Chapter 21 - Place Cards

Sunday morning sunlight poured through the kitchen windows as Michelle walked in carrying coffee and announced:

“Okay. I have an idea.”

Jennifer looked up from helping Sophie separate the Thanksgiving decorations on the kitchen island.

“What?”

Michelle pointed between the two of them dramatically.

“It’s been a very long few weeks and the three of us need retail therapy.”

Sophie immediately perked up.

“Oh thank God.”

Jennifer narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Michelle ignored her completely.

“We are going shopping for Thanksgiving outfits.”

Jennifer groaned instantly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Yes absolutely.”

“I already own clothes.”

Michelle gave her a look over the rim of her coffee mug.

“You own office clothes and work out outfits.”

Sophie burst out laughing.

Jennifer stared at both of them.

“You’re mean.”

“We’re correct,” Michelle answered calmly.

Then Sophie pointed excitedly at Jennifer.

“Ooh wait, Jenn should get one of those cute rich-mom outfits.”

Jennifer blinked slowly.

“I’m sorry, a what?”

“You know.” Sophie gestured vaguely. “Boots. Sweater. Hot mom energy.”

Michelle nearly spit out her coffee laughing.

Jennifer covered her face briefly.

“I hate this family.”

But even saying it felt different now.

Lighter.

Dangerously natural.

—

Three hours later Jennifer stood beneath bright department store lighting holding several shopping bags while Michelle and Sophie disappeared into another fitting room area.

The mall was packed with pre-holiday shoppers.

Families.

Teenagers.

Couples.

And somehow Jennifer moved through all of it now without the constant overwhelming panic from the beginning.

People glanced at her and saw exactly what they expected:

an attractive blonde woman shopping with family before Thanksgiving.

Nothing about Michael existed in those interactions anymore.

That realization bothered Jennifer more every day.

“Jenn!”

Jennifer looked up.

Sophie emerged from the fitting room wearing an oversized cream sweater and leggings.

“Well?”

Jennifer smiled automatically.

“That actually looks really cute.”

Sophie grinned triumphantly.

“See? She gets fashion now.”

“I hate both of you.”

“No you don’t,” Michelle called from another fitting room.

—

Eventually Michelle emerged carrying several outfits draped over one arm.

“Okay. Your turn.”

Jennifer immediately shook her head.

“No.”

Michelle ignored her.

“Try this.”

Jennifer looked down reluctantly.

A soft white cashmere sweater.

And a fitted brown-and-cream tweed skirt.

Jennifer stared at them silently.

The outfit wasn’t flashy.

Wasn’t provocative.

The kind of thing an attractive suburban woman would wear while hosting Thanksgiving dinner and somehow make it look effortless.

Jennifer hated how easily she could picture herself in it.

Michelle watched her expression carefully.

“You like it.”

“I do not.”

“You absolutely do.”

Sophie grabbed the sweater immediately.

“Oh my God, Jenn, try it on.”

Jennifer sighed dramatically.

“You’re both exhausting.”

“Correct,” Michelle answered instantly.

—

Ten minutes later Jennifer stood silently inside the fitting room staring at herself in the mirror.

The soft white sweater fit perfectly.

The tweed skirt hugged her hips naturally without looking overly dressy.

Simple.

Very suburban-mom Thanksgiving.

Jennifer slowly turned sideways studying herself carefully.

The outfit somehow made her look softer.

More polished.

More feminine.

Not costume feminine.

Not convincing feminine.

Just…

beautiful.

Jennifer stared at herself for several long seconds before the fitting room curtain suddenly pulled back slightly.

“Well?”

Michelle froze immediately seeing her.

“Oh wow.”

Jennifer crossed her arms instantly.

“Don’t.”

Michelle ignored her completely.

“Jennifer…”

Even Sophie’s eyes widened.

“Okay wait. You actually look insanely pretty.”

Jennifer felt heat rise immediately into her cheeks.

The worst part was:

they both looked completely sincere.

Michelle stepped closer adjusting the sweater sleeve gently.

“This is exactly what I pictured.”

That sentence landed strangely hard.

Because Michelle hadn’t dressed Jennifer like a joke.

Or a disguise.

She dressed her like someone she genuinely wanted beside her on Thanksgiving.

Michelle stepped back studying the outfit critically.

“Okay. You definitely need tights with this.”

Jennifer blinked.

“Tights?”

“Yes.”

Sophie nodded immediately.

“Opaque white ones.”

Jennifer sighed.

“Of course.”

“And boots,” Michelle added instantly.

Jennifer looked horrified.

“I already know I’m going to regret asking this.”

“You need knee-high boots.”

