by Nicole Dykes
Today is Thanksgiving at Jade and Madden’s house and I can’t stop the flutter growing in my stomach at the thought of seeing Brady there. Caleb and Brady have been in Redbud all week on a construction job so they haven’t been in the bar.
I haven’t seen Brady since he admitted that he doesn’t just want to be my friend. Obviously, I knew he wouldn’t mind climbing back into bed, but the way he said it that night if he would have kissed me or made any move whatsoever, I don’t think I would have been able to resist.
I can’t do casual and don’t want to turn into a lovesick puppy. All Brady wants is casual, to have me and whoever else he wants. I will go back to Dallas in a couple of months. I need to figure out what I want to do with my life and get on with it, hopefully with a new connection with all three of my brothers.
I dress in a lacey, dark purple dress that falls to my knees and has long sleeves. It’s not too cold today with it being Texas and all, but there is a chill in the air. I lock up my apartment and go outside of the bar.
Jade didn’t give me detailed directions. She just wrote down her address and then pointed outside of the bar and said, “Walk straight down that sidewalk for two blocks. It’s the small little blue house at the end of the second block.”
I start walking in that direction and before I know it I’m standing outside of the small house. Silently I wonder how on earth we are all going to fit inside, let alone in one room.
I see Brady’s truck parked in front so I know he’s here. I wonder if Kelly will be with him.
I take a deep breath and walk up the steps and knock on the door, holding the bottle of wine I purchased at the town’s liquor store yesterday in my arms.
Brady answers the door, his eyes taking me in, “Lilly, you look nice.”
So does he. He’s wearing a nice dark, blue button up with jeans that don’t have a tear in them. Although I think I prefer his rougher look, I don’t think Brady is capable of not looking good. “Thank you. Are you hosting?”
He laughs and backs away from the door to let me in. “No, Jade and Madden are in the kitchen finishin’ up the food. So I have door duty.”
I smile and walk in, handing him the bottle of wine. He examines it, “Nice. I’ll go put this in the kitchen.” He gestures to the small living room. “Come on in. I don’t know if you met Keegan and Amelia yet.” He motions toward my middle brother, my twin, and his wife.
“Not officially, no.”
Amelia stands up, “Hi, I’m Amelia and this is Keegan.”
I smile at her and shake her hand and Keegan’s. Keegan’s eyes search mine, as if there is a familiarity there, but he doesn’t say anything else and I say, “It’s nice to meet you both.”
Brady nods, “And you know Casey. I’ll be right back.”
He leaves and my eyes go to Casey and a good-looking guy in a nicely pressed suit, he may be thirty or right around it and is a strong contrast to Caleb. “Hi, Lillian. This is Derek.” She looks over at him, “This is Lillian, she’s the one that bailed us out at the bar.”
Derek stands and holds his hand out for mine, “Hello Lillian, it’s nice to meet you.”
I give him a polite smile and take his hand. Jade warned me yesterday that Casey was bringing a date to Thanksgiving. Apparently, he’s a professor at the college Jade and Casey attend, but not either of their professors. We all know this can go very badly when Caleb arrives and Jade was on pins and needles yesterday.
“It’s very nice to meet you too, Derek.”
He takes his spot on the couch next to her and then I see that Landon is here, but standing in the hallway on his phone. Even on the holidays, he’s on the phone talking business. I swear, he hardly ever stops working from what I can tell.
The doorbell rings again and Brady walks out of the kitchen and greets Jack and who I’m assuming is his wife. Not long after that Marlene has joined us in the tiny living room.
The small room is packed full, so I quietly excuse myself and walk outside to the porch. I carefully sit down on the steps and then hear the door behind me and a large body sit down next to me, “You okay? You aren’t thinking about bailing, are you?”
I turn to Brady, smiling, “No, of course not. I just needed some air.”
He nods, “Yeah, it’s a fucking tiny house.”
I laugh and look at the house across the street. A car just pulled up and an entire family is climbing out to go inside for their own little holiday. “So, Caleb isn’t here yet?”
