"Trey," I said, "Can you please carve the turkey?"
"Yeah baby. Next commercial I promise."
I went back into the kitchen where Gina was plugging the cord for the mixer into the wall socket.
"You know Gina, it kinda burns my ass that I spent the better part of two days preparing this meal and all Trey has to do is carve the damn turkey provided that he can do it during a flipping commercial."
"Now Ty, football is also very much a Thanksgiving tradition you know. It's important to let Trey enjoy the holiday the way he chooses."
I gave her a sidelong glance. It wasn't like her to defend Trey's position on anything.
"What’s gotten into you?" I asked.
"Or maybe the better question is
who
has gotten in to you?"
Gina immediately looked away and I saw her face flush.
"No you didn't!" I shrieked.
"Shhh," Gina hissed, "Keep it down. I don't want Tristan thinking that I put our business out there like that."
"Oh no," I said, "You are telling me everything and I want it now. Put the lid back on those potatoes," I instructed, putting the foil back over the turkey.
"Come with me."
We passed Trey coming into the kitchen as we headed out.
"Hey don’t you want me to carve the turkey?" he asked.
"Yeah go ahead. I have to show Gina what I bought for Preston to wear on Christmas," I lied.
Once we got into the privacy of the master suite I closed the door.
"Spill it," I said taking a seat next to her on the bed.
"You can't say a word to Trey and I mean it."
"BFF promise," I said holding my hand up.
"Well," she giggled, "The first night he got to town it was all kind of businesslike you know? We talked about the club; I listened to his suggestions some of which I liked others not so much. We went to the club and discussed the layout and some changes that he wants to make to accommodate having a dinner crowd just through the week to generate more revenue--"
"For Chrissake Gina - I don’t want to hear all that shit. Get to the good part."
"Okay so like Monday and Tuesday night he slept in the guest room all nice and proper. Last night we decided to go to the club and party it up. The music was great; we were drinking and dancing. So we get back to my condo and we're both tipsy and I tell him good-night and so I go and get in my skimpy little black silk nightie with the push up bra. Then I remembered that I needed to make that cranberry relish to bring over here today and I needed to soak the cranberries."
"Uh-huh," I replied, "Go on get to the good stuff."
"Well I figure Tristan is in his room so I go out dressed in my sexy nightie to the kitchen and get the cranberries out and put them in water to soak overnight. Just as I am crossing back through the living room there he is headed out of the guest room like he's going to the kitchen. The next thing I know I'm pressed up against him making out and feeling him getting all hard."
"Oh my God," I said giggling.
"Then what?"
"Well he asked me if I wanted to take it to the bedroom. I said sure. I asked him if he had condoms and he said he did so we went to my room and fucked all night long."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. That's what happened."
"Oh come on Gina; there has to be more."
"Ty it isn't what you think. We are not in love or anything. We are both on the rebound. Remember what I told you about not wanting to be a 'bridge bitch?"
"Yeah whatever," I replied, waving my hand at her dismissively.
"How was the sex?"
"It was fantastic girlfriend. I've got to tell you that Tristan is extremely thorough with his tongue if you know what I mean? Plus he is hung very well and knows how to use it to hit all of the right places. You know I was born with two G-Spots right? He can hit them both at the same time. Now that is all I am telling you. It was sex. It was fun. End of story."
(Whatever Gina - LOL!)
When we got back to the kitchen Trey and Tristan had finished up getting everything set out at the dining room table. Preston was still napping so we could enjoy a quiet meal.
I noticed that Tristan held the chair out for Gina to take her seat before he sat down. Trey was already seated piling food onto his plate.
Tristan was very attentive to her during the meal. I think Trey had finally noticed it as well. I saw him roll his eyes a couple of times; once after Tristan asked Gina if she wanted more turkey referring to her as 'babe,' and then again when Gina got up to clear the table before dessert he had jumped up to help her.
"What the hell is going on with those two?" Trey whispered to me as they took our plates out to the kitchen.
"I don’t know that there is anything
going on
Trey. It seems to me that they simply get along. What's the problem?"
"Wanna bet he's already banged her?"
"Don’t be so crude Trey," I said admonishing him.
"I'm getting dessert. Do you want apple pie or pumpkin?"
"Pumpkin," he mumbled frowning.
I picked the salad plates up and took them to the kitchen. When I got to the doorway I saw Tristan's arms wrapped around Gina. He had her pulled up against him; his hands were all over her ass. They were kissing passionately. They hadn't seen me so I quietly and quickly turned around and went back out to the dining room.
"What's the matter? Where's my pie?" Trey asked as I set the salad plates back down on the table.
I lip synced to him that Tristan and Gina were making out in the kitchen.
"Jesus Christ - what the hell did I tell you?"
"Shush Trey; they'll hear you. I think it's cute."
"Cute my ass. It's not as though I don't have her in my life enough just being your best friend. She'll probably end up as my sister-in-law now."
I had to giggle at Trey's discomfort with the idea. He just needed to learn how to deal with Gina.
Gina appeared in the doorway to the dining room.
"Tristan's loading the dishwasher. Here - let me take these plates to the kitchen," she said picking up the stacked salad plates. I'll go ahead and bring dessert out."
Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink.
Trey and I gave Gina our dessert orders and she hurried back into the kitchen.
