Warning: This Turkey Day romance is stuffed full of all your favorites. It’s warm and sweet with all the guilty pleasures you’re after. Go ahead and get second helpings. Nobody is looking.
Chapter 1
Sage
I shake the white knitted sweater dress I pulled from the back of my closet and try to get the wrinkles out of it. I love this dress, and with fall here and a nice breeze in the air, I can finally wear it again. Not to mention everything else I own has become a little snug over the last few months.
No one tells you when you move out of your parents’ house that having the freedom of your own space and kitchen might make you go a little overboard. I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but when there’s no one else around to eat what I’ve cooked I end up eating it all myself. If my brother is around, I know he’ll eat it all himself, but he’s hardly ever home. I share this massive penthouse with him, but he’s a true workaholic and part of the reason I agreed to move in here.
It’s like living alone most of the time and it’s wonderful. Not because I don’t love my brother, because I do, but I’ve been ready to spread my wings for a while now. I’m beyond ready to step out into the world and live my own life. One event years ago and I’ve been labeled the girl made of glass.
I’m treated as if at any moment I’ll break or something will harm me.
I turn in the mirror and peer over my shoulder to the scar on my back; most of the time I forget about it. That whole day is still a blur in my mind. A guy who I thought was my friend was telling everyone that he slept with me. I remember I confronted him about it, but after that the rest is blank. It’s like none of it happened, but the scar says otherwise, just like the years that followed. Life changed for me and my family from that point on.
They told me he went nuts and that after I confronted him, I turned to leave and he lunged at me. The knife entered my back and barely missed my spine before puncturing my lung. All I remember is waking up in a hospital bed a few days later. It hurt to take each breath and sometimes I woke up fighting to breathe. I don’t remember the attack, but it’s like my mind still likes to remind me that it happened.
It was hard to believe to begin with because Jimmy was my friend. It took me a while to believe what everyone was saying, but then they showed me the journals with him rambling about a life he thought we had together. There were also thousands of pictures he’d taken of me. But without the memory of the attack, I don’t feel anger when I think of him. When the memory of him pops up, I’m just sad knowing he’s locked away in a mental hospital. His future changed that day, too.
What I think back on the most is the first day he entered our private high school. He looked so alone as all of us had gone to school together since we were little. No one paid him any attention, but I chose to sit next to him and ask him to be my lab partner.
My family doesn’t have the same feelings about him. They said things about him before the attack and my brother made a comment on not liking the way Jimmy looked at me. He made my parents uneasy, but I’d thought it was because he was a boy and they were being overprotective. I didn’t know what overprotected meant then, but I do now.
If I’d known better, I would have kept my mouth shut about how I felt sorry for him even as I healed from the damage he’d done. Now everyone treats me as if I’d let any stranger off the street come into my home. They all think I’m too innocent for the world. If it was up to my family, I’d still be living at home locked away from the rest of the world.
I remember the panic on my parents’ faces when I said I was going to move out. They couldn't stop me because I’m an adult and one way or another I was doing it. I didn’t want them in constant fear that something could happen to me, but they had to let me go. I had to grow up and leave sooner or later, so the deal was struck and we all agreed I’d live with my brother.
Turning away from the mirror, I hide the scar from myself and grab my robe. I put it around me over my bra and panties, leaving it open. My phone chimes and I grab it, along with my dress, and walk down the hall, checking the text message from my brother.
Brian: Running late. Don’t forget I’m bringing Jensen with me.
My heart flutters at the mention of Jensen. He’s my brother’s co-worker, but over the years they’ve become friends. Brian’s bringing him home for Thanksgiving since they’ve both been in Chicago together working on a deal. Brian and my dad are always buying and reselling companies. I didn't know how Jensen plays into all of it, but I know he doesn't work for the family company. He’s around my brother enough for Brian to mention him a good bit, even more so lately.
Apparently, Jensen doesn’t have a family and my brother is pretty much dragging him here. As much as my family can drive me crazy with their overprotectiveness, I could never imagine not having them. I love them and it’s why I let them get away with more than I should. Though I haven't pushed too hard against the cage they keep me in. Who knows what would happen if I truly tried to step outside of it. I don’t have the desire to find out. Yet.
I think about Jensen far more than I should after my brother sent me a candid shot of him so I’d know what he looked like. I think it was taken right before my brother sent it to me. Jensen didn’t look happy about it. In fact, he looked downright annoyed. I’m ashamed to say his intense stare and the furrow between his brows did things to my body I’d never felt before. Now I can’t get his handsome, grumpy face out of my mind. I’m too excited to meet a man who doesn’t want to be here. Not only that, but he’s staying here under the same roof as me. I could fan myself just thinking about all the fantasies I’ve conjured up in my mind.
Me: See you soon. Making your favorite cookies
I walk into the laundry room to throw my dress into the dryer, hoping the heat will get the wrinkles out. I hate to iron, and a little fluff is all I need.
If Jensen eats as much as my brother, I need to get a head start on cooking. I think Jensen is as big if not bigger than my brother. I could tell by the way he dominated the space in the chair he was sitting in. In the photo he was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and giving the camera a look that made me think he could have broken the phone in half with his bare hands. I’m sure my brother only laughed at him. He’s always been brazen, even before he had his growth spurt in high school.
I turn on some music that flows through the speakers of the house and try to drown out my thoughts. I know it won’t work, but at least I can try as I get all my ingredients and turn on the oven.
I start on the cookies and my mind drifts to Jensen having to spend Thanksgiving with us. A sad feeling creeps into my stomach when I think that he has nowhere else to go. It’s a shame he doesn’t have a family to make him his favorites or prepare a big Thanksgiving dinner. He could have a girlfriend, I remind myself for the twenty millionth time. I wanted to ask my brother about him, but I know that would set off his radar. Not that I blame him after Jimmy, but he can go overboard.
My brother has no social media, so I couldn't try and take a peek to see if there was a Jensen on his friends list. I went so far as digging into the gossip columns on websites to see if my brother was mentioned with someone named Jensen. There was nothing and I only have the one picture. I’m crafting my own story for Jensen inside my head and right now he’s single.