Chapter 24 It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right
It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right
Jamie
Jamie Gallagher: Ok. Drive safely. Is Dad wearing his glasses?
Dad: We will. He is. We look forward to seeing you.
Jamie never imagined that he and Eve wouldn’t be on speaking terms when Thanksgiving arrived.
But regrettably, in the two weeks since they last saw each other, he hadn’t reached out and neither had she.
Jamie did consider giving in, as was his wont, and he even picked up his phone on multiple occasions with the intent to apologize.
But every time he did, he was met with the reminder that Eve wasn’t calling him either.
And so his pride wouldn’t allow him to make the first move, not after the beating it took in ten years with Lucy.
Instead, he went about his life, preparing for the dinner party he’d offered to host for the holiday.
It was a family affair, including Lucy and, by extension, Tyler; his own brother, Casey, and, by extension, his husband, Jelani.
Lucy’s sister and niece were there, along with their parents, and perhaps most notably, Jamie’s parents were on their way, too.
Jamie extended the olive branch to his mother against his better judgment, figuring if she really wanted to be in Jack’s life, now was the time she’d show it.
So as much as he might’ve wanted Eve to come, he didn’t need her there. He had his own demons and distractions.
With dinnertime approaching, Jamie had taken to setting the table while his guests argued about whether to continue watching football or commence with Christmas movies.
He wasn’t surprised when he heard the opening to Home Alone in the background.
Lucy eventually came to help, though he hadn’t asked for or wanted it, but he didn’t say anything when she began to place plates and utensils among the food dishes.
“This all looks so good,” she said, her eye seemingly fixed on the macaroni and cheese.
“You look like you’re salivating,” Jamie said, making his way around her.
She grinned. “Sorry. Just hungry.”
“I’ve been sneaking little bites of those collard greens Jelani made,” he admitted. He looked around to verify no one was listening, fearing he’d be in trouble for eating early. “He put the jalapenos in ’em. They’re so good.”
“Well, now I know why you volunteered to set the table,” Lucy said.
“It is my house. I don’t know who else would do it.”
“I’m here,” she said, sounding offended that he hadn’t considered enlisting her. “I know this isn’t my home, but it’s not all on you just because we’re here. We agreed to keep doing this as a family.”
Jamie’s stare darted to Tyler, sitting comfortably in Jamie’s living room.
Jamie did agree to this, solely for Jack’s sake, knowing it meant being cordial toward a man he wished he had nothing to do with.
It was something he prepared for. But it still struck a dissonant chord to see Tyler in his home, fraternizing with his family members.
“Yeah…” Jamie said, scratching his eyebrow with the knuckle of his thumb. “I agreed to a lot of things.”
Lucy nodded. “I really appreciate you having him here,” she said, her voice hushed as if it were a secret that Jamie hated him. Them. “I know how hard all of this has been on you.”
“I’m all right,” he said with a shrug and an empty smile.
As a reflex, he pulled his phone from his pocket, quietly praying that Eve had contacted him, perhaps changing her mind at the last minute.
It was a foolish wish, but also his last hope.
“I’m gonna get the turkey,” he said, turning for the kitchen before Lucy could respond.
There he found Jack, conspicuously quiet as he hovered over the dessert table containing all the pies and cakes awaiting dinner’s end. “What are you doing?” Jamie asked.
Clearly startled, Jack immediately turned to his father and was just as quick to deny any wrongdoing. “Nothing.”
Jamie laughed at the guilt painted on his face. “Well, do me a favor and stop breathing on the pies and take those pitchers of lemonade out to your mother.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Be careful.”
“I will.”
As Jack disappeared and Jamie went to the oven to retrieve the centerpiece of the meal, he could hear Lucy calling everyone to the table. It was amusing how she insisted on being cohost, despite his objections, as if they were still some happy couple. And in this case, amusing meant “exasperating.”
But he ignored it to get on with his day.
The sooner dinner started, the sooner it would be over.
He brought the turkey to the dining table, much to everyone’s delight, while they passed around plates and platters of the ancillary dishes.
Honey-baked ham and buttermilk fried chicken, sweet potato soufflé, collards and cornbread, green bean casserole, brussels sprouts, macaroni and cheese, roasted corn pudding, eggplant dressing.
A full banquet of colors and aromas before them.
“Luce, where’s your wine?” her sister, Alexis, asked halfway through the first helpings.
