My mom looks gorgeous in a royal blue blouse and blue and green geometric print skirt. Ethan looks handsome in his signature weekend trousers and polo shirt. He’s wearing his tortoise shell glasses, which are his casual glasses. For court, he wears lightweight steel-framed ones that look serious and distinguished.
When Ethan comes around the table to hug Shane, I can’t help but compare them physically. I never think of Ethan as small. He’s five-nine but looks taller because he’s rail thin from his addiction to cardio. Shane, on the other hand, is six-foot-three and made of solid muscle; he suddenly seems much bigger than Ethan. It’s not just Shane’s physique; his very presence dominates any space he occupies. Also, unlike his dad, Shane is never completely clean-shaven anymore, which makes him look rougher.
My mom says hello to Shane and gives him a kiss on the cheek, which I think is more than she has done in the past two years. To his credit, Shane doesn't look surprised or pull back when she embraces him.
As a precaution, I sit between my mom and Shane to act as a buffer. The two of them are mostly silent, which is fine since Ethan and I can easily carry the conversation. I tell our parents about the preparations I’m doing for my presentation.
“For the internship letter, right? Now who’s this woman Ethan says you want to work for?” Mom asks.
“Her name’s Roxanne Keller. I started following her after I heard her on a podcast. Her background is in tech and finance, and she’s amazing. The things I could learn from her, it’ll be incredible.” Realizing I’m doing a fangirl gush, I roll my eyes at myself with a small laugh. “Getting the internship is a long shot, but Ihaveto try.”
“Honey, I’d be happy to take a look at a dry-run of your presentation,” Ethan says.
“That would be great. Mom, would you watch it, too? I’m going to try a couple of different professional styles. I want to look good onstage.”
My mom’s smile is worth its weight in gold as she nods.
Ethan and I go on to talk about his cases, which quiets my mom because it’s not as interesting to her as it is to me. I ask a lot of questions, but toward the end of the meal, Ethan glances around the table and looks abashed. “Well, Ave, you and I should talk about this sometime when it's just the two of us because I don't want to bore Shane and your mom. How about you, Shane? Fill us in on your life. How is school going?”
“Fine,” Shane says.
“Good, good. What plans do you have for winter break?”
“Not sure yet.”
“We should sort that out soon,” Ethan says. “We’re going skiing during the break, but if you’re not going to be with us, we’ll have to figure out which day to come back to town, so we can all be together for Christmas. We’ll probably fly the twenty-third.”
“Oh, no,” my mom says, her brows pinching together. “That’s right in the middle of the trip, and that would mean missing the New Year’s Eve party. I already got my dress. Besides, Shane said he had other plans for break. I'm sure he’s planning to spend Christmas with his other family. In Back Bay, I guess?”
Shane leans back in his chair and looks at her for a moment. My shoulders tense.
“I do plan to be with the Sullivan side of the family on Christmas Eve, but I’ll spend Christmas with you guys whether you’re in Aspen or here.”
“Really?” Mom’s brows draw together. “That would mean you’d have to fly alone on Christmas day. That wouldn’t be great, would it?”
“Avery can keep me company.”
I freeze.
My mom’s gaze darts to my face, which I’m sure looks stunned. “Why would Avery do that? She’d miss days of skiing before the holiday. And she’d be alone on Christmas Eve. No, Avery is flying with us. Right, Ave?”
Oh, boy.My gaze slides to Shane, wondering what he’s playing at. He can’t be planning to take me with him to a big gathering of his mom’s family on Christmas Eve, so how would it work for me to stay behind?
With a lick of my lips, I admit, “I wouldn’t want to be alone on Christmas Eve.”
“I won’t leave you alone. You know that,” Shane says in a low voice that he usually reserves for when we’re alone. The intensity of his gaze feels as intimate as if he’d reached under my skirt.
I shift in my seat.
Since we arrived, he hasn’t touched me once or dropped any hints that we’ve been together as anything more than casual step-siblings. Right now though, the look he’s giving me tells the story of us as we really are…we have private conversations. And plans that exclude other people.
Ethan clears his throat, and when I turn my head to look at our parents, I find that my mom’s face is frozen.
Oh, God.I don’t want her to worry.
Shane’s phone buzzes, and he takes it out. Dropping his napkin on the table, he stands. “Excuse me a minute.”
Mom lurches up from her seat, too. “I have to go to the Ladies’ room.”
