Henry shook his head, looking like he was biting back a string of words he wanted to release, none of which their mother would appreciate. “I would love to defend myself against that charge,” Henry began. “But we have more important things to discuss.”

“We need to get table ten their plates,” his father said, tending the steaks on the grill.

The four of them gathered in the small kitchen, and his father sent the sous chef on a break. That meant the orders would be behind and his father would be annoyed. It felt like another lecture was coming. John leaned against the counter, crossed his arms over his chest, and readied himself for the usual charges. He was a dreamer. He needed to move back here and get a real job. He needed to give up what he really wanted. Check, check, and check. Shouldn’t they be happy?

“First order of business.” Henry cleared his throat. “John got his heart broken, and now we’re all paying the price.”

“What in the hell? You’re calling a family meeting during dinner to discuss my love life? I told you, what happened in Rome wasn’t a big deal.”

His father dropped cooked asparagus on the dinner plate without his usual finesse.

“The press made it seem like it was a big deal,” his mother said. “You two being on set together.”

“Honestly, I’m fine,” John insisted. “It was a fling. It isn’t a big deal. I mean, we worked really well together. Being on set with her, it was the first time in a long time that I liked it again. She didn’t just want me to take my shirt off. She did, but only in a good way, not in a creepy way. She even gave me notes on my script. I think she gets it, what I was trying to do. I mean, she gets why I want to be there, why I want to make movies for a living. She’s special.”

His parents and his brother stared at him.

“That is literally the most words you’ve used to describe anyone you’ve liked since ever,” Henry said.

“I liked Anna, but it’s over. I swear.” John hated sounding desperate. Every night, as he fell asleep in the tiny twin bed in his parents’ house, he could only picture the betrayal on her face. John went back over every day with her, every conversation when he could have come clean, when he could have admitted what was going on. And then didn’t.

His mother sighed, and she shared a look with his father. They could have a conversation in a glance too. How long had he been surrounded by happy couples? No wonder he’d fled to another side of the world to avoid this place.

His father handed Henry two plates. “Take this to table ten and make sure everyone else has what they need.”