The Photograph (Eastbrook 1)

Chapter 13

“Merry Christmas!” Kathy and Doug shouted as they walked through the front door. “Sorry we are a bit early.” 

The group took the next few minutes to exchange hugs and hellos. They caught up on the basics—family, health, and basketball for Rachel. Kate and Joe shared their news. Kate was glowing as she spoke of her baby.

At 3:30 p.m., Nana pulled Rachel into the kitchen. “Have you heard from Lillie today?” Nana was a timely woman. A half hour late was an eternity for her. 

“Nope, but I haven’t checked my phone much today. Been a little busy! I’ll go grab it and see where they are.” Nana nodded. Rachel hurried upstairs and found no missed messages. Lillie had told Rachel a couple days ago that her family accepted the Brandt’s invitation. Rachel sent a quick text to Lillie and then called Brent while she had the chance. He didn’t answer, which wasn’t surprising. She figured he was busy with family, so she left him a message wishing him a Merry Christmas. Lillie hadn’t responded either, so Rachel walked back downstairs to update Nana. 

In the living room, the television was turned on to one of the NBA games. Papa’s favorite team was the hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. Rachel enjoyed cheering for the opposing team and against Papa, so she cheered for the Lakers. Rachel and Papa bantered for the whole game, with Joe and Doug squeezing in comments when possible. Kate and Nana sat next to each other on the couch and said very little. 

Dinner was scheduled for 5:00 p.m., and at 4:30 p.m., Nana and Kate left for the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the meal. Rachel hadn’t heard anything from Lillie. She assumed other plans had come up for her friend’s family and they’d forgotten to let Rachel or Nana know. Nana tried to hide her displeasure at the no-show, but Rachel noticed she was a little flustered. They were cooking for twelve, but only seven were present. 

In the living room, Rachel and Papa watched the Cavs destroy the Lakers on the basketball court. Papa gave Rachel a hard time since she’d picked the losing team. Rachel avoided the ridicule by leaving for the kitchen to help with dinner preparation. As she opened the door to the kitchen, she heard raised voices. But as soon as she entered, Nana and Kate were silent. 

“How’s it going in here?” Rachel wasn’t sure how to respond to the silence, so she decided acting normal was the best option. 

“Getting dinner ready,” Nana said. Kate stared at Nana intently. The tension in the room was palpable.

“How can I help?” Rachel asked. 

“We are fine in here,” said Nana. “Go enjoy the rest of the basketball game.” It was clear Nana wanted Rachel out of the room. Rachel obliged to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere. 

In a few minutes, Kate called the group together for dinner. Nana said a very short grace before everyone loaded their plates. Papa led conversation over dinner, with topics ranging from basketball to politics and cars. Rachel cracked a joke about Papa’s driving ability, and the rest of dinner became a teasing session. Laughter abounded, and whatever tension had been present earlier in the kitchen dissipated. 

The rest of the evening followed the template of the afternoon—conversation, laughter, and food. Everyone enjoyed cookies and cheesecake for dessert. Shortly after dessert, Kathy and Doug left. Rachel realized she’d never heard back from Lillie, and she hadn’t spoken with Brent all day due to the festivities of Christmas day. She slipped out of the living room and went upstairs to check her phone. She had a message from Brent and one from Lillie. The message from Lillie was an apology for not coming over. Her family had other plans come up at the last minute. She looked at the message from Brent. He wrote a simple “Merry Christmas” and asked Rachel to give him a call when she could. The message had come in two hours earlier.