Family Comes First

Chapter 28: Road Trip

Charles spent the day reading at the table. I washed the floor and served on him whenever he wanted a drink. He did not say much to me all day.

It was dark outside, and I had already finished cooking before Jimmy and Tommy came in. Tommy came in first, and he slammed the door behind him before storming up the stairs. Jimmy came in a few minutes later. He raked his fingers through his hair and let out a deep breath. He came over to me and slid his arms around my back. His fingertips were cold through the thin fabric of my shirt. His lips were just as cold when he kissed me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm good," I said.

"Are you?" He raised an eyebrow. "I need to know the truth. It's the only way I can help you."

"I feel great," I said. "We should probably eat before it gets cold."

"Yeah," he said. He let go of me and removed his jacket. "Tommy probably won't be eating."

"What happened?" Charles asked.

He closed his book and pushed it to the side. I brought the dishes over to the table before I sat.

"Tommy's being Tommy," Jimmy said. He reached over and scooped some potatoes onto his plate. "He'll find any reason to throw a fit."

"What was it this time?" Charles asked.

"There were a couple of people," he said. "They were across the road in the field. He told me that we should go over there and take them. There were six of them, so I told him to leave them alone. He wasn't happy about that."

"That was the right decision," Charles said.

Charles passed me the plate of meat and I set it down in the middle of the table. Jimmy looked at me, shook his head, and pushed the plate toward me. It clanged against my plate and my stomach twisted.

"You didn't take any," Jimmy said.

"I'm not very hungry," I said.

"You told me that you were feeling good," he said. "Were you lying to me?"

"No."

"Then take some."

I put a slice of meat and looked up at Jimmy for his approval. He shook his head.

"You know, Juliet," Charles said, "you should probably be gaining some weight. It's not that healthy to stay that skinny."

"We just want you to be safe," Jimmy said.

I picked up another piece of meat and dropped it on my plate. They were still staring at me, so I put another piece on my plate. They relaxed in their seats after that.

"Make sure that you eat it all," Jimmy said.

"I will," I said.

We ate in silence, and only the sounds of forks scraping against the plates filled the air. I ate the meat first so that I could get it over with. Chewing it became easier, but swallowing it and forcing it down my throat was still a struggle.

"I've been talking to Noah," Charles said. "He was shocked that we were willing to come so early. They're very proud of you, James."

"Thank you," he said.

"We'll leave here in a couple of days, and stay with them for a week," Charles said. "I'll tell Tommy. That will put him in a better mood."

Dinner was soon over and I washed the dishes. My hands were in the hot soapy water, and Jimmy came up behind me. He put his hand on my hip and brushed my hair off the side of my neck.