Asher finally speaks. "Devon." He nods at her, polite but distant. Then he turns to Caroline. "Welcome to the family."
The words sound hollow because they are.
Dean gestures to the table. "Please, sit. Dinner should be ready in just a few minutes."
He takes the head of the table. Caroline sits to his right. Asher and I sit across from them, which leaves Devon at thefar end, between her mother and me. She sits down carefully, smoothing her dress under her legs.
A woman in a black uniform appears with a bottle of red wine. She pours for the adults, refills Devon's water glass, then disappears back into the kitchen.
"Let’s make it official," Dean says, lifting his glass. "To family."
We all lift our glasses. The crystal makes a soft chiming sound when Dean taps his against Caroline's. Asher drinks without making eye contact with anyone.
"How was your anniversary?" Caroline asks. Her voice is pleasant, conversational. "Dean mentioned you celebrated last weekend."
"It was wonderful," I say, because Asher doesn't answer. "We went to Carmel. Just the two of us. Such a beautiful town. We had the best time."
"How lovely." Caroline takes a sip of her wine. "Dean and I honeymooned in Positano. It was divine."
Dean reaches over and puts his hand on hers. The gesture is possessive, almost performative. "It was perfect," he says, looking at her like she's the only person in the room. "Absolutely perfect."
I glance at Asher. His jaw is tight. The woman in the uniform returns with a rolling serving tray filled with silver dome covered plates. She sets a plate in front of each of us, removing the domes as she does. Filet mignon, roasted vegetables, some kind of potato dish with herbs. It looks expensive and professionally prepared. I don’t think Dean has ever cooked a meal in this house and clearly Caroline isn’t going to either.
"This looks amazing," I say, picking up my fork.
"We have a new chef," Dean says. He's still looking at Caroline. "Caroline found her. She has excellent taste."
Caroline smiles. "I'm glad you approve."
I cut into my steak. It's perfectly cooked, tender and pink in the middle. Across from me, Asher eats mechanically, his eyes on his plate.
"Devon starts at Lakeside Prep on Monday," Caroline says. She's addressing the table in general, not her daughter specifically. "It's a wonderful school. Very competitive."
"That's exciting," I say, turning to Devon. "Are you nervous?"
Devon looks up from her plate and shrugs. "Only that I don't know anyone here yet."
"You'll make friends," I say. "New schools are always hard at first, but you'll find your people."
Dean makes a sound that might be a laugh. "Let's hope so. Devon has had some trouble in that department."
The table goes quiet. Devon's face flushes. When no one says anything, I squeeze Asher’s knee beneath the table.
"Father," Asher says, his voice low.
"What? It's true." Dean cuts into his steak. "Caroline has had a lot of stress stemming from the issues Devon has had at her last two schools. They all seem to end up not liking her. Meanwhile the adult men like her a little too much."
He looks at Devon, his expression flat. "I'm hoping Lakeside will be a fresh start. Perhaps you'll behave yourself this time."
My stomach turns. Devon stares down at her plate, her hands in her lap. Caroline says nothing, just takes another sip of wine. "I'm sure Devon will do great," I say, trying to fill the silence. "School is hard for everyone."
Dean sets down his knife and fork. He looks at me with an expression that's almost pleasant. "For some more than others. Your father abandoned you, Julie, and both you and your sister turned out perfectly fine. I gave Asher a week to mourn and after that made sure he knew his temper tantrums and crying weren't acceptable. Living in grief is such a waste."
He picks up his wine glass. "Devon will learn to move forward too. She can't blame everything on her father's suicide."
Inside, I'm screaming. The cruelty of that statement cut with razor like precision.
Caroline nods, her face smooth. "He's right. It's in the past and moving on is important."
