one’s empty.” Ryan looked up at him with angelic eyes.
“Here, Peter. There’s plenty in this bowl.” Carly, his Uncle Steve’s stepdaughter, offered another bowl of steaming turkey gravy. She delivered a coy smile and al but batted her eyes. Peter pretended not to notice. He didn’t want to encourage her.
Determined to bury his worry about Libby, he stuffed himself with food. Usualy he loved Thanksgiving, but this year, the gathering of twenty odd people was more than he could handle. He took the bowl from Carly’s eager hands. “Thanks.” He forced a smile and ladled the rich gravy over his second helping of turkey, stuffing and cheesy potato casserole, turning the contents on his plate into a thick stew.
“Where does he put al that food?” Grandma Jamieson commented, looking at his mounded plate. Peter smiled at Grandma and shoveled in another mouthful.
His mother looked at him warmly. “Ever since Peter turned fourteen, he’s always eating; and he runs everyday, so that boosts his appetite even more. It’s near impossible to keep these boys fed.”
Peter responded with a black look. He didn’t feel like making nice with his family. They stil seemed like traitors.
“I can’t imagine your grocery bil,” Becky, Uncle Steve’s new wife, commented. “My Carly eats like a little bird. I swear she forgets to eat some days.” Aunt Becky bragged about her daughter’s ultra skinny body. The girl wore her clothes so tight they left little to the imagination. Carly took a tiny bite of green bean and feigned embarrassment.
“Girls are too skinny these days,” Grandma said. “Look like they could blow away in a strong wind.”
At the other end of the table Garrett sat next to Uncle Steve, Mom’s cool older brother, who always drove hot cars and dated even hotter women. Aunt Becky finaly landed him last spring and became his second wife. She could pass for under thirty, but Carly was seventeen, so it wasn’t likely.
“Now that we’ve inhaled most of this meal, who wants to start with their thanks?” his mom asked. Every year she forced them to participate in this ritual. Peter and his brothers groaned, while Carly glanced around the table, confused at the mention of this unknown tradition.
His mother eyed them. “Boys, you disappoint me. This year, more than any other, we have so much to be thankful for.” Peter scraped potatoes from the side of his plate and stuffed his mouth. He looked directly at his mother and shrugged.
“Fine. I’l start.” She wiped the corners of her mouth with a linen napkin then set it aside. “I am thankful for the amazing doctors and medical staff at Cedars-Sinai.” She reached out and took her husband’s hand. “Without their dedication and talent, I might have lost you.” She gazed at his dad; tears weled in her eyes.
“And I thought you were going to say you were thankful to get a few days freedom while I was in the hospital,” his father said.
His mother shot him a wry expression.
“I’m thankful we get to go swimming after dinner,” Ryan chirped in.
“But not until half an hour after dinner,” Grandma said.
“Aw,” Ryan responded.
“Mom, that’s an old wives’ tale. Leave the kid alone,” Uncle Steve said.
“Nonsense. If the rule kept you alive al these years, it obviously works.”
“I’m thankful for video games,” Ela, Ryan’s older sister, offered, successfuly getting the conversation back on track.
Each person in turn offered up something to be thankful for.
Next came Garrett.
“I’m thankful, Peter’s got such a weak left hook.” He rubbed his bruised cheekbone for effect.
Their mother pierced Garrett with a powerful stare. Carly looked from Peter to Garrett and back again, intrigued. Peter set his fork down, his jaw clenched. He’d love to slug him again. The asshole deserved it and much more.
“What are you thankful for Peter?” Grandma asked, oblivious to the tension between the two brothers.
Peter looked from Garrett to his father and mother.
“Absolutely nothing.” He controled his anger. He didn’t want to upset Grandma.
“Peter,” his father warned. “We al have something to be thankful for. Try that again.”
Inside he fumed. He was thankful to have Libby, but then Garrett derailed that and he stil hadn’t been able to get a hold of her. They’d tracked down her aunt’s phone number, but there was no answer. Al he could think about was his need to talk to her and clear everything up. He wanted Libby with him. Other than that he only felt anger; anger at his family’s interference, anger at being stuck in this fake happy