“I haven’t seen them in years,” I said, shaking my head. “What have they been up to?”
“I heard they opened some kind of consulting business, working with oil companies out near Dallas.” Jessie shrugged. “I don’t really know what that means, but they look like they’re doing all right.”
They did. Their clothes were just jeans and button shirts, but they looked neat and tidy, not like how they used to when they worked on their family ranch. I had never hung out with them. They were a lot older than me.
The Whitaker brothers caught the attention of everyone in the bar. “Everyone is staring,” I said quietly.
Jessie nodded. “Including us. I don’t think they come back to town much. They usually keep to themselves on the Whitaker Ranch out west if they ever visit. Ever since Luke got famous, they’re kind of famous too. I don’t think they like the attention.”
I wondered if Luke was in town as well. After high school, he’d gone off to play college ball, then played pro for a few years. Football had never interested me but I had watched all of his games, even the one that benched him for good. Now he was on a sports network as a commentator, more famous now than when he played.
I finished my drink. “I’ll see you later. I need to go home and think about my life. And I need to find a way to break the news of my layoff to my parents before the holiday so I don’t ruin Thanksgiving.”
CHAPTER 3
LUKE
On Thanksgiving Day, I parked the rental SUV outside my parents’ house on the ranch. It had been a while since I’d been home. Living out in the country made it difficult for people to come visit. That was great if you wanted to be left alone, but it was less great if you wanted your son to pop in more often.
Everyone in the family had guilted me into showing up for Thanksgiving this year, after skipping it the year before. There were no direct flights to Harrison City, so I chartered a private plane to fly me to Houston and drove the rest of the way here. As soon as dinner was over, I would be leaving for New York again.
I had work. Sports didn’t stop for holidays and neither did sports commentators. Lots of football would be played today while I was stuffing my face with yams. My producer had been shocked when I asked for a day off. I told her not to get used to it.
My legs didn’t want to move, dreading going inside. I loved my family as much as I loved anything, but sometimes my brothers were like laxatives. They irritated the shit out of me. We had all grown up, but their sense of humor hadn’t matured. They still razzed me like we were kids and they didn’t know when to stop.
Knowing I couldn’t delay any longer, I hauled myself out of the car. The uneven ground made my knee ache, which wasn’t improving my mood. The obscenely expensive bottle of bourbon I had in my hand would help with that. It was a gift for everyone, but really, it was to get me through the next few hours of family time.
The front door was unlocked as always. I walked in and was greeted with the heavenly smell coming from the kitchen. Not turkey, the sad, bland holiday choice. My family had been cattle ranching for generations. We ate beef during the holidays, and prime rib was on the menu tonight.
My stomach growled. I had forgotten how much I missed my mother’s food. New York offered some of the finest restaurants in the world, but nothing could ever beat Mom’s cooking.
Loud voices came from the back of the house where the kitchen was. Mom’s sprawling, Tuscan-style kitchen hadn’t changed a bit since I was a kid. She was standing at the stove, stirring something. My father stood near her, looking for a chance to sneak a taste of something when she wasn’t paying attention. My brothers, Troy and Chris, sat at the kitchen table, watching the little TV on the counter. Troy’s wife, Debbie, sat beside them, scrolling on her phone.
Washington was playing Jacksonville. “I was supposed to be at that game,” I said from the doorway.
“Luke!” Mom rushed over and smothered me in hugs and kisses. I rolled my eyes and pretended I was annoyed, but it was kind of nice to have Mom fuss over me. It rewound the years and the house started feeling like my home again. Somewhere I belonged. Somewhere I wasn’t a guest or a stranger.
“It’s good to be home, Mom.”
“It’s good to have you,” she said.
My dad and brothers gave me crushing hugs, excited to see me too, the big lugs. Maybe Ihadbeen gone too long. Thisreunion was making me sentimental, and I hadn’t even cracked open the bourbon yet.
Debbie hugged me as well, which was weird. I’d only met her once before, at the wedding. She didn’t really feel like family to me yet.
I poured myself a glass as soon as was polite. My father and brothers joined me and Mom stuck with wine. She kept puttering around the stove while the boys sat at the table with the game on. We always offered to help but she said we just got in the way.
“Kate couldn’t make it?” I asked Chris about his girlfriend.
Chris’s eyes widened a fraction. “You remembered her name?”
“Of course,” I said. “I may not be around much, but I pay attention to your lives.” Actually, my assistant had put together a cheat sheet for me, using my brothers’ social media. I had reviewed it on the plane.
It was a good thing, too. I could have sworn Chris’s girlfriend was named Kayla.
“Kate’s visiting her parents in Montana. They’re doing a big family thing.”
“See?” Mom said from the stove. “That’s a good girl, visiting her parents. You need to lock that down.”
