Chapter 7 - Morning Eggs and Quiet Lies
The morning light made the dining room look different. The wall candles were off and the painting over the table looked duller. The same plates were gone and there were breakfast plates instead. I could smell eggs and toast. My stomach felt tight.
I sat in the same wooden chair from last night. My feet didn't touch the floor. I kept my hands in my lap so they wouldn't shake where everyone could see them. Dad sat next to me, close enough that his arm touched the back of my chair. His gray shirt was wrinkled.
Vanessa came in from the kitchen with a pan. Her hair was pulled back again. She was smiling in a way she didn't smile last night.
"Good morning, sweet girl," she said. Her voice was soft and high. "I made scrambled eggs just how you like them. Nice and soft."
She set the pan down and picked up my plate herself. Nobody else got served first. She scooped a big spoon of eggs onto my plate and put two pieces of toast next to it. Then she walked around the table to me.
I watched her hands. They were the same hands from last night.
"Here you go," she said, and she put her hand on my shoulder while she set the plate down in front of me with the other hand.
Her fingers were warm through my dress. I froze. I didn't pick up my fork. I didn't move my shoulder away because I didn't want her to get mad, but my whole body went still. I looked up at Dad.
He was already looking at me. Then he looked at her hand.
"Thank you," he said quietly, for me. "Right, Em?"
I nodded a little. Vanessa squeezed my shoulder once, like we were okay now, and then she let go. My breath came back. I put my hands on the edge of my chair and held on.
Tyler came in late. He still had on a T-shirt and his suit pants from last night, like he hadn't slept much. He sat down across from us, in front of the china cabinet. He didn't look at Vanessa first. He looked at me.
"Hey, kiddo," he said. "You sleep okay?"
I shrugged. Dad poured orange juice into my cup and pushed it closer to me so I wouldn't have to reach.
Vanessa sat down and folded her napkin in her lap. Only one gold hoop caught the window light when she turned her head. The other ear was empty. I stared at it because it looked wrong. She always wore both.
Dad saw it too. I saw him see it. His eyes moved from her face to her left ear and stayed there a second too long. He picked up his coffee but didn't drink it. He just held it.
Vanessa noticed him looking and touched her ear quickly, then dropped her hand and laughed a little.
"I lost one yesterday," she said before he asked. "Probably behind the dresser. I'll find it later."
Dad nodded. He didn't say anything. He set his coffee down and put butter on my toast for me because my hands were still holding the chair.
Tyler cleared his throat loud. "So," he said, too fast. "I heard back about that warehouse job over in Millerton. Night shift loading. They want me to start Monday if I can get over there."
Vanessa looked at him sharp. "You're leaving?"
"Just for work," Tyler said. He kept his eyes on his eggs and moved them around with his fork. "It's only forty minutes. I'd stay with a buddy over there for a while. Save gas. You know how it is."
Nobody said anything for a second. The clock on the wall ticked. I took a tiny bite of eggs. They tasted plain and soft like she said, but my throat felt small.
"That sounds like a good opportunity," Dad said. His voice was flat. He was still looking at Vanessa's empty ear, then at Tyler, then back at his plate.
May you like
Vanessa smiled again and reached for the syrup, even though we didn't have pancakes. "We will miss you, but work is work," she said. She looked at me. "Won't we miss Uncle Tyler, Emma?"
I didn't answer. I drank my juice and looked at Dad. He put his hand on the back of my chair again and left it there, steady and heavy, and I leaned just a little toward him without moving my plate.
