*** Evelyn's POV ***
What the hell are my sister and sister-in-law doing here? In person. And poorly dressed for the weather.
"Who died?" I ask suspiciously.
My sister fluffs her artificially bleached hair and crosses her arms like she is trying to keep warm in her thin long-sleeve shirt. "No one died. We're here to spend the holiday with you. Mom sent us over first to make sure you weren't holed up with some new sex god."
"Mom's here too?!" I exclaim.
"Yeah. Since your stubborn ass couldn't get away from work, we thought we'd come and have a few days just us girls!" Jenny explains.
"You all abandoned the traditional Thanksgiving dinner as one big family? Who are you?" I question because I am honestly floored by this uncharacteristic departure from the norm.
"Can we go inside? It's so flipping cold out here!" My sister whines.
"No sex gods, right?" Jenny teases as I move to open my door.
Sex god! Oh shit! RAFAEL!
"Um, here. You go ahead in. I forgot something...my um...my phone! In the car! I'll be right back!" I unlock the door and dump my workbag before turning right around to run downstairs.
I need to figure out what to say to Rafael. If I tell him my family is in town, he's going to push to meet them. He doesn't believe they're as bad as I say.
I push through the lobby doors of my building, accosted by the frigid air outside. Rafael is leaning against his sporty car and grins the second his eyes lock on me. A delightful shiver courses through me, but I know I have to stay focused on the task at hand. I glance around and quickly move to him.
"Are we going to the exhibit or would you rather reprise our weekend?" He offers playfully.
"Rafael...I'm not feeling great. I think I am coming down with the flu. I don't want to get you or your family sick. I think I'm going to bail." I poorly fib.
His face instantly becomes a mask of concern and I feel more guilty as I pull away when he reaches for my forehead to check my temperature. "I'm sorry. It came out of nowhere." Kind of like unwanted guests.
"It's fine. Why don't I park and I can come up and help you get settled?" He sweetly offers.
"The last thing I want is to get you sick before tomorrow. I'll be fine." I assure him.
"I don't want to leave you alone on Thanksgiving." He rocks on his heels.
"I'm used to hiding out on my own. I promise I'll be okay." I try to convince him.
He looks at me reluctantly. "Okay, but you know Mom's going to want me to bring you a whole stockpile of leftovers."
"Not until I'm feeling up for it." I warn. I put a hand over my mouth like I am feeling queasy just thinking about food. I've always been a shit actress.
"Go lay down, Evelyn. Maybe you'll wake up feeling better." He suggests.
"I doubt it." I mutter.
YOU ARE READING
Oral Care
Romance*** COMPLETED STORY *** Evelyn is stubbornly resistant to fitting her family's model of perfect, demure wife material. She flees her hometown and an unwanted relationship to pursue her career and get away from their ridicule. Following a hot resort...
