Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 126602 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126602 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Bending down to peer below the hanging cabinets, I smiled at an uneasy-looking Eli.
“Hungry?”
By the time I coaxed Dominic out of the bedroom, promising to give up my wi-fi password if he ate with us—a card I really didn’t want to play yet, but I was desperate and out of options that didn’t involve smoking him out by starting a fire—I already had an idea how dinner was going to play out.
And when he finally did emerge, brow furrowed, mouth tight, and footsteps heavy, looking ready to eat me instead of the meal I’d prepared, that idea blossomed into full-blown reality.
Still, I wasn’t giving up yet.
“Glad you could join us,” I said, smiling when Dominic reached the table.
He scoffed and kicked out the chair next to Eli, slumping into it. “Password?” he asked.
“After dinner.”
His face burned with rage. “That wasn’t the deal, Shay.”
“Well, unless you’d like to explain to Mom and Dad why you’re running up their bill, it’s the only deal.” I pointed my spoon at him. “You’re lucky I don’t make you wait until the end of the week.”
His eyes widened, and he visibly tensed. I’d be lying if I said a little part of me didn’t enjoy seeing that.
“I won’t do that, though, because I’m an awesome sister,” I said, relieving his anxiety. I looked to Eli. “Right, E?”
He nodded and slurped up his soup.
“Eat, Dom. Then I’ll give you the password.”
Dominic scooted closer to the table and looked down at his food. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup?” he asked, sounding unimpressed.
“It was chilly today,” I replied. “This is the perfect meal for chilly weather.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled, dunking his sandwich and biting into it.
“There’s ham in some of them.” I scooted the plate of extras closer to the boys.
“I don’t like ham,” Dominic said, mouth stuffed full as he shoved in another bite.
I narrowed my eyes and watched him eat, realizing he was doing it fast and risking choking himself just to get that damn wi-fi password, which would get him away from this table, and thus, away from me.
Crap.
I didn’t have much time. If this meal was going to somehow bring us together, I had to act quickly.
“Do you want to talk about Nana?” I asked, looking between my brothers.
They hadn’t been as close to my grandparents as I had been, but that didn’t mean they weren’t affected by this. Their grief mattered too. I wanted them to know that.
Dominic shrugged and kept eating. Looking to Eli, I watched his gaze lift from the table.
“You okay?” I asked him.
He nodded.
“Do you guys have any homework?”
“No,” Dominic said.
Eli nodded again.
“After dinner, we’re getting on that.” I watched my perfect youngest brother comply, just like he seemed to do with everything. “What kind of dinners would you guys like this week?” I dunked one half of my sandwich into the soup. “I’m going to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I can pick up whatever you want. Do you want to do pasta or something tomorrow night? Like spaghetti?”
Eli lifted his head. “With g-garlic bread?”
I grinned. “Hell, yes. Is there any other way to eat spaghetti?” Getting approval from Eli, I looked to Dominic. “Does that sound good, Dom?”
He lifted the bowl to his mouth and tipped it back, draining every last drop of soup. Then setting the bowl on his empty plate, he wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand and shoved the dishes to the center of the table before getting to his feet. “Password?”
I exhaled a defeated breath, ready to give it up because I refused to go back on my word and risk losing Dominic’s trust, no matter how badly I wanted to deny him, but just as my mouth opened, my cell phone rang from the kitchen.
“One sec,” I said, getting to my feet.
Dominic, making all kinds of hate noises at me, slumped back into his chair and brought his arms across his chest.
I was happy to see him seated again and debated dragging out this phone call all night, no matter who it was.
“Hello?” I answered, retrieving my phone off the counter. I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hi, Ms. Perkins. This is Erin Kennedy, Dominic’s math teacher. Your mother gave the office your contact info.”
“Oh, hi. How are you?”
“I’m just calling to let you know Dominic missed his tutoring session today. Were you aware he stayed after school for that?”
I turned my head and glared across the table, keeping my voice smooth and pleasant. “No, I had no idea he was tutored.” I watched my brother sink lower into his seat, avoiding my eyes. “It was today?”
“Yes. It’s every Tuesday and Friday. We’re really trying to get his grade up, so it’s really important he makes these sessions.”
I closed my eyes, feeling so pissed off I could scream. “I had no idea he was supposed to stay after today. I’m so sorry. My mom forgot to mention it.”