“Oh, I…I was just gonna have some lemonade,” Lucy replied.
“Really?” Alexis pressed, touching the back of her hand to Lucy’s forehead. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Lucy said, glancing at her and then at Tyler. “I’m his designated driver, so…”
“Oh, come on, you’re not leaving for hours,” Casey cut in. “Live a little.”
Lucy glanced meekly around the table before looking to her fiancé again, receiving an encouraging nod in return. “Actually,” she said, turning her attention to Jack as she stroked the back of his head, “I…am pregnant.”
There were a few small gasps, followed by oh s while most everyone simply congratulated her, but Jamie felt like he was seeing double.
The other voices, their laughter, it became a buzz of distorted noise.
When they finally raised their glasses to the happy, expectant couple, he could feel Casey’s comforting hand touch his back.
But it only amplified his anguish. Because he was certain that his brother wasn’t the only person looking to him, watching him unravel over the revelation.
“Jamie,” his mother called out to him. He eyed her, praying she wouldn’t embarrass him. “Is there any cranberry sauce?” she asked.
“Right. I’ll get it,” he said once his head stopped swimming long enough to form words, desperate to escape the table, and thankful to Diane for providing an excuse.
Jamie slipped into the kitchen and went to search the refrigerator for the dish Lucy’s dad had prepared.
But really, he stood in the doorway, taking long, deep breaths as the cool air washed his face.
He exhaled shakily, the urge to call Eve only deepening.
Maybe if she’d come to dinner like he’d asked, this announcement wouldn’t have hit him nearly as hard.
Or maybe it would’ve, and both of their nights would’ve been ruined.
And maybe that was asking too much of her.
But he wished like hell that she were there.
After months of feeling so alone after he and Lucy were done, she came along, damaged and cold herself, and it felt like she’d saved him in some tiny way.
He closed the refrigerator door, ready to uselessly check his phone for the fifth time that day, but before he could disappoint himself again, Casey came strolling into the kitchen with his full plate. He didn’t say anything, but offered a sympathetic smile and some turkey.
“I’m all right,” Jamie said. He’d claimed as much at least three times that evening, and it sounded like more of a lie with every instance it crossed his lips.
“It’s okay if you’re not,” Casey said, keeping his voice low. He leaned against the sink as he stared at his sibling. “She’s a piece of work.”
“I’m not…It’s not that,” Jamie said, shaking his head. “I’m over her. I think. I just…didn’t see this coming, I guess.”
“She’s been screwing him for how long now? What’d you think was gonna happen?”
He half-heartedly chuckled at Casey’s plainspokenness. “I didn’t think about it.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing she hasn’t been on your mind.”
“Not at all, really.”
“The opposite of love is indifference, isn’t it?”
“I’ve had other things to occupy my time.”
Casey quirked an eyebrow. “Can I ask you something without you getting defensive?”
“That is not how you start a question, Casey.”
“When are you gonna get her out of that house you’re still paying for?”
Jamie laughed again, because he knew precisely what was coming, and he was glad when Jelani joined them, allowing him to evade the question. “Enjoying the show?” Jamie asked him.
Jelani rolled his eyes dramatically. “Chile…your mother is out there asking your ex about collecting child support,” he said. “Lord knows I love a shady moment, but I actually could not bear the tension.”
“Oh, that’s funny, because I was just asking Jamie when he’s gonna stop paying spousal support for someone who was never his spouse,” Casey said.
“Like mother, like son,” Jamie said. Both Jelani and Casey had their food, and he regretted that he didn’t bring his own. “I guess we’re eating in here now?”
“Take mine,” Casey said, offering up his plate full of everything. “Can we get back on topic, please?”
“Have you asked him about the doctor yet?” Jelani asked before taking a big bite of chicken.
“Shhh…I hadn’t gotten there yet,” Casey said. It was clear he was trying to be surreptitious about it, speaking in a hushed tone and averting his brother’s gaze. But he’d failed miserably.
Jamie peered at the two of them. “The doctor?”
“Okay, don’t be mad, but…Jack told us about your girlfriend,” Casey said. “And we googled her. But I wasn’t gonna bring it up until you did. I swear.”
Jamie sighed sharply, feeling like he’d lost control of everything about this dinner he was supposedly hosting. “She’s not my girlfriend. We’re friends.”
“Well, I hope you’re working on that, because I like her.”
“You don’t know anything about her.”
“I saw some interviews with her. And she looks good on paper.”