and couldn’t make it. Maybe, just for now, I could pretend like yesterday hadn’t happened. I could deal with the fallout at a later date. “His name is Justin.”
Megan set the salad tongs down. “Is he the guy you went to the funeral with last Christmas?”
Holy shit. She remembered that? Even mom and dad hadn’t made the connection when they’d been probing about my “date” with a “male friend.” But Megan remembered me going to Kansas with Justin to help bury his father.
Maybe I had to give my sister some credit.
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
“So tell me about him.”
“We met in school. He’s studying to be a mechanic. Actually, he’s almost done.” Just thinking about him reminded me of how very much I loved him—which made his leaving all the more painful.
Devon’s voice behind me nearly made me jump. “Are you telling Aunt Megan about Justin, mom?”
“Yes. Did you need something, honey?”
“No. Just wondering when we get to eat. We’re starving!”
When my mother looked up at the clock, she said, “It’s going to be a little while longer, Devon, but you can nibble on the appetizer trays in the dining room.”
“Okay!” he practically screamed, darting out of the kitchen.
“Don’t overdo it, buddy. I don’t want you to ruin your appetite.” Then I let out a slow breath, grateful that my son hadn’t spilled the beans about Justin.
Megan, however, was like a dog with a bone. “So is it pretty serious?”
Hoping I came off as nonchalant, I shrugged, walking to the doorway so I could pretend to be distracted by Devon’s eating habits. “Oh, I don’t know.”
My sister’s voice was light and airy, teasing. “Come on now. How serious are you guys?”
Before yesterday, it had felt serious and like a beautiful thing. Had Megan asked me twenty-four hours ago, I would have told her I loved Justin more than I ever had any other man. At just the thought, my heart ached as if a fist had clamped itself around that organ to squeeze the fucking life out of it. But I forced a smile on my face to scare the tears away.
You’re steel, Randi. And just because he’s fucked you over like every other man you’ve ever cared about, don’t tell her shit. “We’re friends.”
My mother stopped stirring the pot on the stove and turned to look me straight in the eyes. “You said he’s your boyfriend, that you’ve been dating for a while now.”
“Well, yeah.” But he left me last night. “But we’re friends first.” God, that sounded lame, but I was having a hard time spinning half-truths. Anything I said at this point would seem contrived.
Devon, however, reappeared at the kitchen doorway, holding a pickle—and he was more than willing to let the cat out of the bag. “Did mom tell you Justin moved in with us?”
Holy hell. It was like the brakes on my van had locked up with no warning. Any chance I would have had to gloss over my relationship with Justin crashed through the windshield. I blinked twice and licked my lips before saying, “Honey, why don’t you go play?”
“Okay, but I wanted to tell grandma the olives were delicious. And I can’t wait for turkey!” He rubbed his belly, smiling widely at my mother, licking his lips in a comical fashion that would have made me laugh any other time.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” She hugged him before he ran out of the kitchen again, and then she set down her wooden spoon, stepping closer to the table. While the expression on her face seemed less than pleased, her soft voice belied it. “Randi, I have about had it. This Justin—is he a friend, a boyfriend, or a live-in lover? Do you think you can manage to be honest for just one moment?”
Great. Now my mother thought I was a bald-faced liar. I’d stretched the truth today…but lying? Simply with that thought, I felt all the years of judgment from my entire family pile up on my shoulders—all the knowing looks, the sly suggestions, the basic belief that I was the black sheep, the bad seed. In that instant, it all came back and with it came the hurt, the guilt, the anger.
As the fucking tears welled up in my eyes yet again, I drew in a deep breath, deciding to just let it all out. “You want the truth? You got it. The whole damn truth. Justin and I met when I started taking classes, and we’ve been good friends ever since. You