"Have you been practicing being a big sister with Lili?" I ask her, indicating the doll.
"Yes!" Bella is ecstatic that I understand the connection. "I pray ice with Lili!"
Mrs. Estes stops in then to tell us dinner is ready. Luke scoops Bella up and we go ahead to the dining room to find Meredith sliding a chair into the table next to her husband and placing a Disney sippy cup on the table.
"Really, Mother? You thought a three-year-old would eat Thanksgiving dinner alone in the kitchen?"
Mrs. Miller has no reaction to that other than to respond, "No, I thought she'd eat dinner at home with her nanny, but you gave her the day off."
"We gave her the week off, actually," Alexander interjects from his seat to Mrs. Miller's left. "We enjoy spending time with Bella."
Luke places Bella on the seat between her parents before escorting me to the other side of the table and pulling out a chair for me between him and his dad, who is seated at the opposite end of the table from his mom.
I notice Mrs. Miller's seating arrangement has Luke sitting between me and Kara. Our side of the table is me, Luke, Kara, Mrs. Hollett and Mr. Hollett. Across from me is Luke's aunt, then his uncle, Meredith, Bella and Alexander. I look longingly towards Meredith's end of the table, wishing I was closer to friendly faces. Then again, I'm about as far as I can get from Mrs. Miller so I'll take what I can get.
"Lucas, how are things at Baldwin?" The elder Dr. Miller ignores me completely and starts questioning Luke about the hospital. "I saw Dr. Tan last week at a conference. She said your department profits are the talk of the hospital."
Luke's face is expressionless, but his jaw is doing that tick thing he does when he's annoyed.
They go back and forth with this oddly polite bickering until the food is placed before us. Placed, on individual plates, like in a restaurant. No carved-up turkey or casserole dish of sweet potatoes covered in mini-marshmallows on this table. I wonder what Mrs. Miller would do if I wiped my plate clean of mashed potatoes and asked for more. I have to suppress a giggle, that's how ridiculous the thought of asking Mrs. Miller for seconds is.
The plates are set in front of us with precision by a woman in a chef's uniform. Luke murmurs, "Thank you, Heidi," as she places a plate in front of him, so I gather that the Millers have a full-time chef on staff as well as the house manager.
I wonder if it was Mrs. Miller or Heidi who taught Luke how to make his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Wait, why am I even asking myself? Clearly it was Heidi.
Dr. Miller turns his attention to his brother and sister-in-law and I breathe a sigh of relief. My hands are folded in my lap while everyone is being served. Luke reaches under the table and briefly squeezes my hand before picking up his knife and fork. I glance at him and smile as I pick up my utensils as well. I'd have preferred takeout and Luke's couch over this experience, but this is… okay. It's interesting learning more about Luke if nothing else. I relax and take a bite of turkey. Heidi is a whiz, this is delicious.
"Lucas, have you seen Gina? I heard she's back in Philadelphia," Mrs. Miller says.
Gina? Mrs. Miller knows the redheaded troll? Of course she does.
"I have and she is," Luke replies with a finality that indicates he's done discussing the topic.
Crap. I want to know more about Gina! But I don't want to ask Luke about her directly, obviously.
Mrs. Miller takes a sip of wine. "It's a shame things didn't work out between you two."
I knew it! I knew those two were together. My moment of smugness fades. Be an adult, Sophie, I chastise myself. You can't date an older man and expect him not to have a history. Besides, he's really good in bed and I am enjoying the benefits of that. Wait, he practiced with her. Stop thinking about Gina and Luke in bed together!
"I was surprised when your engagement ended. You seemed so well suited." Mrs. Miller's eyes flicker over me.
Wow, that stung. My heart races at the snub and my cheeks flush in embarrassment.
"That engagement ended six years ago, Mother, I think you've had sufficient time to get past your surprise."
Six years ago? Six years ago Luke was engaged and I was in high school. I sit on that thought for a moment. Engaged. What did Luke tell me about her? That she was no one important? Yet he was having dinner with her a month ago, and he was with her again when he walked into Grind Me the following week.
"I heard she just took a position running the cardiovascular department at Baldwin Memorial," Luke's father interjects.
"She did, yes." Luke spears a piece of turkey with his fork.
"She was a highly sought-after candidate. Well-regarded."
"She's a very talented surgeon," Luke agrees noncommittally.
I feel so stupid. They work at the same hospital? Is he still with her? She's clearly not "no one" as he indicated to me weeks ago. She was his fiancée at one time. And I'm just a college student. I don't even have a job lined up after graduation.
On that note, as if he's just remembering I'm at the table, Luke's father glances at me and asks if I’m a part of the high-school volunteer program at Luke's hospital.
I'm defeated. These people are awful.
"That's enough," Luke begins to reply before I have to, but he's cut off by Bella. She's been quiet throughout most of the meal, but she chooses this moment to stand on her chair and boom, "I'm having a bay bee!" Then she claps her hands excitedly and jumps up and down on her chair.
I knew I liked that kid. The tension is broken and the attention is now on Meredith.
Heidi clears our plates and offers coffee. She's serving tiny individual pumpkin pies as Luke's phone rings and he excuses himself from the table.
I feel a jolt of panic at being left alone with these people without him, but Kara engages me in conversation now that we can see each other without Luke between us. She's very sweet and I enjoy chatting with her. I don't think she had a clue that her mom and Mrs. Miller were planning to set her up with Luke today.
The pies are served and coffee is poured and Luke is still not back. Everyone continues on without him, and it reminds me of Gina at the restaurant weeks ago. I was right about her being used to the frequent interruptions that accompany time spent with Luke. Though now I realize she can probably relate since she is a doctor herself.