“How are you settling in?” Dad asked from across the table. It had been nearly a week since my first night here and they had all done a pretty good job keeping me busy. Dad had taken me out to revisit some of our favorite places from my childhood, I think as his way to try to cut through some of the awkwardness that remained between the two of us. The following day Melinda insisted that I go into town with her and Izzy, claiming that a little pampering never did a girl any wrong. After a long day starting with an intruding visit to the hair salon, the stylist declaring that we would practically be family from now on, and ending with plucked cuticles and disapproving glances from the women who were tirelessly shaping my nails into a proper woman’s hand at the nail salon, I was beginning to think that Melinda and I had different ideas of pampering. Daniel had been a ghost since the morning after I had arrived, when asked, Brady just responded with a shrug and an irritated ‘I’m not his keeper’, before changing the subject.

                “Alex? How have you been settling in?” My dad questioned, once again, pulling me out of my thoughts.

                “It’s been good,” I smiled as I took a bite of the plate of food sitting in front of me. And truthfully it had been good. It was tiresome sometimes to have a house full of people who always seemed to have something for me to do with them, but it was also nice to feel as if I was cared for and wanted.

                I couldn’t remember the last time I had anything that even closely resembled a family dinner with my mother but every night since my arrival I had found myself seated around the large dining room table with everyone. The only person who occasionally wouldn’t show up or stay long enough to eat with us was Elijah. Tonight, he had shown up when Melinda called for dinner but quickly piled food onto a plate before mumbling something about a tournament he was playing in and disappearing into his room.

                I could tell it bothered Melinda that her eldest seemed to no longer have any interest in being in his family's company. Her sad eyes followed him as he left the kitchen without so much as a thank-you or love-you mom before they slid over to Izzy, and she pleaded for her to never stop being her baby.

                “Oh, Alex, my plans got canceled tomorrow so I can drive you into town after all,” Brady said without looking up from his plate of food as he continued shoveling it into his mouth. A couple of days ago I had asked him to give me a ride into town. He had explained that he couldn’t because his girlfriend would be visiting.

                “Stacey isn’t coming?” Melinda questioned her brows furrowed in concern.

                “I’d rather not talk about it,” he grumbled in response. That would explain the sour mood he had seemed to be in all day.

                Melinda’s lips parted as if she were about to say something, but she remained silent and instead turned her gaze towards me. “What did you need to go into town for dear?”

                “Oh, I just wanted to do a little bit of job hunting. I wanted to start saving up for a car.” I explained. The little bit of money I had managed to save up before moving was in a bank account that my mother had access to. Once she heard of my decision to leave, she maliciously drained the account claiming that at the very least I owed her that much for the years she had wasted raising me. I knew she didn’t mean it, not really, but she got mean when she was even the least bit upset.

                “Oh, well I’m sure the boys wouldn’t mind you using their car! No need to wait for one of us to be available.” Melinda smiled.

                My cheeks grew warm in embarrassment, I had assumed they all knew that I didn’t have my license. My mother never would let me get it no matter how much I pleaded with her.

                “She can’t drive,” Nathan spoke for the first time since sitting down at the table to eat. “Mom would never let her get her license,” he explained saving me from the embarrassment of having to do so myself.

                Melinda shared a confused look with my father, I imagined they both were trying to work out how they didn’t know that about me.

                “Why?” Dad asked his voice coming out sharp with aggravation.

                Nathan shrugged “I think she liked the idea of having as much control over us as she possibly could.”

                I kept quiet pushing the remainder of the food around on my plate, suddenly feeling like I could not eat anymore. I knew it was silly of me to believe that I could come down here and avoid the topic of my mother but part of me had hoped that I would just be able to move on and forget about it all. How naïve.

                “How did she expect you to get to and from places if she didn’t want you to have any sort of independence?” Melinda asked incredulously.

                “She didn’t,” Nathan said simply.

                A thick silence settled over the table, no one knowing what to say next. Izzy had even fallen quiet, no longer rambling on about her many adventures.  Melinda seemed too stunned by the idea of a mother intentionally holding her children back from making achievements to say anything. Dad sat at the head of the table, his knuckles going white from how tightly he was gripping the fork in his hand. I knew he was angry at my mother, but part of me wondered if he was angry with himself too for letting us go so many years ago.