Brady stretches his legs out in front of him, “No. I’m honestly not sure if he’s going to show up or not.”
I nod, “Does he know about Casey bringing a date?”
He nods his head slowly, “Yeah, Madden warned him about it yesterday, hoping he would get his rage out last night and not ruin dinner.”
“Do you think it will work?”
He blows out an uneasy breath, “Doubtful. He’s probably going to lose his damn mind even more.”
That thought is terrifying. “I’m sorry. Jade said that Caleb used to be really funny and easygoing. I’m sure this is hard for you.”
“I’ve known him since we were five years old. We have done everything together since. I just want to fix it for him somehow. Hopefully I can.”
He has a look of determination in his eyes. “Maybe you can’t fix it, it may be something he just has to do on his own.”
“Someone else may be able to.”
I look at him confused and I’m about to ask him what that means when Madden sticks his head outside, “Hey, it’s time to eat.”
Brady stands and then holds his hand out for me, I take it and he helps me up before we go inside. When we get into the dining room I see a long table decorated beautifully, with a large turkey in the middle. Brady pulls a chair out for me and I smile. His mama really did raise him right. I sit down and he takes the seat next to me, with everyone else sitting and an empty spot for Caleb next to Brady.
Madden looks over at Brady from his end of the table, “Heard anything?”
He shakes his head, “Nope. Let’s just eat.”
We say a quick prayer and then Madden carves the turkey. When our plates are full, we all dig in and for a solid minute or so no one says a word.
Not long after that there is a knock on the door and Jade hops up to answer the door. My heart is in my throat, I think we are all on edge waiting for Caleb’s reaction.
My eyes widen in horror when Jade walks in with Caleb and a brunette I’ve never seen before. She looks to Madden, “Could you please find another chair for the table?”
Madden nods his head, as stunned as we all are, and gets up from the table to bring back a chair that he places next to the empty one.
I see Brady’s hand close into a tense fist and if looks really could kill, Caleb and the mystery girl would be dead at the hands of Casey’s fiery gaze. I’m not exactly sure what the big deal is to be honest. It seems like something Caleb would do and I know it’s going to cause drama, but the way Jade, Brady, and Casey look, I feel like I’m missing something.
Caleb saunters over to the table, with his arm around the brunette. “Sorry I’m late. Couldn’t keep this one off of me. You guys remember Tori, right?”
Jade glares over at him and Casey snaps, “You fucking brought her? Have you lost your damn mind?”
Derek shifts uncomfortably in his seat and Caleb ignores Casey. He pulls a chair out and the girl, Tori sits down as he joins her, taking the empty seat next to Brady.
Jade, who is sitting next to Casey, places a hand on her shoulder and whispers something in her ear. It does nothing to calm her. Brady leans into Caleb who smells like a brewery, I can literally smell him from my seat. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Caleb turns to him, “Don’t worry about it. I’m handling it.”
Their tones are hushed, but everyone can hear them. Madden tries to cut the tension by saying, “Well, make yourselves at home, sorry we didn’t want the food to get cold so we went ahead
and fixed our plates.”
Caleb grins over at him, like there is no drama. “Thanks, buddy. Not a problem.” Everyone is silent as we watch him put food on their plates and when he plops down a large portion of mashed potatoes on Tori’s plate, he winks and says, “You’re gonna need plenty of energy for later.”
She grins and bites her lip, looking at him like she wants to eat him. Brady looks like he is going to be sick and Jade is sporting a murderous gaze on her normally very sweet face.
I’m not sure who this Tori girl is, but there is definitely some history here. I know I can’t fix this, but maybe I can try to lessen the tension. I clear my throat meekly, “Um, Jade. This is a great house. Really lovely.”
Her eyes snap to mine and it’s like she realizes I’m trying to change the subject. She lets out a breath and then a smile washes over her face, “Thank you. I love it here, but it’s a little too small.” She looks over at Madden, “We actually are going to be moving soon. We bought a house, just outside of town.”
Keegan pats Madden’s shoulder, “That’s great, man!”
