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She laughs and shoves me, just as we walk past the foyer where her family is waiting for us. Her parents look between us, their expressions half concerned, half amusement. Gram is beaming, looking thrilled to see her granddaughter giggling, and Helen grins at the sight. The same smile as her big sister’s.

“Come into the kitchen and I’ll introduce you to my dad and his girlfriend,” I tell them, using an extended arm to show them the way. The entry is tall and grand. It’s what sold me on the house, being the show-off I am—er, was. The flooring is white marble in a herringbone pattern and the chandelier that hangs above our heads is full of intricate crystals. My cleaning lady spends ten hours each month polishing them. I only know this since Ma is my cleaning lady, and she complains about it every month.

I lead them down the short hallway that leads from the foyer and into the spacious kitchen and dining room. Ruthie is running amuck, probably because I let her have sweets at the convention. Dad is watching ESPN on his phone while flipping burgers on the grill in the outdoor kitchen, and Serenity is at the stove, pulling out her infamous vegan casserole. Her hair looks freshly blown out from her spa day, and if I’m not mistaken… her hair is longer now. Must have gotten new extensions.

“Oh!” Serenity says when she spots us. “Your guests are here! Hi! I’m Serenity.” She takes her apron off to reveal a very tight, very revealing crop top. Mrs. Woodcock’s eyes nearly fall out of her head, and Mr. Woodcock looks down at his New Balance tennis shoes.

“Nice to meet you,” Gram says, not skipping a beat. “Love your top, I need to get myself a few of those crop tops. They’re so trendy.” She winks at Serenity, making her laugh.

Dad sees us through the double French doors that line the wall between the outdoor kitchen and the dining room and steps inside. It’s easy to spot the external differences between my dad and Noel’s parents. My dad looks young, probably because his skin is tan from laying out by the pool, and he works out a lot. But also, he’s vain. His appearance is important to him. He’s dressed in the latest trends, similar to the way a man in his mid-twenties would dress. Sage green shorts that show off his quads, and a simple grey tee that clings to his arms and chest. He hasn’t even started losing his hair yet. Maybe he never will. It’s thick and dark, just like it was in his wedding photos with my mother.

Noel’s parents may not be stylish, but they put the effort in to have a relationship with her. They didn’t come to see her so they could stay in her mansion and have a free babysitter, they came to spend time with her. She says she’s not embarrassed by her parents. But I am embarrassed by my dad. Even though he’s cool by society’s standards.

My dad doesn’t care about me… he cares about status and nice things. He cares about his looks, and showing off his hot, young baby mama.

Noel’s parents get over the shock of Serenity’s outfit quickly and move forward to shake her hand. Introductions are made all around.

My dad doesn’t pay attention to his girlfriend, Ruthie, or my guests, he focuses completely on Noel. I’d be creeped out if he was checking her out, but he seems focused… like he’s studying her. He keeps looking at me too, ping-ponging back and forth. Weird.

Ruthie recognizes Noel from earlier and comes to her side, grabbing her hand and smiling up at her. I wait to see how Noel reacts, and it’s no surprise when she smiles down at my little sister and asks her how she enjoyed the convention. Speaking to her like she’s a small adult, and not a baby.

“The casserole is ready!” Serenity announces, gesturing to the large pan on the stove top.

“The burgers are done too,” Dad says, walking back outside and turns off the grill. He loads the burgers onto a large plate and comes back through the door, setting the plate on the counter for a buffet-style meal.

“Dig in,” Dad announces, and everyone starts lining up for food.

I have a large dining room table, not because I have people over often, but because the house is so big it looked weird without one. There’s plenty of room for us all at the table, and I’m glad it’s useful for once. I sit between Gram and Noel and notice that Noel makes a weird face when she bites into her burger. She chews slowly, then swallows like she’s eating sawdust. Inspecting my burger, I decide it looks normal enough and take a big bite. I stop mid-chew, wanting to spit the bite right back out. Serenity is watching all of us eat the dinner she and Dad prepared, her eyes are lit up like she’s excited about it.

I force myself to swallow then wash the bite down with water. “Wow, Serenity. That’s such an interesting flavor. What’s in it?”

“Oh! I’m so glad you like it!” She claps her hands onto the table. “They’re lentil burgers. Completely vegan, and you can’t even tell!”

Noel makes a noise that sounds almost like a strangled sob, and I have to hold back a laugh as I say, “Yeah, it’s, um, good.”

“So, this meal is completely… meat free?” Gram asks, each word slow and calculated.

“Yes!” Serenity answers excitedly.

“Hmm,” Gram muses.

Serenity grabs her bedazzled phone from the table and holds it up so Gram can see the background photo. The photo is of a chicken, a cow, and a sheep standing together, it’s been photo-shopped to appear like they’re smiling. “I always think to myself, if one of these little guys was here right now, would I be proud of what I was eating? And if not, what would I say to those cute faces?”

“I’d say, you look delicious,” Gram mutters under her breath.

I choke on the bite of my lentil burger, full-on spluttering and pounding on my chest. Noel’s hand comes to rest on my shoulder in a comforting gesture, like she wants to help but isn’t sure how. The subtle pressure of her hand makes me forget I’m choking. The warmth of her skin through my shirt. I wish my shirt was off, so we could have skin to skin contact. Another time, Colby. Not when you’re choking and keeping an old woman from offending your very dramatic, vegan, stepmom—or is it step girlfriend? Not sure what to label that.

After drinking my entire glass of water, my throat calms down and I’m no longer fighting the urge to have another coughing attack.

Noel looks at me with concern, and I’d do just about anything to replicate this look on her again. Because she’s looking at me like she wants to take care of me.

Oh, Angel, I would let you take care of me so good.

The doorbell rings and I pull up my phone to check who’s there via the security camera. When I see its Remy, I tap the screen to talk and tell him to come on in. I stand and meet him as he’s coming into the kitchen. He has a measuring cup in his hand and his eyebrows shoot up when he sees my table full of people. When his gaze lands on Noel, his lips turn up into a slow grin and he angles himself so only I can see his face.

“Nice,” he says. “How’d you make that happen?”

“I’ll explain later,” I say through one side of my mouth, making sure no one can hear. “What do you need?”