Nina:?????????????… Oh. Then, yeah. That’s kind of weird.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LUCY
I fully expect Mom to cancel the party.
I listen to Ben’s miniepisode in disbelief the first time, and with more than a little amusement the second.
I didn’t know Mom had it in her.
I should maybe be a little miffed on Savvy’s behalf, but she was never that serious about Colin, and I honestly think she’d be amused as well.
I wait, clenched, for Mom to explode.
But she doesn’t. The next morning, I come downstairs to find her cheerfully sewing lace onto a baby blanket she made for one of the girls from church.
Denial always did work well for her.
So, I say nothing, send Ben a text message that just says damn, son, and pretend like nothing happened.
* * *
Mom insists we get to the restaurant an hour early so we can micromanage the employees in charge of setting up the party. They don’t seem particularly put out by this, like they’re used to women in loud flower-print dresses fussing over the exact placement of mason jar candles.
Mom missed her calling as a wedding planner. She would have been so good at projecting a happy image for one day.
We’re in a large room for special events at the back of the restaurant. They’ve set up a long picnic-style table, with said mason jar candles and flower arrangements dotting the middle.
Mom doesn’t mention the daisies. Probably because they look so nice. Or she’s totally forgotten that they were supposed to be pink roses.
Grandma arrives right on time, escorted by Ashley and Brian （my cousins, the asshole grandchildren）。 They’re both younger than I am—early twenties—and neither of them look particularly happy to be there. Brian barely looks up from his phone to say hi.
Their parents, Keith and Janice, follow them inside. My aunt Karen, the youngest of my mom’s siblings, sulks in after them, the usual sour expression on her face. She has an unfamiliar man in an ill-fitting suit with her.
I don’t know when they all got into town. Mom mysteriously disappeared a few times over the last couple of days, so I assume they’ve been here for a while. No one had any interest in seeing me early, apparently.
They all glance at me and then quickly away. Except for Ashley, who looks me up and down and then squints, like she disapproves.
I look down at my dress. It’s black, which is out of place with the rest of the colorfully dressed guests. It also has a plunging neckline, which would be more exciting on someone with bigger boobs. Still, the waiter circling the room, offering appetizers, seems to appreciate them. I do what I can.
Grandma hustles over to me, her purple sequins hustling with her. The birthday dress is very flapper-like, with a nod to a Vegas showgirl.
She squeezes my arm. “Everything looks lovely.”
“You know Mom did most of it.”
Uncle Keith and Aunt Janice appear behind her and give me loose hugs and tight smiles.
“Lovely to see you, Lucy,” Uncle Keith says, rubbing a hand over his beard.
“I’m surprised you haven’t gotten remarried,” Aunt Janice says with a frown.
“Well, it wasn’t so great the first time.” I laugh. She doesn’t.
“Wow,” Ashley says. Her hair, which was light brown last time I saw her, is dyed a really nice auburn color, and I might have complimented it if she weren’t staring at me like I was an alien.
“Hi, Lucy.” Brian looks up from his phone long enough to glance at my boobs.
“Brian, you’re looking so handsome!” Mom is just telling outright lies now, I guess. She pushes his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, and he reels back like this is the worst thing to ever happen in his twenty-one years.
The smile on Mom’s face fades to open-mouthed horror as she spots something behind me.
I turn. It’s Ben, holding a present with a giant pink bow, wrapped much too nicely for him to have done it himself. He’s wearing a blue button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and I notice that Ashley doesn’t disapprove of anything she sees there.
I can’t blame her, honestly.
“Ben!” Grandma exclaims at the same time Mom says, “What are you doing here?”
Ben lifts one hand in a wave. If he’s surprised that Mom didn’t know he was coming, he doesn’t show it.
I can’t help but think that he could have saved the miniepisode for tomorrow. He posted it before the party, when he knew he would see her after it went up.
I am both impressed and a little scared.
“Kathleen, don’t be rude,” Grandma says, waving a hand at Mom. “I invited him.”