The Detective and Her Bachelor

Chapter 44

Dinner is a lot like a battlefield.

In battle, two sides face off, clutching opposing views, while wielding a whole heap of weapons. Dinners are the same. People come to sit on two sides of a table, testing each other's views while gripping their knives like weapons they are itching to use.

Food serves as the spoils of war. The last bites are coveted items to be snatched up before the enemy can. People sit down to dinner wearing their clothing of choice like a shield, a uniform that screams a specific message. And although in most cases no one dies over dinner, emotional damage can cut deep, leaving you with invisible scars that will take years to fade.

And as I sat down to dinner in the Walker House, surrounded by potential enemies, I was struck by how quickly someone could go from friend to foe once your own intentions, opinions and overall way of being came to light.

In short, no one was your ally for long where dinner was concerned.

Prism, Mary Grey and I were sprinkled out among the Walkers, something I instantly wished I could fix due to Mary Grey's extremely pale pallor, her smile more of a scared grimace than the soft sweet thing that so perfectly matched her baby pink dress. I wanted to offer her an encouraging hand squeeze, but I was just too far.

Mrs. Lindsey Walker sat at one end of the table, while her father in law, Grandfather Walker sat at the other, the figure head for a family she ran. Prism sat to Grandfather Walker's left, while Mary Grey sat to Mrs. Walker's right— in the most terrifying spot.

Luke was placed next to Mary Grey, shooting her concerned glances. One of Luke's cousins sat in between him and Prism, while I sat on the other side of the table with Andrew to my right next to his mother, and two of his cousins to my left.

As our glasses were filled with blood red wine, I couldn't shake the feeling that that color was a foreshadow for the bloodbath dinner could become.

"So!" Mrs. Walker said, her voice taking on a sharp sweet tone that cut through the silence as brightly colorful salads were placed before us by a ten sharply dressed servers, all moving in unison.

"Ms. Grey, list your qualifications. Why should Ace pick you?"

My eyes shot to Prism and she offered me an eyebrow raise that told me we were in for a world of trouble. Mary Grey opened her mouth, fingers clasped in her lap, eyes wide, but no sound came out.

I felt Andrew shift beside me. I chanced a glance, and found him staring down at his salad plate, picking off blue cheese crumbles. The ones that his family had forgotten he was allergic to.

The silence dragged for three painful seconds, Mrs. Walkers' stare narrowing with each tick of the grandfather clock in the dining room, until finally, Luke seemed to crack under the pressure of Lindsey's unwavering stare.

"Well, I for one think that this is a completely sane and normal conversation to have over dinner. Did everyone bring their resume's to swap?"

Lindsey's stare moved to Luke, seeming to release Mary Grey from her terror enough to take in a large, steadying breathe.

"Luke, you of all people are in no position to judge. I would be happy to look over your very... bare resume," the cousin sitting next to Luke said with an amused smile, tone jesting even as his words spoke his true feelings on the matter.

Luke waved his hand casually, wiping away the criticism like it was nothing more than a fly, free hand plucking up his wine glass and taking a long sip. "Not necessary. Couldn't change careers if I tried." He put his glass down, adjusting its position next to his salad plate with deep focus, before an amused grin, quirked at the corner of his mouth. "My fans would be at risk of dying of disappointment if I stopped acting."