                “So, is that why you dropped out of school?” Brady asked through a mouthful of food seeming to be the only one that wasn’t afraid to ask the question that I knew was on everyone’s mind. Melinda shot him a curt look, but then slowly turned her softened gaze towards me awaiting my answer.

                I caught Nathan’s sorry gaze from across the table, he didn’t want to talk about this any more than I did. Melinda and my father shared a concerned look, a hint of rage still behind my father’s eyes. They both had been so careful to not ask the wrong questions after what had happened with Candice, but I knew they were burning to know what exactly had happened.

                “I didn-,” I started but stopped short when the front door swung open as Daniel strolled in stopping just short of the threshold between the living room and dining area.

                “Should I come back later?” he asked, sensing the tension that had built in the room as everyone awaited my answer.

                “No, don’t be silly,” Melinda answered quickly as she stood up from her seat and started collecting the empty plates around the table. “I had hoped you would be by, there is a plate in the microwave for you.” She continued with a warm smile. I noticed that tonight wasn’t the first night she had saved him a plate. Every night before we sat down to eat, she would pile a plate full and place it in the microwave just in case he happened to stop by.

                “Ah, Melinda, I know I can always count on you. I’m starving,” he beamed as he made his way over to the microwave, only stopping for a brief second to hug Melinda, grabbing the plates in her hand, and setting them into the sink as he walked past. “Brady and I can clean up the dishes once I’m done eating,” he offered earning a glower from Brady.

                “I’ll help Daniel,” I offered hoping to ward off any lingering questions any of them may have. The last thing I wanted was to allow any of them to get me alone to finish the discussion we were just having.

                Brady sent me a silent thank you before rushing off to his room before he could be volunteered to do anything else, Nathan and Izzy followed behind him.

                “Well, in that case, I’m going to go watch my show then,” Melinda said with a warm smile her gaze hovering over me for a few seconds longer before she turned and walked into the living room leaving my father the only one left at the table.

                He sat silently glancing between Daniel and me, his eyes narrowing into a scowl whenever they landed on Daniel. Undoubtedly debating whether he wanted to leave the two of us alone after what had happened the other night. Despite my reassurance that nothing did or would happen between the two of us, my father remained guarded, claiming he knew what went on in a young man's mind.

                “John, leave the poor boy be and come sit with your wife,” Melinda called from where she had settled in the living the mummer of the TV coming through the wall.

                Dad shot one more intimidating glare towards Daniel, which Daniel returned with a baiting smile before he rose from the table and went into the next room.

                “You know, that isn’t helping me reassure him that nothing has or will ever happen between us,” I said as I gathered the glasses and remaining dishes from the table.

                “Who’s to say nothing will?” Daniel teased with a cheeky smile.

                “I do,” Dad's gruff voice bellowed from the living room followed by a chuckle from Melinda and then the sound of her TV show increasing. I imagined she turned the volume up to prevent Dad from being able to eavesdrop on us.

                “It’s so fun though,” Daniel said before shoveling the rest of his food into his mouth. He hadn’t bothered to sit down to eat, choosing to lean against the counter as he ate instead. Despite the cocky grin that was so proudly on display he looked tired. With dark circles under his eyes and a dimness to them that wasn’t there the night I arrived; I wondered what he had been up to the past few days that kept him away.  His posture even seemed to be a little less confident than before and I couldn’t help but remember Melinda’s words the other night.

                “Did you have something you wanted to say or are you just enjoying the view?” Daniel joked as he walked over to the sink with his now empty plate.

                “Where were you the past few days?” I questioned.

                His face grew grim for a mere second before it was placed with yet another cocky grin as he said, “Why, did you miss me, Ally?” using the nickname that he used to call me when we were younger.

                I debated pushing him further for some sort of explanation, but I remembered how he had backed off when I had asked him to the other night, so instead, I returned the cocky smile. “In your dreams Danny boy. In your dreams.”