“Boys! Breakfast!” Mom yells through the door that leads into the connecting garage, turning back to the stove to plate more pancakes.
“Harry, I’m telling you—we need to spray it red. Red is a classic color!” Kyle’s voice carries into the room as the three men trek inside, my father wiping his dirty hands onto a thin rag.
“Morning, Eli!” Dad greets, the wrinkles at the corner of his large hazel eyes crinkling as he grins.
“Hey, Dad. Having fun?” I ask him, ducking as he ruffles my hair on his way to plop down at the head of the table.
Jeff claps my back affectionately as he sits on the other side of Carrie, and Kyle rounds the table to sit across from me.
“Of course he is,I’mhere,” Jeff cuts in, pouring himself a glass of milk from the carton placed in the center of the long table.
Jess rolls her eyes from her place across from Carrie. “Such an egotistical ass—”
“Happy Halloween, everyone!” Mom shouts, sitting down to the left of Dad.
“Happy scary day, Mom,” Carrie responds, grinning around her steaming mug of cider.
“It’s so nice to see everyone together again!”
“Mom, the only one who isn’t here almost every day is Eli,” Jess deadpans, and Mom frowns.
“My point exactly. It’s nice to haveeveryonehere again.”
“It’s only been a little under three weeks,” I add, and Dad sighs.
“Let your mother enjoy this, or so help me I will hide all of the booze in this house,” he threatens.
“No!” Jeff and Kyle shout in unison. Laughter goes up around the table.
I may like giving my mom a hard time, and I may be a mostly emotionless fuck, but I am happy to be around familiar faces again.
Fort Myers is nice, and I’m happy to have escaped—but in the midst of all of this Rowan drama, I need some family time.
“What will everyone be dressed as tonight?” Carrie asks, stacking another pancake onto her plate. “Jeff and I are going to be The Grady sisters fromThe Shining.”
“Well,thatwill be interesting to see,” I say.
Jeff shoots me a grin.“I look great in a wig.”
“I’m going to be The Cat in the Hat,” Kyle announces proudly.
“He’s not joking,” Jess adds. “I’m just throwing together the vampire costume I did last year.”
“You’re so lame,” Carrie insults, glaring pointedly at our sister.
“One of ushas a big girl job they’re busy focusing on, Carrie.”
“Teaching America’s next generationisa big girl job,Jess.”
“Girls!” Mom chastises.
“I’m going to be Peter fromFamily Guy,” Dad interjects, and that makes everyone laugh. “Obviously, Mom will be Louis.”
All eyes suddenly turn to me, waiting for my declaration.
“Oh, I wasn’t intending on—”
“Nope! You’re not coming home for Halloween to be the only Camry not dressed up. I’ll help you figure something out.” Carrie grins, adding another scoop of scrambled eggs to my already unfinished plate as she cuts me off.
