Angela really outdid herself this Thanksgiving. The day before the holiday, the party commenced. It was a beautiful, elegant affair and the whole family attended from all over the state. Roxanne was pleased by her mother's effort; the venue was beautifully decorated and the food was divine. It was a perfect evening. Roxanne arrived in awe with Jarrett on her arms. She was very surprised by his reaction to her when she finished dressing at the house.
"Are you ready yet, woman?" he shouted from the bottom of the stairs.
"You can't rush perfection," she shouted back.
She hurried as quickly as she could. Jarrett didn't like being late. Charlotte was already at the venue with their mom which was bound to start any minute. She quickly grabbed her heels and slipped her feet into them, praying to God that she'd be able to stay in them the whole night. She wore her black stockings and a burgundy dress. It was simple but cute. She had all the right accessories to match. It was a simple but semi-formal event. She rushed down the stairs and met Jarrett at the bottom of the stairs. She took a moment and assessed his outfit. Nice dress shirt, dark jeans and his blonde hair was neatly groomed.
"You clean up nice," she said.
"So do you," he said with a smile.
Their kiss was instinctive. His lips crushed against hers without warning. Roxanne immediately felt hot all over. Jarrett's hands roamed her body, ready to rip her clothes off in an instant.
"It took me an hour to get all dolled up," she said breathlessly.
"So?" he said in between kisses.
"So I have to at least make it to the party. Cool your jets for a couple of hours."
"That's going to be very, very hard for me to do," he said.
"Try," she coaxed, "I'll make it worth your while."
"I'll hold you to that, Ms. O'Brien."
"I'd expect nothing less, Mr. Myers."
She stayed on his arm the whole night, introducing him to her family and friends. He was happy to do anything she asked as long as he knew some reward was coming his way. Charlotte approached the two of them.
"Look at the two of you, more snuggled than two
"That's real sweet, Charlie," Roxanne said.
"I'm just saying. Picture perfect. You better hold on to him, Roxy. We have a lot of single, trifling cousins lurking."
Jarrett laughed at her.
"I'm not going anywhere," he assured them.
"He's a keeper," Charlotte said with a nod, "Can I get either of you a drink?"
"No thanks. Team sober," Roxanne said.
"Speak for yourself," Jarrett said, "I'll have a beer, please."
"Coming right up," Charlotte said.
She laughed at her sister.
"Poor girl lets loose one night and now she's the liquor Nazi."
"Live a little, Roxanne."
"One of us has to get the two of us home," she reminded, "Besides, I had my fun. You two enjoy."
Jarrett extended his hand to Charlotte.
"I'll lead the way," he said.
Charlotte accepted his hand and wrapped her arm around his. She felt his biceps with her other hand.
"Oh my god," she gasped, teasing her sister.
Roxanne rolled her eyes at the two of them getting cozy with each other. She watched the two of them disappear in the crowd, headed toward the bar. While they were away, she searched for her mom to congratulate her on all her success. She found her with her aunt. They embraced and laughed. For the rest of the evening, she was side-by-side with her mom. Even at the dinner table, she and her mom sat together. Jarrett was right beside her, in between her and Charlotte. The two of them were having their own fun chatting.
"Everything is beautiful," she said to her mom.
"Thanks sweetheart. It gets better every year," Angela said.
"I agree," Roxanne said with a smile.
"We haven't had a chance to talk since you got here. Excited about graduating?"
"Yes. I can't wait."
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet, Mama."
There was a tradition with their family. At the table, there were little notecards. Each member of the family would write down what they were thankful for. Roxanne stared at her card, trying to think of what to write. Her phone vibrated in her clutch. Roxanne pulled out her phone and stared at the number. She didn't even notice it was ringing. It was on silent the whole night. An 843 area code.
She found somewhere quiet and listened to the voicemail. She listened attentively to the caller on the other end. Her heart raced a little, not because of the message, but because when she looked up Jarrett was in front of her with his handsome smile. She hung up the phone.
"Over here hiding?" he asked.
"Nope, just listening to my voicemail. I didn't realize I had a voicemail."
"Who is it?"
"Nobody," she said mildly.
She smiled at him. He smiled back.
"Where's Charlie?"
"I don't know. I lost her in the crowd. I think she went looking for your mom."
"Oh okay."
He stared at her, he could tell that something changed her attitude.
"Is everything all right?"
"Yeah."
"Are you going to finish listening to your voicemail?" he asked, pointing at her phone.
Roxanne shoved her phone back in her clutch.
"No, I'm good," she said.
He handed her a blank notecard.
"They're collecting these. What are you most thankful for?" he asked.
"Well, as cheesy as it may sound, I'm looking at it," she said.
"Awe, that's sweet."
She could tell it had an effect on him. He blushed a little.
"How many of those have you had?" she asked, pointing to his bottom of Blue Moon."
"Not nearly enough to inebriate me," he said.
"I see," she said, assessing his body language.
His tie was loosened and his hair disheveled. If we wasn't drunk, he was well on his way.
"You wanna dance?" she said to him.
It didn't feel like a question. Roxanne was all too eager to get on the dance floor, she grabbed his arm and led the way. He was a good dancer, when she moved he moved and she pulled him closer behind her.