Sophie gasped dramatically.

“Oh my God yes.”

Jennifer muttered under her breath:

“This is how cults start.”

Twenty minutes later Jennifer stood near the shoe department mirrors wearing gray suede knee-high boots with a soft block heel while Michelle and Sophie both stared approvingly.

Michelle folded her arms triumphantly.

“There she is.”

Jennifer looked down automatically.

The boots somehow completed the look.

It looked effortless.

Like the kind of woman who hosted holidays and drank wine beside fireplaces.

Jennifer hated how much she liked them.

Sophie grinned immediately noticing.

“She likes them.”

Jennifer pointed accusingly.

“Don’t start.”

Michelle smirked.

“Oh no. You definitely like them.”

Jennifer looked back toward the mirror again.

And for one terrifying second…

she liked what she saw a little too much.

—

After several more stores and entirely too much money spent, the three of them eventually collapsed into a booth at a busy restaurant overlooking the mall.

Shopping bags crowded the seats beside them.

The waitress had barely taken their drink orders before Sophie looked up from her phone and frowned dramatically.

“Can I just point something out?”

Neither Michelle nor Jennifer looked up.

“Mhm,” Michelle answered distractedly while typing.

Sophie stared at both of them.

“Your phones go off more than mine now.”

That got their attention.

Jennifer looked up.

“What?”

Sophie pointed between them.

“You two.”

Michelle laughed.

“That’s definitely not true.”

Before Sophie could answer, both Jennifer’s and Michelle’s phones chimed almost simultaneously.

The table went silent.

Sophie slowly raised her eyebrows.

Jennifer immediately looked down.

Michelle grabbed her wine glass.

“That proves absolutely nothing.”

“Mom.”

Another notification appeared on Jennifer’s phone.

Then one on Michelle’s.

Then another on Jennifer’s.

Sophie leaned back in the booth.

“This is actually embarrassing.”

Jennifer laughed despite herself.

“It’s work.”

“Mine too,” Michelle added.

Sophie pointed toward Jennifer.

“Is it really work though?”

Jennifer hesitated.

That was enough.

“Oh my God,” Sophie said. “It’s the group chat.”

Michelle immediately groaned.

“Don’t even get me started.”

Jennifer buried her face briefly in embarrassment.

“It is not a big deal.”

“The Boss Babes?” Michelle asked with a perfectly straight face.

Sophie immediately lost it.

Jennifer stared at her.

“You promised we were never saying that out loud again.”

Michelle finally started laughing.

“I still can’t believe that’s what you people named it.”

“It wasn’t my idea.”

“Sure it wasn’t.”

Jennifer shook her head while another notification appeared.

Sophie pointed immediately.

“There it is again.”

Michelle lifted her wine glass.

“To the Boss Babes.”

Jennifer groaned.

Sophie nearly fell out of the booth laughing.

And despite herself, Jennifer started laughing too.

Michelle took another sip of wine before speaking again.

“Oh. I forgot to tell you guys something.”

Jennifer immediately felt something tighten instinctively.

Michelle looked completely casual.

“David’s coming for Thanksgiving.”

Sophie blinked.

“Your work husband David?”

Michelle pointed at her instantly.

“I really need you to stop calling him that.”

“But he’s coming?”

Michelle sighed.

“Yes.”

Then she took another sip of wine.

“And he’s bringing a friend.”

Jennifer looked up automatically.

“A friend?”

Michelle nodded.

“His friend Joe.”

Sophie frowned.

“Who’s Joe?”

“Apparently one of David’s closest friends.”

Michelle shrugged.

“The two of them were originally planning to just go out somewhere and grab dinner together.”

“On Thanksgiving?” Sophie asked.

“Exactly.”

Michelle leaned back in the booth.

“So when David mentioned it Friday night, I told him that was ridiculous and that they should both come over instead.”

Jennifer stared down at her wine glass.

That sounded exactly like Michelle.

She’d never been good at leaving people out.

Michelle continued casually.

“Honestly, I don’t know much about him.”

“About Joe?”

Michelle nodded.

“Just whatever David’s told me.”

“Like what?” Sophie asked.

Michelle thought for a moment.

“Divorced. Lives nearby. Nice guy, and David says he’s funny.”

“Funny is good,” Sophie declared.

Michelle laughed.

“According to David, anyway.”

Then she glanced toward Jennifer.

“Maybe you’ll like him.”

Jennifer nearly choked on her wine.

“What?”

Michelle immediately laughed.

“Relax.”

Sophie pointed across the table.

“Oh my God. You are setting up Aunt Jenn?”

“I am not setting anyone up.”

