Father blinks, clearly at a loss for words.
“We could snap some pics of her in the greenhouse. It might do good for the direction the farm is going,” Jake says, and I have to admit, I’m impressed with how marketing-minded he is.
Father’s eyes are trained on me. His chest rises and falls in slow, deliberate breaths, which is almost as terrifying as his anger.
“Well, as long as she’s here,” he nods to Eva, “do she have some sort of lotion or cream that can treat dry and cracked udders on the cows I got out at the pasture?”
Eva blinks and glances around at a table full of stoic, attentive faces. “Ummm, well, there’s this repair cream that I use on heels. It’s really hydrating. I don’t know how well it would work on udders. I mean, they’re cow nipples, right? Isn’t there some type of booby balm for that?”
The entire table breaks out into laughter, myself included.
“You guys start the party without me?”
My heart skips a beat as I hear Garrett call from behind. and before I can stop myself, I begin reminiscing about him, the feeling of his hands on my ass, his mouth on my breast, his dick in my….
And pretty soon, the tabloids will be privy to those details as well.
I try to shake the thought, telling myself Garrett would never betray me, but it lingers, nagging.
“Garrett, this here is Eva,” Father says. “Udder enthusiast.”
“Why, hello?” Garrett says politely.
Eva’s cheeks glow red, which is comical considering how cool and collected she normally is. But that’s not all I notice. As she looks on at Garrett, I see an unmistakable glint in her eye, and the way she’s biting her bottom lip tells me all I need to know.
She’s hungry for a snack.
“Why didn’t you go into the shop today?” Prim asks.
For a moment, it looks as though Garrett was caught off guard.
“The job I had got canceled,” Garrett says nonchalantly, and I wonder if this has anything to do with his financial troubles.
“How was the air mattress?” Ma asks.
Eva grimaces but says nothing.
“I told you I was from a farm and not the Ritz Carlton,” I say. “What did you expect?”
“Well, famous people often talk about how they come from humble means, but it’s all talk…usually.”
A silence falls across the table. I love Eva, she’s been a great friend to me over the years, but sometimes, she’s oblivious to how she comes off.
Father finally says, “Here’s to our humble means.” He lifts his glass and takes a drink.
“Hear, hear,” Jake says, lifting his own glass.
I too lift my glass, along with the rest of the table, all except Eva.
“Your home is wonderful,” Eva says with her usual exuberance. “Farmhouse chic is totally in right now. The Chip and Joanna Gaines created a whole industry from it.
I dish out the spaghetti and jarred sauce, and we pass around a container of powdered Parmesan cheese I picked up at the store. The way my mother’s eyes widen as I hold out a Pillsbury biscuit to her tells me I’ve failed, yet again.
“So, we did dinner your way, and you still manage to burn the biscuits, I see,” she says, looking at the bottom of one.
Everyone laughs, myself included. I have to admit, I deserved it. It’s a wonder I don’t burn water.
Garrett eats with his eyes trained on his plate, avoiding my gaze the entire meal and completely oblivious to Eva, who’s making eyes at him throughout dinner.
