Jonathan rolled over, burying his head under his arms. “Fuck off,” his brother grumbled.
Joseph laughed and pulled Jonathan’s arm from his face. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have finals?”
Jonathan had final exams all week.
“We completed our finals Friday. Can’t a man visit his family?”
Joseph chuckled and plopped down on the bed next to his brother. “How’d you do?”
Jonathan rolled over and looked at him with wrinkled brows. “You know how I did,” he said, as if his success should have been obvious.
It was. Jonathan was the ultimate overachiever. Like Joseph, when it came to their education, he did everything exceptionally well.
“Mom made breakfast. She told me to wake you up.”
Jonathan forced himself to sit up. “Gimme a minute. Let me brush my teeth.” He frowned at Joseph. “May I suggest you do the same?”
Joseph blew hot breath into his hand and groaned. His brother had a point. So, he got up and made his way to the bathroom in his bedroom. He needed to get his toothbrush and wash the previous night from his mouth.
On his way to his bedroom, Joseph stopped in the kitchen and peeked in on his mom. She was still in front of the stove, but she was staring into space with a dolefulness he’d seen many times since his father’s death. Guilt and shame warmed his face because he knew he was the cause of her sadness.
“Hey, Mom?”
His mother snapped out of her daze and turned to him with a rehearsed smile. “Yeah, sweetheart?”
“How would you like to go to Cape Cod for dinner tonight?”
Her eyes widened with excitement, but instead saying yes, she said, “You can’t afford that.”
Joseph smiled and walked over to his mom. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her face. “Why don’t you let me worry about that, young lady?”
“Okay,” she agreed with a giggle.
The Cape Cod inside the Historic Drake Hotel was her favorite restaurant, but his mother was right. Usually, he couldn’t afford the upscale restaurant; they’d only gone for very special occasions. But he desperately needed to see a smile on her face. Tonight, he’d simply have to make a few sacrifices. Hopefully, his brother was willing to pitch in.
* * *
KATHERINE
“Good morning, Miss Chase,” their daytime housekeeper greeted.
“Good morning, Diana,” Katherine returned. She took a seat at the table, to the left of her mother. In their house, breakfast at the table was an unfortunate requirement. Thankfully, the food was always delicious. Garland, the chef, was beyond exceptional.
Knowing that she was preparing to speak, Katherine rolled her eyes at the sound of her mother clearing her throat.
“Good morning is the proper greeting. Even for someone who arrived late for breakfast.”
Katherine sighed. “Good morning, Mother.”
She’d barely slept, and she couldn’t muster the energy it would take for a tug of war with her mother. Katherine found herself grateful that her dad was on the phone. At least she didn’t have to hold a conversation with him.
Katherine smiled and thanked Diana when she placed a plate of over-medium eggs and bacon in front of her. Her mother, on the other hand, looked down at her food and frowned.
She glared at Diana. “You know I like my eggs over-easy,” she scolded with venom.
Katherine blew out a frustrated breath. “Then don’t order Eggs Benedict.”
A woman of her breeding should know that Eggs Benedict was made with poached eggs. Yet, her mother’s lack of knowledge was, of course, never her fault.