Now was probably as good of time as any to bring up the subject of Gina staying with us when she had to be out of the condo next week.
"Trey would you have a problem with Gina staying here with us for a couple of weeks until she finds an apartment. She hasn't had time to look for anything working all those hours at the club. She has to be out by December 1st."
"Where the hell will she stay?"
"She can stay in Preston's room. She's not bringing her furniture; that's all going into storage."
He waved his hand dismissively at me.
"Whatever Tylar; I certainly can't say 'no' now that I'm fairly certain my brother is throwing the meat to her. I'm sorry dear, was that too crude?"
He gave me one of his stoic glares.
"Thank you for your understanding and compassion Trey," I replied smiling at him.
Our landline rang and Gina got it from the kitchen.
"Tylar - it's your dad," she said bringing the phone to me.
I had talked to him once since our initial conversation on Monday evening. He had hired someone to locate Trinity LaFleur and he had located my mother's death certificate as well as my birth certificate. He had mailed certified copies of both of them to me. I hadn't received them yet.
"Hi Dad," I said smiling.
It didn't feel weird anymore calling him that.
"Hi daughter," he laughed pleasantly into the phone.
"I wanted to call and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and give you an update. You probably haven't received the certificates that I mailed to you yet. I wanted to let you know that I would like to have your birth certificate amended."
"Look Dad, if you are going to suggest my birth name be changed to carry your last name I really don't think I want to be 'Tylar Tylar," I said.
"No," he laughed, "That is not what I meant. On your birth certificate where the father's name is to be listed it is blank. I would like to have my name entered in that space."
"That's fine with me but I mean is it really necessary? You know I'm yours and I know you're my father so isn't that what really matters?"
"I want it on the record," he said.
"I want your children and your children's children to know their heritage."
"That's fine Dad, I guess I didn’t think about it that way."
"There's something else Tylar. When you see your mother's death certificate I don't want you to be alarmed by what was entered as the cause of her death."
"What does it say?" I asked carefully.
"Suicide by overdose," he answered. "I don't believe that is accurate."
"Overdose of what?"
"Barbiturates. The thing is there is no way a cause of death could be ruled as an overdose of any type of drug without a post mortem being conducted. There were some very sloppy or very shady records kept with respect to her death. She apparently succumbed in Vidalia, Louisiana."
"Vidalia? That’s where Trinity LaFleur is supposed to be living. She was the mid-wife that delivered me according to Maggie."
"Yes and I think the P.I. I hired has located her. She may have the answers we need. I'm going to file a request to open an investigation into your mother's death. I have the authority to do so. There will be a formal inquisition held at some point in time. I will keep you informed."
"Thanks Dad," I replied, stunned at the news he had given me; thankful that he was not going to let it go until we had the answers.
Trey was watching me after I got off the phone with him.
"Is everything okay sweetie?" he asked.
"Well my father is opening a formal investigation into my mother's death. Her death certificate listed the cause as a barbiturate overdose and suicide."
"That doesn't make any sense," he replied.
"My father agrees with you," I said.
"He said there was no way that they could confirm chemicals in her system without doing an autopsy - at least checking her blood toxicology I would think."
"Trey what if Matthew did poison her and Maggie too? How hard will that be to prove?"
"Well sweetie up to this point it is just hearsay. Even if it is established that either or both of them died from poisoning it in no way incriminates him without witnesses, or motives; they need much more circumstantial and forensic evidence I'm afraid."
I heard Preston crying in her room. Trey started to get up but I told him I would get her. I needed the distraction from my dark thoughts.
I went in and she was standing up in her crib. Her room was dark. The nightlight we had plugged in must have had the bulb burn out. It got dark so early now.
"Hey precious girl," I said to her, "Are you ready for some pureed turkey and sweet potatoes?"
She smiled showing off her latest teeth. She was getting her two eye teeth before her top middle ones. She had a bit of a baby vampire look going. She reached for me as I neared her crib. I scooped her up and grabbed a fresh diaper from the stack near her changing table.
I cleaned her up, diapered her and then dressed her in a yellow turtleneck and a little brown corduroy jumper that had a colorful turkey emblem on the front. I put some white tights on her and a pair of brown oxford shoes. I brushed her hair up into two little pigtails.
"My baby looks adorable," I said to her smiling. She rewarded me with a dimpled grin. I carried her out to the dining room and settled her into her high chair.
Gina and Tristan were fussing all over her and entertained her while I got her food warmed up. Trey got her bib and tied it on her.
"Can I feed her Ty?" Gina asked.
"I'm finished with dessert so why don't you eat yours while I feed her?"
"Be my guest."
I ate my apple pie watching Gina feed her with Tristan right behind her telling Preston what a good eater she was. The baby loved the attention she was getting from Aunt Gina and Uncle Tristan.
Trey had finished loading the dishwasher at capacity and started it. We still had at least another half load of dirty dishes to load once the first one was finished.
He came back into the dining room rolling his eyes for the third time this evening having seen Tristan with his hand on Gina's shoulder as she fed Preston.
They stayed till around 10 p.m. playing with Preston until she started get fussy.
"This baby girl is ready for bed," Trey said scooping her up and heading towards the nursery.
"So Ty," Gina said quietly once Trey had exited the room. "Did you mention anything to Trey about me crashing here starting next weekend?"