We're Not Related Anymore...

Ugh. Brunch.

Maddie: Present Day

I end up going to brunch anyway. As much as I hate to admit it, Lilian's words ring true. I feel so much guilt over not repairing my distant relationship with my father that I know I won't make that mistake with my brother too.

So that's how I end up sitting between Adrian Isaacs and his son at a large booth at an Italian breakfast cafe. It's just after ten and all I can think about is all the time I'm wasting staring at a pretentious menu when I could be two hours into my thirty-hour bus ride to my welcoming apartment.

"Maddie, can you pass the bread," my mom asks, the one person besides Betty's father who seems actually cheerful. I think she's just glad Josh has willingly included her in something for once.

Everyone else is here with long teeth. If my twin senses are correct, Betty and Josh had a fight on their way here. The only person whose presence confuses me is Adrian. Why the hell does he need to bear witness to this unhappy arrangement? He has no relationship with either person in the couple.

I dutifully pass my mother the bread basket, watching as she lathers a slice with butter. Next to me, Adrian shifts uncomfortably and looks over at me, noting my stare.

"What a bash," he whispers so that only I can hear. "Almost as riveting as the funeral." I crack a smile, too nervous to laugh out loud. The lack of conversation is so notable that I even see other patrons stare curiously at our table.

"So, Adrian, how's life out of prison?" Betty's father asks and the dots connect. Now I know why he's here, he and the mayor are good friends, supposedly.

"Ah, you know. Just making my list of places to see and people to visit now that I've earned my freedom." Adrian's words, or at least the dangerous tone in which he says them, make me curious. It almost sounds like he's making a threat. Across the table, my mother looks at me, and I can see by her raised eyebrows that she's detected the same thing as I have.

"Can we not talk about dubious pasts this early in the morning," Lilan asks tiredly and I wonder where this thought process was when she was hounding me over my morning cup of coffee.

"Yeah, let's talk about the wedding. Have you guys set a date?" My mom asks, looking all too intrigued. I shoot her look, and she kicks me under the table. I wince. "What, Maddie? Why can't I ask that?"

I nod my head to the couple sitting stiffly next to her. They're so busy fuming that I think this conversation has completely gone undetected by them. They don't even look up long enough from their menus to know that most of the table is staring at them with undisguised curiosity.

"Trouble in paradise?" I see Mary mouth to her twin. Shelley smiles a little too gleefully as she mouths back, "I think so."

I not-so-discreetly take a peek at my watch. How much longer do I have to suffer through this? I made sure my bags were ready and packed before we left for the restaurant. That way, I don't have to go further than the porch before I can take my shit and never look back.

"What's wrong? You have somewhere to go?" Adrian asks, noting my longing look at the time.

Everyone looks at us since we're the only ones speaking at a normal volume. I feel Jacob tense up beside me. I don't look at him but I know he's staring at me as I turn my attention to his father. I can feel his eyes bore holes into the back of my head.

I'm about to open my mouth to answer the question when someone speaks before I can.

"What's this, Adrian?" The mayor asks. "Eyeing your next plaything?"