As she reached for her plate, her new resolve coursed through the back of her mind. She let out a long sigh and waved goodbye to the routine of recent nights as she walked into the dining room. Pulling out her chair without a word, she sat in her place and began to silently eat her food, sensing the small smiles and nods of approval. Much to her dismay, Dom and Ruby were not there, obviously entertained with dates. Gemma felt the sear of jealousy, but bashed it away with the idea that soon she would have Harrison back and be heading off on dates of her own. She squashed the smile and shoved another forkful of food into her mouth. The eerie silence was erased with her mother’s question. “Did you have a good day, Gem?” “Fine, thank you.” She tried not to choke on the words. She hadn’t spoken civilly to either parent since Canon City and she was finding it challenging. Hot words of wrath still boiled in her mouth and were desperate to spread their molten lava across the table.
