The Fire Between High & Lo (Elements #2)(47)

“Do you still have room for one more?” she asked, smiling.

“Yeah, definitely, we can make room,” Erika said, rushing to make another plate setting.

Lauren huffed. “It’s extremely rude to just show up to someone’s house and ask for an extra seat at the dinner table.”

“It’s good to see you too, Mom,” Alyssa sassed.

My stare stayed on Alyssa, and her eyes found mine. She gave me a small smile, and I had to break the stare before I got lost in my mind. Being back here, being near her, was so much harder than anything I’d ever had to do.

And I’ve done a ton of hard shit.

We all sat down to eat, my seat right next to Lauren’s, who seemed more nervous than not. Kellan poured everyone wine. I was quick to lift my glass and take a big gulp.

“Should you be drinking?” Lauren asked.

“No, probably not,” I said, finishing my first glass and pouring another. We all started eating Erika’s disgusting food, which I had to chew five times more than normal just to swallow it down, but I didn’t complain.

“How are they treating you at the law firm, Kellan?” Lauren asked. The girls’ mom was a lawyer and one of her favorite things about Kellan was that he studied law and found a successful job where he made good money, and hated his soul.

Kellan cleared his throat, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I actually quit over a month ago.”

I cocked an eyebrow, shocked. “No shit?”

“What?” Lauren asked, surprised. She turned to Erika. “You didn’t tell me that. Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“It didn’t really seem my place, Mom.”

“But why? Why did you quit?” she questioned.

“It wasn’t a part of my heart, I guess,” Kellan said, squeezing Erika’s hand. They smiled at one another and for a moment I saw it—the love that Kellan said he always felt. Those two really did care for one another. “Leaving the firm gives me a chance to pursue my other passions.”

“Like what?” Lauren asked.

“My music. Playing my guitar.”

“That’s a hobby, not a job.” Lauren frowned. She was one negative Nancy.

“Mom. You do know that I work at a piano bar for a living, right?” Alyssa mentioned.

“Oh, honey.” Lauren frowned. “You work at a diner, a furniture store, and play a piano in dirty bars at night. That’s not really something you want to be broadcasting to the world as some kind of accomplishment.”

Still a bitch, I see.

“I think music is really important,” Kellan said, chiming in. “It’s fun. The gigs I’ve been getting pay good money, too. It’s something I love. And life is too short to not do what you love.”

“Here, here!” I mocked, drinking more wine. “That’s why I drink so much wine,” I smirked, winking at Lauren, loving how uncomfortable I made her.

“You’ll see the show tomorrow. My friend’s having me play at his restaurant.”

“What? You said we were going to the theatre tomorrow,” Lauren said, turning to Erika.

“No…I said we were going to a show,” her daughter replied. The two were so much alike it was almost impossible to see how Alyssa fit into that equation.

“No worries, really. It will all be fun. Plus, after the show, we can swing by the reception hall for the wedding next month,” Kellan explained.

“What?” Lauren questioned.

Erika started coughing harshly, trying to clear her throat. “Anyone want more wine?”

“What do you mean the wedding is next month?”

“You didn’t tell her?” Kellan asked, frowning at his fiancée.

“Tell me what?” Lauren asked.

“I forgot,” Erika replied. Wow. I felt like I was watching a bad sitcom unfold in front of me. “We moved the wedding up to next month. But don’t worry! You don’t have to do anything but show up.”

“No. The wedding is next year. I thought we were waiting until you finished your master’s degree, Erika. Plus, I’m the one paying for the wedding. Didn’t you think I had a right to know this? We already made down payments on the reception hall! And now you’re saying you found a new location?”

“We’ll pay you back the down payment. It was a last minute change.”

“Last minute change? Give me a reason. One good reason why we have to rush this. There are so many things to figure out. Flowers, cake, the food. Dresses, invitations, everything. There isn’t enough time.” Lauren kept whining.

“We don’t need all of that stuff, Mom. We are just going to keep it simple.”

Every now and then I’d catch Alyssa staring my way, and she’d look away quickly. Every now and then she’d catch me staring her way, and I’d look away quickly. I hardly wanted to pay attention to the conversation happening at the table. I was much more interested in watching Alyssa and me try to avoid one another.

“You’ve been planning your dream wedding since you were five, Erika Rose. And now you just don’t care about those details? No. We had a plan. We are sticking to the plan. Plus, Kellan doesn’t even have a job right now!”

“He has a gig tonight,” I jumped into the conversation with a smirk. Alyssa laughed. I died from the sound. Why did she have to be so beautiful? I was really hoping I’d come back to town and she’d look and smell like a skunk.