I babysat, didn’t we, Sasha?” Her face lights up, and she reaches for me across the table.
“Aunty Cat, Aunty Cat!”
She wants me to pick her up. I laugh and go to get her. “Did you miss me?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I missed you too, baby.”
“Vanessa, you don’t mind if I take your daughter for a few minutes, do you?”
“No, not at all.”
I walk over to my chair with her and sit down. “I almost forgot I have something for you. My favorite time of the year is coming up, and I’m starting early with you.”
“Where is it, Aunty Cat?”
“You wait right here with your mommy. I’ll be right back with it.
” I go into the foyer to get the present out of my coat pocket.
She’s going to love it; it’s a little elf on a shelf snow globe.
When I saw it, the first person I thought of was Sasha.
The elf is perched on the top, when you shake it the glitter swirls all around and it changes different colors when you turn it on. It’s adorable, like her.
I stop mid-step when I hear voices. It’s Nick and Kate.
“Kate, let’s not pretend, the only reason I’m here is because of Cat.”
“I know—” Kate stops talking and puts her hand on her stomach. “Nick, the baby moved!” Kate takes his hand and places it on her stomach. I want to leave, but I can’t. He looks bored and irritated, but then his face lights up, looking at his hand on her stomach.
“I feel it. Is that him moving?”
“Yeah.” Kate bobs her head up and down with a big smile on her face.
Talk about twisting the knife in my heart. They’re sharing a moment; I shouldn’t be here. This should be something between the two of them.
“Nick, I think it’s time we tell everyone. I’m starting to show. We know you’re the father so I don’t think it makes a difference; it’s only my family, no one else.”
He looks at her apprehensively.
I turn to leave, and Nick looks up at me. I try to smile but I can’t. “Hi.” My voice wavers. “I came out to get something I bought for Sasha, but I can get it later.”
I turn around as fast as I can and leave, dropping back in to my seat in a daze.
“Aunty Cat!”
I hear Sasha and hold my head up, looking at her. “I’m sorry, Sasha, I think I forgot it at home. I’ll bring it by tomorrow, okay?”
She looks at me with her chubby cheeks and her eyes shining. “Okay,” she says, poking her lip out.
I’m sorry I’m disappointing her, but I can’t turn back to go out there.
I watch as Kate and Nick make their way around the room and say hello to everyone.
When they sit down, I take a long drink of my wine.
I’m going to need a lot of this to get through the night.
I only have to hold it together for another hour and a half. I’m not staying a minute longer.
Dinner was torture. I drank too much and I couldn’t eat a thing. I felt Nick watching me the entire time. I couldn’t look at him once. I felt like everyone knew about us. I wanted to bolt from the table, but I couldn’t.
After the table is cleared by the person my mother hired to serve dinner, she clears her throat and stands with her glass in her hand looking down at Kate, smiling. “Kate has a special announcement she would like to make.”
The last announcement she made ripped my heart out of my chest; this one might stop it. She’s probably hoping it will. Kate stands, looks around the table, and her eyes land on me. She wants me to hear what she has to say, even though we both know what it is. She wants me to hear it from her.
“I’m pregnant. Nick and I are having a baby.”
I drown out the sound of the happy voices all around me.
She hates me. If I didn’t know it before, I know it now.
She wants to see a reaction, but she’s not going to get one from me, not here.
I finish my drink and put on the best performance of my life.
I stand up and hold my glass up to Kate, my eyes unmoving, set on hers.
“Congratulations. We should all drink a toast to the happy couple and the upcoming birth of their baby. Kate, you are my big sister, I love you. I’m overjoyed you have found the love of your life.
A man who wants to be with you and love you for the rest of your life.
You deserve everything he’s going to give you and more.
And I sincerely mean that”—I put my hand over my heart— “from the bottom of my heart.” The best performance of my life.
My mother walks over to me nervously with her glass in her hand, like she’s afraid I’m going to say something I’m not supposed to. She doesn’t have to worry; I’m not saying anything else tonight. I’m ready to go home.
“Well, that was a lovely speech, dear. Every word summed up what we are all thinking and feeling.”
My dad stands up and kisses me on the cheek and I turn to him.
“Yes, I agree. Baby, that was very nice. There are so many things to be thankful for. Today, I’m most thankful for my family being under one roof together, especially Catherine. Nick, the newest member to our family, keep making my beautiful daughter as happy as she is tonight.”
For the first time tonight, since I saw him with Kate, I look at him. He’s looking at my father, his glass in his hand, and he holds it up to him and then holds it up to me. “I’ll try my best as long as she’ll let me.”
I need to leave before I fall apart. I’ve just got to hold it together a few more minutes. I can do it.
My father holds his glass to Kate. “Most of all I’m thankful for the new life you are going to bring into this family and for giving me another grandchild to love and spoil.”
Jay holds his glass up. “I’m ecstatic to hear the good news.
Sasha will finally have a cousin to play with.
Cat, they’re going to keep you busy. You had so much fun with Sasha, double the pleasure, double the fun; you’re going to be a great aunt and babysitter.
” He gleefully smiles. “I mean, your excellent babysitting services are going to be extended to Nick and Kate, right?”
Talk about being put on the spot. Over Kate’s dead body would she agree to me watching her child.
Ever. “Absolutely.” I smile as best I can.
At least one good thing came out of this night—Jay will stop looking at me like he thinks I’m hiding something.
He seems to be the happiest out of everyone to hear this delightful news.
Chris stands up and raises his glass high in the air. “To Nick and Kate and the new baby.”
“Don’t forget,” Vanessa says. “Health, strength, and happiness.” Everyone at the table stands. Glasses are raised high in the air. One big happy family. “Cheers.” Glasses clink together around the table. “Hear hear, to the new baby.”