Thea caught my gaze and hastily looked away. Clearing her throat, Thea turned back to me. “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”
I shrugged, taking my Sprite from Cade before he drank it all. “Just staying on campus.”
Cade swiveled in the booth to look at me while Thea’s jaw dropped. “You can’t spend Thanksgiving by yourself! That’s just…wrong!”
“I don’t want to go home,” I muttered. I felt bad because I knew my parents wanted to see me, but I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t subject myself to that town’s ridicule anymore. I couldn’t bear to run into Brett’s parent’s—and they were nearly impossible to avoid since they lived next door.
“Why don’t you spend Thanksgiving with us?” Thea pleaded. “I’ll ask my mom, but I know they won’t care. She always makes too much food anyway. Please, Rae?” She begged. “You can’t be alone on Thanksgiving.”
“It’ll be fun.” Cade waggled his eyebrows with a grin. “We can have a Harry Potter marathon.”
I felt unsure of what to do. A part of me was ecstatic that they’d offer, but I was also scared. A whole four days at their house—sleeping near Cade? Something told me this could be dangerous. But I found myself saying, “If it’s okay with your parents then I’m in.”
“Yay!” Thea clapped her hands together. “This is going to be so much fun!”
Fun? Or a disaster?
sixteen
The house was modest in size, smaller than I had expected. The front was gray stone
with large windows. The wood front door had orange and yellow leaves hanging around it with a wreath in the center. It had a cozy, lived-in look to it.
“Home sweet home,” Cade mumbled, sliding out of the Jeep. He didn’t sound all that thrilled to be home.
I’d stepped onto the driveway when the front door opened and a short woman with hair the same color as Thea’s came running towards us. “You’re home! You’re home!” She chanted. She acted as if she hadn’t seen them since they left for school, which I found odd since it had only taken us thirty minutes to get here. Surely she’d come to one of Cade’s football games.
She hugged Cade and then Thea. She didn’t appear to want to let either of them go.
“I’ve missed you.” She held Thea at arm’s length as her eyes narrowed. “What are you wearing?”
Thea looked down at the leggings, brown boots, and jean shirt she wore with a coat. “Um…clothes.”
“You look like you’re homeless.” With that her mom turned to me. “You must be Rae.” She enveloped me in a motherly hug. She seemed nice enough but her previous words to Thea had been rather rude.
“I made lunch. I thought you guys might be hungry. Get your bags, eat, and then you can get settled.” She patted my cheek. “You’re a pretty girl.”
I wasn’t sure if I should say thank you, so instead I stood there. She seemed to take that as an answer.
Once she was gone, I said, “Your mom seems…nice.”
Cade laughed, getting all of our bags from the trunk. “Yeah, if nice is a code word for crazy.”
“Hey,” Thea slapped his arm lightly, “she’s our mom. Be nice.”
Cade sighed and looked at me. “She tries, but she can be very judgmental. Our mom, I mean,” he added as if I hadn’t figured out who he was talking about. “Like I told you before, she’s zany.”
“But we love her,” Thea added, like it needed to be said.
“Where’s your dad?” I asked, looking around like he might pop out from behind a bush.
“Probably inside spying on us,” Cade grumbled.
Thea picked up her duffel bag. “I’m starving.” She headed towards the house, leaving Cade and I alone.
“Wish you’d stayed on campus yet?” He asked, peering down at me with a sad look on his eyes.
“No.”