Chapter 117

Eleanor Reid came to the end of her thank yous and said, “My son and daughter will say a word after dessert. And Dean,” she tilted her head to smile at him. “If you don’t mind, we’d love a word from you, too.”

Jay couldn’t remember whether he’d ever seen Dean turn ashen.11

Dean couldn’t touch his dessert. What the fuck was he going to say? Jay’s parents circulated on the other side of the hall, and it crossed Dean’s mind they intentionally avoided their children, before he pushed the idea aside. No sooner had he done so than April piped up with, “They’re not coming back to the table. They’re bloody avoiding us.”

Jay gave her a quick shake of his head, possibly an attempt to tell her this wasn’t the time or place. Even as Jay did, another guest said, “Oh I’m sure they wouldn’t be doing a thing like that.”