Madden beams with pride, “Thanks. The hardware store is going well and we got an amazing deal that we couldn’t pass up.”
Landon is on the other side of Madden, “That’s great, little brother. You’re a homeowner now. Nice.”
“Thanks man.”
I look over at Jade who is clearly conflicted between wanting to kill Caleb and share in the joy of sharing the news of her new home. My body jerks when there is another knock at the door.
Who the hell could that be?
Chapter 19
Brady
I glance at Jade and she almost looks relieved. I told her and Madden both when I first got here that it was possible Caleb’s sister will show up. They’re on board with my plan. Everyone can clearly see what Caleb is going through. Him bringing Tori to dinner definitely shows his desperation. He never would have sunk this low any other time.
“I’ll get it, Jade.” I tell her and excuse myself from the table.
I open the door and Avery stands on the porch fidgeting with her hands. She looks exactly how I’ve always remembered her. Her heart-shaped face is framed by her long-brown hair. Her hazel eyes have that same wariness to them like she’d rather be anywhere but here. Her clothes make her look like she belongs here though. Jeans, a long-sleeved black tee, and black boots.
“Avery.”
“Where he is, Brady?” she asks, getting straight to the point. “Is he ready?”
“Well…”
She nods in the realization that I didn’t tell Caleb she was coming. I push the door open further and motion her in. We can hear yelling as we head back into the kitchen.
“Once a whore, always a whore!” Casey sneers.
“I can’t help it that you couldn’t satisfy your man, Casey!” Tori throws back.
“You can fucking have him!” Casey screams. “I fucking hate him!”
“Oh, you hate me now?” Caleb slams his hands onto the table. “You hate me, Casey?”
“Caleb.” Avery speaks up and Caleb jerks his head around to face her. He looks from her then to me with shock.
“The prodigal sister has returned.” he states and rises from his chair. He folds his arms around Avery, glaring at me over her shoulder. “You think you can find one more chair, Madden? Now the whole fucking gang is here.”Madden manages to squeeze one more chair in, putting Avery between Caleb and me. Caleb makes the introductions and Avery settles in, fixing her plate. Once again, the table is quiet.
“Oh, don’t stop all the childish arguing on my account.” Avery puts in. “I mean, you two have been at each other for years. It used to be entertaining.”
I see Casey’s lips tighten into a straight line. Her date looks both pissed and embarrassed. I’m sure college professors don’t behave so inappropriately.
“It’s obvious you both brought dates to piss each other off and it worked. Congratulations to the both of you.” Sarcasm drips off Avery’s every word.
“Okay, sis, we get it.” Caleb grumbles.
“Hey, I like her. Honesty.” Landon laughs. “Shit. I gotta take this.” He excuses himself and answers his phone. As usual.
“Avery, I’m so happy to finally get to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Jade says, trying to lighten the mood.
“It’s all true too. All the awful bullshit you’ve heard about me, every single word of it is absolutely true.” Avery winks.
Lilly giggles beside me and I shake my head. At least with Avery here, Caleb and Casey have resorted to evil stares across the table. The yelling has stopped.
“Okay, I think it’s time for pie!” Jade smiles. “I’ll be right back.”
“I know the only kind of pie I want.” Caleb suggests and leans over to kiss Tori. I see Casey’s face flame red.
“If you’re getting a piece of pie from that tramp, the only kind it’ll be is Crab Pie.” Casey hisses.
Tori gasps and picks up a half-eaten roll from her plate and throws it at Casey. Well, shit. Casey lunges across the table, but Caleb manages to pull Tori away before Casey can reach her. Lucky for Tori, Casey is fucking vicious.
“Okay, you four, get the fuck out!” Madden yells. “This is our house and I’ve had enough of this bullshit! Out!”
“She started it!” Tori complains.
“Bitch, you started it!” Casey shoots back.
“Out!” Madden’s voice booms. I push Caleb towards the door and look back to see Avery following. She’s telling everyone it was nice to meet them as she heads outside.
