"I hope he's better than the previous one," I joked, referring to the guy who broke up with her by dining and dashing. She'd been stuck with a generous bill that night.
Jazz swaggered in from the family room, flexing every muscle like it was a talent show.
"You must be the younger sister, Kimberly," he said, clearly aware of the inner workings of our family.
"Kimmy is fine."
He offered a hand for a shake. I didn't take it.
The decorations spilled cheer from every corner of the house, all bright ribbons and balloons that made me feel like I didn't belong. My forced laugh scattered, thin and nervous, above the happy din as Margaret tried to involve me into every conversation.
Katrina fussed over her hair, turning her head to catch the light in amillion flattering ways. She wore a dress that sparkled with every movement. Jazz followed, setting the table with the exaggerated carefulness of someone who'd never chipped a nail. Two other foster sisters, Rachel and June, laughed together, probably some inside jokes only they knew. They were the same age and a few years older than Katrina and me. Margaret fostered them together, so they had their own little world inaccessible to us.
"Long time no see, sis!" June waved, her designer watch glinting.
I nodded. "Wow, everyone's really..." I grasped for the word. It was hard to say it. "Grown up."
"It's been ages, Kimmy," Katrina gushed.
That much was true. Now that we all had our own lives, we only got together a few times a year. The obligatory Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe some other holiday in summer.
"You'd think you were employed by the FBI or something, considering how rarely you call," Rachel said, taking a seat at the table.
Katrina handed Jazz a plate. "When was the last time we all saw you? What are you doing these days?" Her questions landed like soft punches. Jazz gave a lopsided grin, pushing a drink toward me with a light casualness of a big brother.
"Still planning weddings and doing that influencer stuff?" June asked, arching an eyebrow.
I forced myself to meet her gaze.
"She's not an influencer," Katrina said. "She works with them."
"Kimmy has a new job now," Margaret chimed in.
"Oh really?" Rachel seemed surprised. "What is it?"
"Same thing. Coordinating events. Just doing most of it from home," I replied.
No point in dragging the inevitable. Sooner or later, everyone would find out I wasn't with Evernight Events. "Crazy busy with a big project these past few months."
"From home?" June sounded surprised. "I thought you liked doing that social butterfly thing."
"Social butterfly doesn't work, June. She just flutters around looking pretty," Katrina corrected her, nodding at Jazz with a kind of stare that meant something only the two of them understood.
"Wasn't that her job?" June pressed on.
A dictionary from Margaret's shelf landed in Katrina's hand, compliments of Jazz. "Look it up, big sister, who apparently spent all that money on higher education for nothing."
"Screw you, smart ass." June shoved the dictionary back at Katrina while the rest of us laughed.
I was glad that we moved on from the topic of my changing jobs.
I couldn't stomach more questions. I didn't know how to explain that the only company that had the guts to hire me was a small, barely surviving event coordinating business with no main office. They couldn't afford one. Instead, we spent most of our time online and on the phone. It paid the bills. That was the only thing that mattered at this point.
Jazz popped a can of beer open after returning the dictionary to its place. "Sounds like a sweet gig, Kimmy," he said. "No need to get out of the house."
"True, true," Rachel agreed. "Gas is so expensive these days." She liked to highlight her seniority by bragging about the times when things were dirt cheap.
I sometimes joked that it made her sound like a grandma.
