Page 48 of Break Point
I wait for his reply because Idesperatelyneed him to sit beside me at the table and act as a human shield against my mom.
“I’ll see you in a bit.”
Can this eternal day be over yet?
CHAPTER 13
FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
I’M TAKINGmy time under the perfect hot spray of water, contemplating what to do about Liam. As much as I prefer the privacy of my New York apartment, my shower in Montclair has exceptional water pressure.
I should call him to let him know I’m back and thank him for the flowers, but my mind feels oversaturated, and my circadian rhythms are out of sync. I’m tired but not sleepy, which is the worst combination ever.
When I arrived, my phone needed to be recharged, so I plugged it in and left it on my nightstand before jumping in the shower. I’ll call Liam after dinner once it’s fully charged. Or tomorrow morning once I’m feeling more like myself and less pissed about China. I’m sure he’ll understand. I need some space.
After skipping blow-drying my hair because I took too long in the shower, I throw on a pair of jeans and a comfy cream-colored sweater and hurry downstairs to find everyone waiting for me at the table.
“How’s my favorite sister?” Robbie grins and stands to greet me with a warm embrace.
“Late,” Mom replies in my stead. “We’re starving.”
Here we go.
I’m only four and a half minutes behind, but I keep my mouth shut and slide into the seat between Robbie and Henry, hoping the seating arrangement will serve as a human barrier against my mom.
“You don’t seem too hungry.” I glance at the half-full glass of gin and tonic she’s gripping. “You seem thirsty, though.” I tilt my head with a saccharine smile, and Henry bumps his shoe against mine.
Translation:Don’t provoke her.
“Enough,” Dad cuts in. He doesn’t look like someone who just got off a sixteen-hour flight. He looks polished in a blue suit and crisp white shirt with a few buttons undone, as if turbulence doesn’t apply to him. “Can we eat in peace? Your mom and I have to leave soon.”
Mom and I lock eyes and do as we’re told.
Dinner is going better than expected. Mom changed her attitude and has been asking a few standard questions about China, and I’ve replied with enough detail to make her feel satisfied with my answers while remaining careful about not showing any emotions. No one’s being rude, and there hasn’t been any need for Henry to defend me. He’s eating in silence, evaluating the table dynamics. He can’t help it.
I should learn to relax around Mom. I can’t help but play the victim around her, and perhaps she’s not always thinking about how to hurt me, even if I tend to believe everything she says to me has a hidden double meaning.
We’re almost done eating, and Robbie pulls out his phone and starts texting.
“Roberto guarda el teléfono,porfa,”?1 Dad chides.
“Voy,”?2 Robbie replies, smiling mischievously at his screen.
Mom pushes back her chair and stands to fix herself another drink. Dad’s brow flies up as she grabs the bottle of gin from her wheeled cart. As per usual, he refrains from saying a word to her about her excessive alcohol consumption. She has refilled her glass three times since I sat down for dinner, and who knows how many she had before I arrived.
Instinctively, I glance at Henry. I don’t know how he feelswatching my mom like this, drink in hand, knowing what he went through with his father. Knowing how much of it happened while he was drunk.
It’s hard to accept that Mom is struggling with alcohol, too.
“So … there’s this party tonight at Josh and Paxton’s,” Robbie says, putting his phone back into his pocket. “Can I go?”
Josh and Paxton are brothers. Josh is Robbie’s age, and Paxton is Henry’s age. They went to school together and used to be close back in the day when Henry still lived in Jersey.
Dad replies with a click of his tongue. “I want you home by one a.m.”
“Yes, sir.” Robbie grins at him and turns his attention to Henry. “Are you coming? Josh told me Paxton texted you earlier.”
“He did, but I’m going to pass.” Henry wipes the corner of his mouth with his napkin. “Belén and I are going through her China tapes tonight, aren’t we?”
