“You’re moving back to England after you graduate?” Landon asks Hardin. “Well, I’ll be glad when Hardin finishes, so he can move back home,” Trish says, and I drop my fork onto my plate.Īll eyes focus on me and I smile apologetically before picking the utensil back up. I selfishly hope he doesn’t move out there anytime soon. “I’m not sure yet my girlfriend is moving to New York next month, so it will depend on what she wants to do.” Are you planning on staying in Washington when you finish university?” She looks at Ken as if she was asking him instead of Landon. I wouldn’t want to live here, but I do like it.

“So what do you think of America so far, Mrs.

Landon wipes his mouth with his napkin and turns to Trish. I take a bite of goose, and Hardin puts his hand on my thigh. I give him a small nod I don’t want to have to break the silence. After some “oohs” and “aahs” at the presentation, no one says a word as they fill their plates with food.Īfter we’ve all had a few bites, Landon makes eye contact with me, and I can tell he’s debating whether or not to speak. The hostess returned, each of us takes a seat-Ken at the head of the table, Karen, Landon, and Trish on one side of him, Hardin and I on the other. When she returns with an open bottle, I consider asking for a glass to calm the uneasy feeling in my stomach, but then decide against it. Karen disappears, and we’re so silent that when she pops the cork in the kitchen, it’s a loud sound that feels like it bounces off the walls around us. Alcohol is definitely a sensitive subject with this crowd. Her cheeks flush red as she realizes what she just asked. “Would anyone like a drink? I have some delicious red wine from the cellar,” she says.

After we collided novel