Dinner

The table is set. Cherie has prepared a light salad and salmon, looking the part of the glowing, healthy wife in a new, silk camisole she "happened" to pick up while grocery shopping—the neckline sits a dangerous half-inch lower than her usual style. Kenzie and Tyler are already seated, while Alexis is nursing her second glass of wine.

Chad takes his seat at the head of the table, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

"Oh, before I forget," Chad says, reaching for the salad tongs. "I saw Mike outside. We got everything squared away for your sessions, Cherie. I insisted on paying him a professional rate. I'm not having our neighbors do labor for free. He’s officially your trainer now."

Alexis is in the middle of a sip of Chardonnay. She suddenly coughs, the wine nearly coming out of her nose as she lets out a sharp, choked laugh. She recovers, looking at the empty space where she knows you are, and as the full implications of Chad's statement dawns on her, you sense the sheer awe she feels at your manipulation. She slowly raises her glass in a silent, mocking salute.

Cherie’s eyes go wide, her fork clattering against her plate. She looks at Chad as if he’s grown a second head. "You... you paid him? Chad, that wasn't... he said it was a favor."

Kenzie and Tyler lock eyes across the table. A silent, telepathic "Holy shit" passes between them. They both know the house, they know the mirror, and they know the ghost who just tricked their father into financing his own replacement.

He did it. Mack actually got Dad to pay the wolf to guard the hen house. It’s perfect. It’s the ultimate override.

"It's the right way to do things," Chad says, oblivious to the heart-stopping irony. "He’s a good guy. Very respectful. He even tried to turn me down, but I told him I wanted the best for my wife."

Alexis is holding her sides trying to keep her laughter in.

He’s paying him. Chad is paying Mike to put his hands on me. Every Tuesday. Now I can't even say no. It’s 'work' now. I’m being 'trained' at my husband’s request. The loophole is becoming a goddamn tunnel. I feel like I’m going to faint... or scream... I have to play it off like it's no big deal.

"Okay, Honey. As long as I have a trainer," she says while glaring at the others daring them to say anything.

Alexis excuses herself with a, "I'll be right back," and runs upstairs to the bathroom where she starts laughing so hard shes crying. She returns a few minutes later like nothing happened.