“You absolutely are.”

“I absolutely am not.”

Sophie looked at Jennifer.

“She’s absolutely setting you up.”

Jennifer covered her face.

Michelle rolled her eyes.

“I invited a friend and his friend to Thanksgiving. That’s it. All I meant is that David said he was really nice and pretty funny, that’s why I said you would like him, just a nice person.”

“Uh huh,” Sophie said.

Jennifer looked back down at her glass.

Because somehow that conversation bothered her less than it should have.

The problem wasn’t Joe.

The problem was David.

Because regardless of the reason…

David would be sitting at their Thanksgiving table.

And maybe the worst part was:

Michelle looked happy.

Not guilty.

Happy.

—

By the time they got home that evening, shopping bags had been dropped upstairs, makeup had been removed, and everyone had changed into comfortable clothes before the decorating began.

Then the entire downstairs exploded into decorating chaos.

Boxes emerged from the basement.

Candles.

Garland.

Serving trays.

Table runners.

Sophie immediately put Christmas music on despite Michelle protesting weakly for almost thirty seconds before giving up entirely.

Jennifer found herself automatically helping hang decorations while Michelle adjusted centerpiece placements with near-military intensity.

At one point Sophie suddenly stopped in the middle of unpacking a box and stared at them.

“Oh my God.”

Jennifer looked up.

“What?”

Sophie pointed between Jennifer and Michelle.

“No. Absolutely not.”

Michelle looked down at herself.

“What?”

Sophie started laughing.

“You changed into the exact same outfit.”

Jennifer blinked.

Then looked down.

Black leggings.

Oversized gray sweatshirt.

Warm fuzzy socks.

Michelle looked down too.

Black leggings.

Oversized gray sweatshirt.

Warm fuzzy socks.

The room went quiet for one second.

Then Michelle burst out laughing.

“That is horrifying.”

“It is adorable,” Sophie corrected immediately.

Jennifer groaned.

“It was not intentional.”

“That somehow makes it worse,” Sophie said.

Michelle shook her head laughing.

“We have got to stop spending this much time together.”

“Or,” Sophie replied while pulling out her phone, “you’ve become the same person.”

“Don’t you dare.”

Too late.

The camera clicked.

Jennifer immediately covered her face.

“Sophie.”

“Nope. This is happening.”

Michelle held out her hand.

“Send me that.”

Sophie narrowed her eyes knowingly.

“Oh my God.”

“What?”

“You’re making it your wallpaper again.”

Michelle tried and failed to hide her smile.

“Maybe.”

Jennifer felt something tighten quietly in her chest.

Warmth.

Fear.

Attachment.

All tangled together.

Two hours later, after Sophie disappeared upstairs and Michelle worked quietly beside her arranging place settings in the dining room, Jennifer noticed seven folded place cards sitting nearby.

Michelle.

David.

Sophie.

Joe.

Ethan.

Kathy.

Jennifer.

Seven names.

Seven seats.

A perfectly normal Thanksgiving table.

Jennifer watched as Michelle began arranging them around the dining room.

Ethan at one end.

Kathy at the other.

Michelle beside David on one side.

Sophie and Jennifer on the other with Joe between them, with Jennifer next to Kathy.

The arrangement made sense.

Every seat made sense.

Which somehow made it worse.

Jennifer stood silently watching while Michelle adjusted one of the centerpieces.

“You’re staring again.”

Jennifer blinked.

“What?”

“The table.”

Jennifer looked away.

“Just making sure everything fits.”

Michelle smiled faintly.

“It’ll be fine.”

Jennifer nodded.

Because logistically, Michelle was right.

Everything would fit.

The food.

The guests.

The table.

The conversation.

Everything.

But Jennifer wasn’t thinking about seating charts anymore.

She was thinking about David.

About Joe.

About Ethan.

About how naturally Michelle had invited all of them into the house.

David wasn’t an office story anymore.

He was coming to Thanksgiving dinner.

Joe wasn’t just David’s friend.

Michelle had already looked at Jennifer and casually suggested they might get along.

And Ethan…

Ethan was coming home.

For the first time since all of this started, Jennifer realized she wasn’t afraid Ethan would recognize Michael.

She was afraid he wouldn’t.

Afraid Ethan would walk through the front door, hug Michelle, tease Sophie, shake David’s hand, meet Joe, smile politely at Jennifer…

…and never see his father at all.

The thought followed Jennifer long after the dishes were put away.

Long after Michelle went upstairs.

Long after the house fell quiet.

And lying awake in the darkness that night, Jennifer realized Thanksgiving no longer felt like a holiday.

It felt like a countdown.