by Debbie Civil
Chapter 48
Carmen
This idea was stupid. Tiller is acting as if he’s a director. He’s strolling around the kitchen like he not only owns the place, but owns the oxygen as well. I sit at the table and peel apples with a potato peeler. As soon as the apple is peeled, I remove the core with a corer. When that’s done, I drop the fruit in a bucket of water. He wants me to make two batches of apple crisp. He wants to freeze one for later. Beside me, Tia is angrily tearing lettuce, her blue eyes staring daggers at me. I want to laugh at the fact that she’s the mother and hasn’t even made so much as a salad before. But I can’t because my cousin is pathetic. What’s she going to do when she’s forced to live on her own? Grandmother isn’t going to harbor her forever.
“Look alive,” Grace tells me before taking a photo of me. Her job was to make mashed potatoes. Tiller took over after she mashed the potatoes, so she’s been taking pictures of us. I grin at Grace.
“Don’t even think of taking my picture,” Tia snaps. “I’m not in the mood.” She has been more irritable than usual. What’s going on with her?
“I won’t. Just keep up with the good work,” Grace says before leaving the kitchen.
“How are things going, Carmen?” Tiller asks. He’s been hovering over my shoulder every chance that he gets. He wants every apple to be completely clear of skin.
“Fine. How’s the turkey?” The meat smells incredible. Tiller grins.
“I haven’t had a big dinner with Chelsea for over two years,” he tells me, his blue eyes momentarily filling with sadness. “This was the best idea.”
“Thanks,” I say after getting rid of the last apple in the last sack. Tiller smirks and directs me to clean up my mess. After I wash the cutting board and assure that all of the skin and cores are in the trash can, which is hardly full, I stretch. Chelsea rushes in, wearing a happy expression.
“How is the lasagna, Tiller?” That’s what Chelsea has been in charge of and it smells great.
“Mostly cooked along with the egg bake. Tell Peter that if he wants to cook some vegetables that now is the time to do it,” Tiller orders. Chelsea seems to be pleased with this side of her brother. I, on the other hand, am unhappy with the fact that I’ve created a monster.
Dinner is served promptly at five. All of us are dressed in casual summer clothes mainly because Chelsea refused to dress up. I’m in a pink frilly top with straps for sleeves matched with khaki shorts. I would have worn heels, but I wanted to be comfortable, so I decided on white sandals that only have a quarter inch heel. I’m sitting between Peter and Jake. Tiller has insisted on carving the turkey ahead of time, so the white and dark meat had been separated. Unlike the barbecue, all of the food is laid out on the kitchen table buffet style. Tia had a fit when she realized that we would be eating a feast with plastic ware, but when Chelsea asked her if she wanted to do the dishes, she stopped complaining.
“Peter, these are the best-cooked carrots that I’ve ever tasted!” Matt exclaims, with over exaggeration.
“At least I cooked. How did your candy yams turnout? What were the ingredients that you used?” Peter calmly asks my cousin. Matt chuckles.
“You’ve got a point there. Tiller should be a chef,” Matt comments after taking a huge bite of his turkey. I for one disagree. Tiller likes being in charge. If anyone were to operate on me, it better be a doctor like him. He is meticulous to the point of insanity.
“Enjoying Thanksgiving dinner?” Jake asks me. I smile at him.
“Yes. It feels nice having it like normal people. Grandmother hires cooks to make a feast for everyone,” I tell him. Jake arches a brow.
“So none of you Philips aside from Tiller know how to cook a meal?” Jake’s clearly astonished.
“Hey, I know how to cook,” Chelsea protests.
“You’re a Jacobs,” I remind her, and Chelsea nods, as if she had forgotten her name change.
“That sounds too formal. Chelsea, can we have thanksgiving with my family?” Peter asks Chelsea, who’s sitting beside Peter, smiles widely, for the first time in days.
“Sure baby. As long as your mother doesn’t cook.” Everyone besides Matt laughs. Before any of us can explain anything, Malcolm and Maggie join us. I’m surprised that she isn’t spending time with Nicky. But my guess is that she’s getting comfortable with Jake. That was all I was hoping for. The two would never be close friends, but they could be close enough.
“So when are you guys going back to Gately?” Matt asks us.
