“Totally get it,” Debra heard John interrupt, to thank fully break the tension. “My family’s volunteering passing out clothes and gifts in a low-income neighborhood. I’ll see it to it Debra’s not left alone. You have my word.”
Debra saw Elsie relax.
“You always have her back, John. I’ve never told you this, but I’m so grateful for how much you’ve been there for Debra. Please enjoy yourselves, and have a nice Thanksgiving.”
“You too, Mrs. Stokes,” John replied.
“We will, Grandma,” Debra whispered as Elsie closed the door. Then, she turned to John in surprise.
“All right, then. You’ve promised Grandma Elsie we’ll be doing something for Thanksgiving. But we don’t have a single thing lined up.”
“I have an idea. Vince mentioned his family’s restaurant is going to be open for Thanksgiving. And since Dyllian’s mother apparently won’t let them be together, he’s going to have to work there helping out.”
As much as Dyllian seemed to like clinging off of Vince, her mother still appeared to determine a lot of her social schedule. Half the time, Dyllian’s mother seemed to be an excuse for her getting out of things, usually events when Vince needed to spend time with the band. They still didn’t know exactly who Dyllian’s mother was.
Personally, Debra wondered when he’d tire of the little plaything. However, it meant he wasn’t dating either of the other women in the band, which helped keep conflicts to a minimum; it took a large amount of effort just to keep his former girlfriend and co-songwriter Lucy Alvarez in the band, and she’d seen him flirting with newer member Krystal Wexler before Dyllian entered the scene. It made Debra glad that somehow he’d never taken an interest in her, and then she began to wonder why.
“So wait, just you and me going to Vito’s? This sounds like a date or something, and even if it’s not, people might think it was.”
An awkward silence remained between the two of them for a long while.