I’d been sick in this bed, when she’d come to check on me.
I made my way back down the hallway and took a detour through the kitchen to postpone the inevitable. I picked up one of Flowers’ cookies and took a bite. It was pretty good. I made my way back to the library and found her playing X-Box with my dad.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she told him. “That’s not fair.”
“There is no fair in warfare, young lady. Now, pay attention. You want to hit that button there to throw your knives.”
This was not happening. I wasn’t standing in my house, watching Flowers, shoes off, bare feet on my couch, her dress hiked up over her knees, while she played Mortal Kombat with my dad.
There was a plate with pie crumbs on the coffee table next to her. At least she’d gotten her pie.
“Hey, Flowers.”
She lifted her head up and cackled. Literally, cackled. “You done getting in trouble from your mom? She didn’t spank you, did she?”
I felt a hand slap me upside the back of my head.
“Ouch!”
“She should have,” Becks said, breezing past me, with a glass of wine in her hand. She sat on the opposite couch and watched my dad basically destroy Flowers’ entire army.
“That’s it. I’m dead,” Flowers announced. “Evan, you’re a ruthless killer.”
This time it was my father’s turn to cackle. “You got that right.”
“Well, this has been swell, but I’m beat. You guys were awesome,” she said to Rebecca, Dad and Mom, who had just walked in behind me. “Not you,” she said to me. “I’ll still see you on Monday, though.”
She got up from the couch and slipped her feet into her flats. I wasn’t sure why seeing her toes always bothered me, but of course it did.
Everything about her bothered me.
“I made up some leftovers for you,” my mom said, and handed Flowers basically a tub of food.
“Cool,” she said. “Thanks again for everything, Jackie. I guess we’ll talk when you call the office. You know, once you’re ready to speak to your son again.”
“That won’t be any time soon,” my mother said, glaring at me.
“Come on,” I said to Flowers. “I’ll drive you home.”
The sudden whoosh of silence from my family as they all swiveled their heads in my direction wasn’t lost on me.
Anna understood some of my anxiety. Obviously, it had been apparent that night I’d driven her home from the club. But she’d never asked any questions, which at the time, I’d been extremely grateful about.
So she knew. But she didn’t know what an incredibly huge step this was for me.
My family knew, though.
“I can call an Uber,” Flowers said, like my offer had meant nothing.
“I said. I’ll take you home.”
It was my don’t-mess-with-me voice. Flowers knew it, and she knew not to push when she heard it.
“Fine. Have a great rest of your trip, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving!”
My family managed to mutter a few return goodbyes, but it wasn’t lost on me that they were following us to the front door and watching as I escorted Flowers to one of the cars parked in the portico. Becks had taken out the BMW earlier to run to the store.
Flowers moved around to the passenger side and waved again, which meant they were still watching us.
