My dad always made turkey-noodle soup with our Thanksgiving leftovers, so later that night my brother and Ani brought the baby over for dinner. My sister-in-law was dragging ass, and I couldn’t help but laugh when she walked into the house.

“Lookin’ good,” I called out from my place next to Sarai on the couch.

“I look fantastic,” Ani grumbled, pulling her beanie farther down her forehead. “You try staying up all night and shopping all day.”

Sarai turned toward Ani’s voice so we were both looking over the back of the couch, and before I could block it, Ani’s hat came sailing through the air and hit Sarai in the face.

“You suck,” Ani said, pointing at Sarai.

“What did I do?” Sarai asked, laughing as she threw the hat back. Ani’s hair was sticking up at all angles. She looked like she’d stuck her fingers in a light socket.

“You put makeup on,” Ani accused, like she’d been betrayed. “This is the day after Thanksgiving. How could you?”

“I—” Sarai looked at me for help. “I wasn’t supposed to?”

“How the fuck should I know?” I asked. “I don’t wear makeup.”

My mom came down the hallway, her hair wet from the shower but neatly pulled back.

“You too?” Ani gasped.

“I didn’t want Sarai to feel out of place,” my mom replied, smiling our way. She was wearing lipstick.

“It’s like I don’t even know you people,” Ani bitched, stomping toward the kitchen.

“What was that?” Sarai asked, watching Ani leave with wide eyes.

“We usually just do dinner in our pajamas,” my mom said, grinning. “But I realized I hadn’t told you before you two fell asleep, so I decided to mess with Ani a little.”

“I ruined tradition,” Sarai said with a grimace.

Mom laughed. “You didn’t ruin anything. Ani’s a beast when she hasn’t had enough sleep. She’ll be even funnier by the end of dinner, scowling at everyone and practically falling asleep at the table.”

She turned to walk away, and I reached out to grab her hand. “Hey, Ma,” I said, stopping her. “I just realized that I’m supposed to report back in Sunday night, not Monday morning.” My mom’s smile fell. “We have to leave tomorrow night instead of Sunday.”

“Oh,” she said, looking a little deflated.

“Sorry, Ma,” I said, guilt causing a sharp pain in my gut.

“You gotta do what you gotta do,” she replied, giving me a small smile. She leaned down and kissed the top of my head, then followed Ani into the kitchen.

“Um,” Sarai murmured, drawing my eyes to her. “Were you going to tell me that we had to be home earlier?”

I grinned. “We don’t,” I whispered.

I watched her expression become even more confused as she tried to figure out what the hell I was doing.