Casey and the professor leave in his Prius, but me, Caleb, Tori, and Avery stand on the porch. Tori cuddles up to Caleb, trying to latch herself as close to him as possible.
“Tori, I think you should go wait in my truck. I’ll take you home shortly.” I tell her. She looks up to Caleb and he nods. I can tell this surprises her, but she doesn’t argue.
“So, what is this? Some kind of fucking intervention or something?” Caleb asks. “You call my sister down here to talk some sense into me?”
“Nope.” I answer.
“I have a job lined up for you in Los Angeles. I want you to come live with me for a while.” Avery explains.
Caleb laughs. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“Tori Sims? You seriously brought Tori Sims to Thanksgiving dinner, Caleb? Do you want to permanently fuck up any chance of ever getting Casey back?” I ask him.
“I’m never getting her back, man.” he says, solemnly.
“You reek of alcohol damn near every day. You even show up to work drunk. You drink to the point where you’re blacking out and now you’re smoking! I’ve been watching you unravel for months and I can’t keep watching you do this to yourself! I just can’t.”
“She’s everything to me, Brady.” he confesses. “Everything and I lost her.” I hate how broken my friend’s voice sounds. Seeing her with another guy has to cut deep.
“That’s why you need to come with me. Get out of this town for a little while. It’ll help.” Avery offers.
“I don’t know.” he hesitates.
“You sure as fuck won’t have a chance of getting her back doing the shit you’re doing now.” I say. “You need this, Caleb.”
Avery reaches out her hand and I sigh in relief when Caleb takes it. “Let’s go get you packed up.”
“Take care of the crew for me while I’m gone.” he instructs and I nod.
“I’ll see you soon, man.” I tell him and watch him leave with Avery. I hate knowing he’s leaving and that I don’t know how long he’ll be gone. Hell, he might not ever want to come back.
Chapter 20
Lillian
By the time I get back to my apartment it’s fairly late and I’m beat. Thanksgiving in Hollis is something else. After Madden kicked Caleb and Casey out along with their dates and Brady and Avery left we tried our best to salvage the rest of the evening.
We ate dessert and then sa
t around and talked. I stayed later to help Jade and Madden clean up before coming back here.
The scene at dinner with Caleb and Casey was hard to watch, although parts were entertaining, it was also heartbreaking to see two people who clearly love each other so much, hurt one another so deeply.
We all watched silently out of the window as Caleb left with his sister. Jade said Brady had hatched a plan to help Caleb. He’s going to stay with Avery for a little while in L.A. Maybe it will be for the best and Caleb will clean up his act. I can’t imagine what Brady is going through right now.
He left with that awful girl Caleb brought as a date and it took a lot of strength not to call him to check on him. He’s a grown man and I’m trying my damnedest not to get too involved.
I take a quick shower and then quickly dress in a pair of short pj shorts and an old t-shirt from high school. It’s starting to wear thin, but it’s too comfy to retire. I leave my still damp hair down.
I sit down on the queen bed in the back of the apartment with a book I’ve been reading for the past few nights. I’m entranced, lost in the pages when I hear a noise downstairs.
The bar is closed for Thanksgiving. It only closes for national holidays. Jack went home with his wife, Madden and Jade are at home exhausted from hosting. My heart races as I go to the small kitchen in my apartment.
I search around for something to make me feel safe. I haven’t really had time or the want to buy many kitchen supplies. I grab a steak knife out of the drawer and slowly walk out of my apartment and walk down the stairs.
This is stupid. I should just call the cops, but then again what if it’s just a mouse or something? Then I’m the crazy girl that called the cops because she heard a rodent. The bar is dim, but I can see the subtle light from just above the liquor cabinet has been switched on from the stairs.
I finish my trip down the stairs, holding the knife up. I take a deep breath and turn the corner from the stairs, walking to the bar. My eyes land on broad shoulders and a familiar head of light brown hair.
Brady turns around calmly, his eyes locking on the knife in my right hand, still lifted up. “Jesus Lilly, you’re going to stab me for getting a drink?”
