“Have you been to Indiana before, Rose?” Dad asked.
“No, first time,” I said. Everyone kept stealing glances at me when they thought I wasn’t looking. I pretended not to notice, piling red onion atop the tomato.
“Well, welcome, then,” Dad said. “We’re all so glad you could make it.”
They ate in awkward silence for a few minutes. I wondered if they were always this quiet, or if I made them uncomfortable.
Kim spoke up. “How was the drive? Not much to see along the way, was there?”
“It wasn’t bad,” I said. “A lot of cornfields, but this was my first road trip, so it was kind of fun. I bought Doritos and played the alphabet game.”
“How nice,” Kim said at the same time Billy Jr. muttered, “By yourself?”
I squirted ketchup and mustard onto my bun, spreading them evenly with a kitchen knife. I arranged each ingredient just so, as though my burger might be on the cover of a food magazine.
Billy Jr. stared at me, incredulous. “Just eat it already,” he said under his breath.
“Leave Rose alone,” Dad said. He watched me expectantly.
I cleared my throat and picked up the sandwich, inhaling the scent of chargrilled meat. I opened my mouth wide and put the burger inside, making sure I got a little piece of every ingredient. I suspected the first bite was the most important. After that, the burger would become less art, more fuel.
I closed my teeth around the sandwich and bit hard. I let the mixture roll around inside my mouth: the tanginess of the mustard, the crunch of the lettuce, and the salty, juicy patty. The burger was absolutely delicious. They’d gone to all this trouble, just for me.
I made satisfied noises, even dancing my head around a little to show my pleasure. Dad smiled at Kim. After a minute of watching me, they went back to the food on their own plates. We all ate quietly.
“So your mom is in prison?” Sophie said flatly.
“Sophie,” Dad scolded, turning to Kim for support. But she was looking at me, waiting for my response.
I cleared my throat. “About two years now.”
“You must hate her, huh?” Billy Jr. said, eyes trained on his mom. When Kim didn’t discourage him, he added, “If everything you say is true.”
“This isn’t appropriate for the dinner table,” Dad snapped, an edge to his voice that hadn’t been there when he chided Sophie.
Sophie flashed Billy Jr. a look. Neither of them acknowledged our father. I felt sorry for Dad and even sorrier for myself. I bit my lip.
In a low tone, Kim spoke up. “They’re just trying to learn more about Rose Gold.”
“What I don’t get,” Sophie said, “is why you didn’t just eat or brush your teeth. Anna knew how to brush her own teeth a year ago.”
I managed to stop my jaw from dropping, but stared at Sophie, unsure how the conversation had taken such a fast turn. Mom always said you had to give bullies a taste of their own medicine. And sure, I would have liked to smash Sophie’s burger in her face, but hadn’t I decided I wanted to be nothing like my mother? Besides, Dad and Kim would never let me join their ranks if I wasn’t nice to their kids. Maybe having a sister meant wanting to shove food in her face 60 percent of the time.
Anna grinned to show me her teeth. “I floss too. Right, Mommy?”
“That’s right, honey.” The tension on Kim’s face morphed into pity. “Rose, we were so sorry to hear about all that happened to you growing up.”
I smiled tightly. “Thanks, Kim.” I hoped they would take a hint and realize I didn’t want to discuss the past. I had been recovering steadily for almost three years, but people still liked me more as a weakling than as the healthy woman I’d become. I needed a subject change, fast.
I gave Billy Jr. my warmest smile. “I’ve always wanted a brother.”
“Half brother,” Sophie mumbled to her plate.
My cheeks flamed. Dad turned to Kim again, expecting her to say something, but she took a long drink of milk.
“A sister too,” I added, thinking maybe Sophie felt left out.
“Half sister,” Billy Jr. corrected me.
I couldn’t win with these two. They were like Cinderella’s evil stepsisters.
“Enough,” Dad barked at Billy Jr. “Is this the kind of man you want to grow up to be? One who bullies people weaker than you?”
Billy Jr. lowered his eyes.
Dad gave me an apologetic glance, then turned to Sophie. “How was practice today?”
Sophie launched into a ten-minute explanation of the new drills their basketball coach had the team do. I had no idea what any of it meant, but I was relieved not to have all five Gillespies staring at me, at least for a little while. I tried to appear interested while I finished my burger. This was not how I’d expected dinner to go.
I had to try again—maybe sports were the way in. I wished I were more of an athlete.
“Did you guys watch the London Olympics?” I asked when Sophie stopped talking. “I loved Gabby Douglas, especially her routine on the uneven bars.”
Billy Jr. rolled his eyes. “That was two years ago.”
Dad gave his son a withering glare. “Rose was a little busy in the summer of 2012, what with serving as a star witness in a criminal trial and all. She didn’t have the luxury of sitting around in her pajamas all day, like you.”
Billy Jr. stared at his plate but didn’t say anything. Kim gave Dad a pleading look. He ignored her. I felt a little bad about the way he was beating Billy Jr. up, but I was also bursting with joy that he was defending me instead of his son. Besides, Billy Jr. deserved to get in trouble. He was a brat.
Kim turned to me. “We all love watching the gymnastics team. Gabby Douglas was our favorite too.” I guessed she was ready to play peacemaker, anything to break the tension between her husband and son. We continued eating in silence.
When Billy Jr. had finished his second burger, I figured I could take another one too. Kim was asking Sophie about her teammate’s injured ankle and whether she’d be starting at this weekend’s game. I leaned forward.
“Could you please pass the buns . . . Dad?” I murmured.
Kim’s head jerked toward me. Sophie stopped speaking. Their eyes met across the table. Dad pretended not to notice and passed me the plate.
I broke the silence with a compliment—this always worked for my mother. “Your house is beautiful, Kim,” I said. “I love how cozy it is, with all the family photos in every room.”
Kim smiled stiffly at me. Dad rested his hand on hers.