“Yeah, I guess. But I don’t think you’ll be with us for long,” she said.
Something whirred in my brain. Was she firing me? I pressed my palms into my knees and stared straight ahead. “Because of the drone incident?”
She snorted. “You obviously want to do more than work at True Tech.”
“I do lots of things outside of work.” Game, program, organize screws…although I hadn’t built anything lately.
She fixed me with a long look. “You have a degree in robotics. You can fix anything people throw at you. But you’re not exactly a people-person. I give it six months tops before you move onto some tech company.”
“I don’t think so.” I pushed up my glasses, and my cheeks heated. That wasn’t in the cards for me.
“Why not? They’d be lucky to have you.” She nudged me with her knee.
“It’s a very male-dominated industry,” I said, curling my fingers.
“So what? You can still kick ass. I do.”
“I tried to.” Swallowing hard, I glanced at the entrance. “It’s not always worth the risk.”
Sal strode in with Janice, armed with snacks. He smiled upon finding us, then gestured with a flourish to let his girlfriend go ahead. She chose the seat one apart from me, forcing him to shimmy past her knees to sit beside me. As he plunked down, his arm brushed mine. Something tingled in my chest. I drew in my elbows and knees and focused on the trivia on screen.
It was fine. He wasn’t invading. She didn’t know me. They were rearranging snacks. Sal spread his arm out behind her seat. “Comfy?”
She should be. She wasn’t twisted into a pretzel, avoiding her brother, or questioned about life choices by her boss.
A done-up turkey and veggie spread lit up the screen in an ad for local catering. ‘You’ll be thankful you ordered early.’
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you two having Thanksgiving together or with your own families?”
Sal scratched his goatee. “Um, separate. She’s welcome to come, but–”
“Thanksgiving is for family.” She patted his knee. “But I promised I’d save him a piece of my mom’s famous pumpkin pie.”
“Thanks for thinking of me,” he pulled her closer for a half-hug over the armrests.
“Sal, you’re squishing me,” she scolded. Her nails dug into his arm.
He hissed and loosened his grip. “Okay. Put the claws back in, even if they are pretty.”
She giggled and slapped his leg.
It was weird. Nauseating, the more I witnessed their dynamic, but in a different way than Victor and Kat. At least those two were on the same frequency. These two had been dating longer, but they never considered each other part of the family. Which was true in a literal sense. But somehow, I got the impression Janice was the type to have Friendsgiving and make it no partners allowed. Something was off here.
Ash scoffed and scrolled her phone.
Apparently, she agreed.
But this couple had matured, presumably. Maybe they understood one another. I scooted to the edge of my seat. “Can I ask you something? My brother wants me to visit his girlfriend’s family for Thanksgiving. I’m not sure that’s normal. After all, I’m not tied to anyone in their family, and they only recently started dating. Would it be expected that I meet her family, or is it acceptable if I stay home?”
Janice leaned over Sal. “Do you not get along with her?”
“No, we get along fine,” I said. Kat was almost irritatingly friendly.
“What about your family?” Sal asked, his voice gentle.
“They usually make plans with extended friends and family.” I frowned, imagining cranberry sauce over pancakes as a festive breakfast. It wasn’t very appetizing. “I should probably just stay home and eat mashed potatoes.”
“Yes, add some garlic. Lick the bowl.” Sal wagged his eyebrows.
