The Veil

Chapter Sixty-Eight

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Martha enthused as she gathered me in a hug, kissing my cheek as I entered the kitchen. 

She was wearing a beautiful green dress, it fell to mid calf, a little lace patterning, her make-up was perfect, her hair dark blonde in perfect tight curls, she looked like she'd stepped out of a magazine from the fifties. 

My simple just mascara and dramatic eyeliner teamed with the same dress I'd worn for my first date with Tom seemed drab next to her.

"Happy Thanksgiving." I smiled at her, her gentle nature and pure soul always put me at ease instantly. 

She gave Tom the same greeting and he kissed her cheek, giving her a squeeze. 

"You two need to move the table and get it set, everything you need is on the couch." Jade said in a way of greeting, her voice laced with stress. 

"Yes ma'am." Tom saluted her and she shot him the finger. 

"Where's Drew?" I asked Martha, eyeing Jade, she clearly needed his presence right now, he aways had a calming effect on her. 

"He and Peter took Sky for a walk, Peter has really gotten into walking since his doctor told him his blood pressure was a little high." She shook her head in an adoring way. 

I'd wondered where Sky had gone, I'd thought she'd be out back or hovering around the kitchen hoping for some scraps, that Jade would happily give her. 

I followed Tom into the living room, he was already pushing my favorite chair further into the centre of the living room to make room for the table being pulled out, we usually kept it pushed against the wall, only needing the four chairs usually. 

Once he'd pulled it out enough to allow the chairs to go the other side I said, "You can go grab the other chairs from the garage, I'll start setting."

"The woman in his house only want me for my muscles, I swear." He mumbled with a mocking shake of his head. 

"Yes Tom, because you're ready for the next strong man competition." I rolled my eyes at him.
He smirked at me and made his way out to grab the chairs. 

I'd finished setting the table, making it look as beautiful and elegant as I could, Jades decorations were wonderful and I stood back to appreciate my work, my small smile quickly turned to a frown when I realised Tom had been gone a long time, it should have only taken him a few minutes. 

I wondered back into the kitchen, thinking maybe he'd gotten roped into helping cook on his way back in. 

"Where's Tom?" I asked when he wasn't in there. 

Jade shrugged and looked over her shoulder, "Isn't he with you?" She questioned. 

"He went to get the chairs." I shook my head, still frowning. 

I walked out to the back porch, he wasn't in the yard. 

I walked over the frozen grass and pulled the garage door open, at first it didn't look like Tom was in here, but then I heard a sniffle, he had his knees pulled up to his chest and his head was on his knees, on the floor in the corner of the garage. 

My heart instantly dropped, my body filled with dread, I bolted over to him and dropped to my knees next to him, the cold of the concrete floor on my bare legs barely registered. 

He jumped when I touched his arm, "Shit!" He almost screamed. 

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked, trying to assess him for injuries. 

His eyes were rimmed with red, his cheeks wet with tears. He shook his head at me and swiped his hand across his face. 

He didn't say anything and my body grew tense with worry. "Tom, please?" I begged him.