Chapter Sixty-Six
Isabella relished the extra work that came from her sister slowly starting to take it easier; it meant she didn't have to think about Austin. The redhead hadn't really been able to lift any of the beer barrels for a few weeks now and she was starting to tire a little sooner than before. So, it meant her sister was picking up the slack, without being resentful about it. The brunette and Sue worked the longer shifts as Tatum was doing more of the office work. She did still come to the bar every day but did some of the serving from a bar stool that Sean had brought round for her. He wouldn't let her lift anything anymore, despite her objection that "I'm pregnant, not dying". He would even come by the bar after he finished at the factory and do some of the heavy lifting for the sisters. Isabella picked up everything else.
It was a slow afternoon, about a week before Thanksgiving. "What do you want to do for Thanksgiving?" Tatum asked, a little bored.
"What do you mean, do?" her sister asked, pouring four pints in a row for old Murphy, Billy and some of their friends.
"Well…" the redhead started, munching on some carrot sticks to stop herself from eating the pretzels and nuts they had on the bar for their customers, "not everyone will have somewhere to go. Should we open, even if just for a few hours?" She munched some more. "I'd like to have a nice meal, but I'm not sure I have the energy to cook it. And as cute as he is, Sean ain't the best cook," Tatum weighed up, getting a few chuckles.
"He does his best," a voice weighed in, at which the redhead almost leapt off her stool.
"Mrs. Miller?" she asked surprised and slightly horrified that her boyfriend's mother had heard her say that. "Would you like to sit, or we can use the office?" she quickly offered. She had a feeling that she was in for a lecture and she wasn't sure if she wanted her clientele to bear witness to it.
"Sure. And it's Martha," one of the most influential women in town indicated for her to lead the way. Tatum carefully lifted up the bar hatch to let her in before she headed back to the office. Her sister finished serving old Murphy and followed them, leaving Sue in charge.
"How can we help?" Isabella asked carefully. Like her sister, she wasn't sure what to expect.
"I wanted to meet the young woman who's managed to make my son the happiest I've seen him in a long time," Martha started, giving the redhead a smile before surreptitiously glancing at the brunette. "And… while my husband is… whatever he is…" she sighed, "I hate that Sean feels he has to stay away from home." The two sisters exchanged glances, not sure where she was going with this. Did she want Tatum to break up with Sean, to patch up the family rift, despite what she'd just said about her son being happy? "So, I wanted to invite Sean and both of you to join us for our Thanksgiving dinner next week," the sophisticated woman came to the point, smiling when she got two stunned looks back.
"For dinner… at the Miller mansion?" Isabella asked a little concerned; if it had been any other Miller, she would've assumed that they were being set up.
"Yeah. I want him to know he can still come home, that he still has a family. That you still have a family," Martha told them, giving them both a motherly smile. "Please? Say you'll come," she asked. She watched the two exchange looks, as the mother-to-be thoughtfully rubbed her belly.
"If Sean wants to, then of course," Tatum said eventually, turning back to her boyfriend's mother with a smile.
"That was…" Tatum started when her boyfriend's mother had left, and she and her sister were back behind the bar.
"Weird, yeah," the brunette nodded. She didn't know what to think of the invitation. She could kind of understand where the woman was coming from, and men did tend to be more civil when they'd had a proper meal, but she hardly thought Malcolm Miller would forget about a feud that had lasted for the better part of her life, just because they had a nice dinner together. She would have passed for the dinner if she didn't know her sister would want her there. She'd much rather work in the bar than spend hours awkwardly being nice to someone that had tried his best to make their lives as hard as possible.
"Izzy," Tatum's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "If you don't want to go, we don't have to," the redhead said. "I mean, Aaron's been alright lately, but if you don't wanna deal with our drama, it's okay."
"No, it's fine. I wanna be there for you," she replied. Her sister had no idea why she was hesitant, she wasn't scared of Malcolm Miller. Not anymore. But she was positive Austin was going to be there, and she didn't want to deal with him. It had been weeks since he'd told her why he kept his distance, since he'd said that Aaron was in love with her. She'd seen the oldest Miller son plenty of times since then, and nothing he did made her believe Austin was speaking the truth. But even if he had been telling her the truth, even if Aaron by some weird twist of fate had been falling for her, that didn't mean she'd suddenly start falling for him, too. She wasn't just a prize to give away. "If that old Miller even thinks of treatin' you badly, he's got another thing comin'," she added jokingly as she cracked her knuckles for added effect. Tatum chuckled, glad her sister was back to being her old self again.