“If you’re not going to take him back, what other choice do you have?”
She picked up the plate and shoveled another forkful of scrambled egg into her mouth. But the mechanical way she chewed suggested she wasn’t enjoying it, wasn’t even tasting it. “No, thanks. I’ll eat this. I can’t face going out today.”
“A change of scenery might help.”
“That’ll mean putting on a happy face. I just can’t. But I’ll get back on my feet soon. I promise.”
He hoped so, because—whether it had heat or not—he couldn’t take her back to the farmhouse and leave her there alone if she was feeling as bad as she was now.
“Okay.” He stood. “I’ve got to go do my familial duty.”
“Good luck with that.” She took one more bite before setting the plate aside and ducking back beneath the covers.
*
Kyle had hoped to beat Brandon and Olivia to his parents’ house, to be seated in the living room, comfortably watching football with his father, when they walked in. But, after making those eggs for Lourdes and coaxing her to eat them, he wound up being slightly late. As soon as he arrived, his father ushered him into the kitchen, where everyone was taking orders from Paige so they could get the food on the table.
“Smells good in here,” he said.
They all offered him a friendly hello, and Paige stopped yelling out commands and mashing potatoes to welcome him with a hug. “Thanks for coming, honey. Dinner isn’t the same when you’re not here.”
He almost said he came whenever he could, but these days that wasn’t strictly true, and he feared someone might call him on it. So he said, “Good to see you, too.”
“We’re having one of your favorites. Pot roast.”
Her babying him somehow made everything worse. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Hold that pan of potatoes for me so I can scrape them into a bowl.”
He did as she asked. Then she stuck a serving spoon in the potatoes and asked him to carry them to the table.
“I was hoping you’d bring Lourdes,” his father said, following Kyle with the pot roast.
“I invited her, but she’s not feeling that great.”
“What’d you say?” Paige called.
Kyle raised his voice. “I said I would’ve brought Lourdes, but she wasn’t feeling well.”
His father motioned with his head for Kyle to move some water glasses so he could put down the roast. “What’s wrong with her?”
Olivia and Brandon, who were bringing in the asparagus and the gravy, set their dishes on the table, then waited to hear his answer, but he didn’t want to go into what had happened with Derrick. He didn’t see anything to be gained by revealing personal information Lourdes deserved the right to keep private. “Nothing huge,” he said. “A headache. I’m sure she’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“So you left her at your place?” Brandon asked.
“Yeah. She’s taking a nap.”
Paige carried in three beers. She didn’t drink, and now that Olivia was pregnant, she wouldn’t be having a beer, either. “Do you have the HVAC guy coming to the farmhouse tomorrow?”
Kyle moved out of her way. “I do.”
His father took a seat at the head of the table, while his mother went back to the kitchen for whatever was left. “Has it been difficult having a complete stranger staying with you?”
“Not at all. We get along really well.”
“You don’t think you two would ever start dating, do you?” his mother asked, bustling in with the homemade rolls.
“No,” Kyle replied.
“Because...”
“Lots of reasons.”
She frowned to show her disappointment. “Oh.”
Olivia sat across from him. Brandon sat next to her. After his mother perched on her own chair, the one remaining empty seat was beside Kyle. The fact that he was the only single person in the family hadn’t really bothered him before, but it was bothering him now—especially since he seemed to be the only single person in whatever group he associated with.