“In a few days,” Jake responds. “Peter and Chelsea need to do some last minute trial prep, and I need to get Carmen home,” Jake explains. The thought of abandoning my parents seems wrong. We’ve only had one another. We are family. I should be strong enough to stick it out. But I’m not. Deep down inside, I know that if I remain in Gately, the media frenzy will prove too much. Without Jake, nothing feels possible to face. He has a job to get back to, and I need to find myself. Jake doesn’t think that I need to find answers but Dad’s right. Maybe I can do some volunteer work. I’ll even try to do some online courses. If I’m going to stay in our mansion, I’m going to need some company. This is what makes me miss Eli. Had she still been herself, she would have insisted on going back with me. But she hasn’t even made as much as a peep since she got married. Maybe she’s over excited. That could be the case. I’m assuming that she’s still using her credit card or else her father would be worried. Aunt Shelly is predictable. She has people watching her daughter. Eli is predictable and too attached to her credit cards. Before her wedding, I warned her to withdraw a lot of cash and stay off the grid. She laughed and told me that when she had her inheritance, she wouldn’t need to worry. She could take care of her mother if she got caught. During that time, I replaced the “if” with a “when.” The cloak and dagger stuff is never going to be Eli’s style. She can’t be inconspicuous.
“What are you thinking?” Jake softly whispers to me.
“Nothing.” He frowns and shakes his head.
“Don’t lie to me. Tell me,” he orders in a normal speaking voice.
“Jake, it’s nothing,” I try to assure him. It feels so weird that someone’s so focused on me. Seriously, this is unnatural. Usually, I’m craving the notice of individuals. I guess things are different once you fall in love.
“I’m just worried about Eli. She’s never gone this long without texting,” I comment. I don’t bother telling Jake that Eli has never gone this long without texting me because that would be a lie. Lately, I haven’t been my cousins’ priority or concern. Even after she took the marital plunge, the girl didn’t bother asking me about Jake’s insistence to escort me. She didn’t wonder why I had been glued to his side. She didn’t even ask me if Dom being around made me uncomfortable. Just thinking of Dom makes me lose my appetite. I can’t believe that he had the nerve to abandon Alec. The kid is a gem, even Tia realizes it. I also can’t believe Tia’s audacity. I’m not crazy. She knew how I felt for Dom. I may be invisible, but my feelings for Dom were obvious enough. Why would my own cousin sleep with someone that I adored so much? That’s a stupid question, I know why. Tia likes making me feel like an idiot. That’s Tia’s special talent. I remember being a kid and her always finding a way to needle me. Eli would always protect me from her antics, but my older cousin wasn’t around all of the time. There were times when Tia would steal my dolls, accidentally spill tea on my books, or read my diary. She’s the reason I stopped writing down my thoughts. No matter where I hid it, Tia used to be able to find my diary. At first, I was convinced that I was terrible at hiding. But then, I realized that the maid who cleaned my room would tell her every time. It’s not like Tia has out right been awful to me, she’s just a brat who hasn’t been disciplined.
“Carmen, you shouldn’t be worried. Eli’s in good hands. Nathan wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Besides, would you want to talk to people on your honeymoon?” Jake reasons. He’s right. I’ve forgotten about that little
detail. Just to show him that I’m no longer worrying about Eli, I take a bite of lasagna from his plate. He smirks, as if feeling pleased that I’ve eaten off of his plate. Maggie laughs.
“Jake, want to share the wealth?” Jake shakes his head.
“Sorry Maggie, the only girl that I feed is my darling,” Jake says before putting a roll on my plate. I frown at his offering. I haven’t even began to touch what’s on my plate, and he gives me more to eat.
“So the two of you are official?” Matt asks, his expression closing up.
“Yes,” Jake replies, his eyes growing dark. Our table gets quiet, and I look at Peter as if he can start a conversation for us. But he’s too busy chowing down on his meal. No, Peter’s never oblivious, he just doesn’t want to get involved. Figures. Matt chooses now to be an attentive older cousin. He’s barely noticed me growing up, much preferring to hang with my cousin Dean. But now, he looks like he’s going to kill my boyfriend.
“Just take care of her, or else…” Matt doesn’t finish the statement. He just continues eating.
“You know I will,” Jake replies, and just like that, things go back to normal.
After dessert, all of us gather in the living room to watch “Frozen.” It’s a good movie. I especially like the part when the ice queen builds her palace of ice. The snowman is also amusing. Matt sits beside me in the love seat, which is fine because Jake opts out of the movie. He has business to take care of. After he vowed to watch Frozen with anyone that wanted to watch an encore of the film, he left.
“What do you see in Jake? He’s a bad boy,” Matt whispers to me. I stiffen.
“Let me guess, you’re apprehensive because of what happened with Adriana,” I whisper back. Matt nods.
“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Matt says.
“It would have been nice if you were half as concerned when I fell for Dom.” The words just make it out of my mouth. A guilty expression briefly flashes across Matt’s face before he composes himself.
“Carmen, I didn’t know that Dom wanted you. He made it seem like you were only a cute little girl who gave him attention. If I had known, I would have…”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to Matt, who seems relieved that he doesn’t have to talk about this anymore.
Despite my hopes and wishes, Jake does not spend the night with me. He’s still busy. Something has him working in the office beside his room. I don’t want to disturb him so I change into a long t-shirt, brush my teeth and go to bed.
