I wonder what my father would think about seeing me so sad on my birthday. He’d probably be disappointed we aren’t continuing the family birthday dinner. I bet Aunt Jenny would be disappointed about it too. We’ve never missed one for as far back as I can remember.
It makes me wonder why I automatically assumed the tradition would stop with their deaths. They wouldn’t want it to stop.
Even though my mother seems to have lost her respect for the tradition, that doesn’t necessarily mean the tradition shouldn’t continue. At least this way, I could see Miller tonight.
I sit up and look at him. “You know what? I do want a birthday dinner tonight. And I want you to come.”
He raises a cautious eyebrow. “I don’t know. Your mom didn’t seem like she’d ever welcome me back into your house.”
“I’ll talk to her when I get home. If she has an issue with it, I’ll call you.”
“You don’t have a phone.”
“I’ll call you from our home phone.”
“People still have those?”
I laugh. “She’s only thirty-four, but she’s an ancient thirty-four-year-old.”
I lean back against him, thinking about my birthday. It really isn’t fair if she tries to ground me. If she does, I might throw the Langford in her face. I let a slow roll of air pass through my lungs. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. The idea that the two of them were having a hotel tryst just a week after the accident makes me want revenge.
I try not to think about it. I turn around and straddle Miller, and then I kiss him for several minutes. It’s a good distraction, but he eventually has to drive us back to the school.
I wait out the final class period in my car before going home, which is probably a bad idea, because the entire time I sit in my car, I think about all the ways I can fight for the vengeance my dad and Jenny deserve.
I head home, even angrier than when I left for school this morning.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
MORGAN
I’m in Clara’s bedroom closet hanging up clothes when she gets home from school. I’ve been keeping myself preoccupied all day with cleaning, laundry, mindless organization. It’s not lost on me that I never left the house today, so I really should have never cancelled the cable technician. I could be catching up on Real Housewives right about now.
I hear Clara making her way down the hallway, so I brace for impact. I expect her to scream at me or give me the silent treatment. It’ll be one or the other. I’m hanging up the last shirt when she walks into her room and drops her backpack on the bed.
“What are we eating for my birthday dinner tonight? I’m hungry.”
I stare at her cautiously because I feel like this is some sort of trick. She still wants to do a dinner? That surprises me. But I go along with it, just in case it’s sincere. I hope it’s sincere. “I was thinking lasagna,” I say. I know lasagna is her favorite.
She nods. “Perfect.”
I might need to run to the grocery store now, but I’d do anything at this point to have an opportunity to open up a conversation with her. And this dinner will be the perfect opportunity. Maybe she realizes that too. Without Jenny and Chris here, Jonah won’t be here. It’ll just be the two of us. We’re long past due for a serious heart-to-heart.
I’m chopping tomatoes for the salad when the doorbell rings. I wipe my hands on a dish towel and begin making my way to the front door. Surprisingly, I’m intercepted by Clara. She swings open the door, and I’m taken aback by the sight of Jonah and Elijah.
What is he doing here? Did he really think the dinner was still on after last night?
I expect Clara to slam the door in his face, but she doesn’t. He hands her a box, and even though I’m on my tiptoes in the doorway to the kitchen, trying to see what it is, I have no idea what he’s just given her.
“Seriously?” She sounds excited. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone.
“I had an old phone in a drawer at the house,” Jonah says.
“This is the latest model, though.”
“I took the old one.”
Clara lets him in, and I slip back into the kitchen. Why did he buy her a phone? Is that his way of winning her over? That’s not how you