If there was anything in her sad life that Sutton dreaded the most, it was Friday Night Dinners.

Friday Night Dinners became a new biweekly tradition in the Calloway household a year ago, where the family would get together on Fridays and keep everyone updated on what was going on in their lives while enjoying a nice meal. It was also something Sutton dragged herself to every two weeks, despite her dislike for them, as they were just a reminder that her life was not perfect like Ingrid's and it never would be.

Plus, while she dealt with crazy people almost on a daily basis at work, there was one person at these dinners that surpassed those callers she talked to on 9-1-1: her mother.

Sutton attempted to think of different excuses to get out of tonight's dinner as she smoothed out her green-colored blouse and adjusted her dark jeans, but she came up with nothing that would justify her reason for missing it. Even if Sutton was bedridden with multiple illnesses, she was sure it wouldn't be a good enough reason not to show up.

With one long sigh, Sutton turned away from the mirror and slipped on her flats, grabbing her phone and keys before heading out of the apartment. Starting up her car, she turned on the radio and began her one hour drive (she was hoping it'd be longer with traffic) to Irvine. During the drive, Sutton tried not to think about the questions her mother and sister would ask, though it was usually the same ones that involved work or her personal life, and the answers never changed, much to their dismay. And of course, Sutton pretended not to notice their concerned expressions every time.

As Sutton entered into Irvine, she noticed the time and realized she would be late to the dinner, even with the traffic being lighter now. She heard the sound of her phone going off, signaling it was a text message, most likely from her mother, who had a habit of doing so when she was running late for these dinners. It wasn't long after she got the message that she pulled into the driveway of her childhood home. Sutton stared at the house for a moment, studying the brick house before turning her car off and opening the door to step onto the familiar driveway and heading up to the front porch, where she knocked three times and only had to wait a moment before she was greeted by Marilyn Calloway, who was holding a glass of red wine in her hand.

"Sutton," she said, pursing her lips. "You're finally gracing us with your presence."

The younger girl forced out a fake smile. "Nice to see you, too, Mom," she replied, stepping inside the house and hearing the door close behind her.

"Ingrid and Clifford are in the kitchen," her mother stated, leading Sutton down the hall.

It felt like a walk through memory lane as Sutton looked at the family pictures along the wall, the frames hanging perfectly straight and not a speck of dust in sight, just how her mother liked the house to be.

"Your sister's here, Ingrid!" the woman announced as they entered the kitchen.

"Oh, good, just in time," Ingrid exclaimed, placing a bowl of rice pilaf at the center of the table, a huge smile on her face as she looked at her younger sister. "Clifford's getting the casserole out of the oven right now."

"Hi, Sutton!" Clifford piped up in a cheery tone as he pulled out a glass pan of the oven.

"Hi, Clifford," Sutton replied, watching the steam rise from the pan while getting a whiff of the cooked chicken and vegetables.

"Sutton, be a dear and finish setting the table," her mother spoke up, pointing at the pile of plates and silverware at the edge of the counter.

With raised eyebrows, Sutton headed for the table, grabbing the plates and silverware while trying not to throw them onto each charger plate on the table. Before she could get too annoyed, Ingrid handed her a glass of red wine, which Sutton happily took a sip of as soon as she had a tight grip on it in between her fingers.

"It smells great, honey," Ingrid stated, smiling as she watched him pick up the pan and carefully walk over to the table.

"Yes, I think you've really outdone yourself this time, Clifford," Marilyn added, strolling to her end of the table.

She says that every time we have one of these dumb dinners, Sutton thought.

The four took their seats at the table, taking in the savory smell that spread to each corner. Clifford took the spatula from the pan and cut off a square for each member of the Calloway family, despite Sutton politely telling him that she could get her own piece of casserole.

"He's trying to be a gentleman, Sutton," her mother protested.

Sutton almost rolled her eyes, but decided against it and gave Clifford an awkward smile instead, watching him plop a square piece onto her plate. "Thanks, Clifford," she finally muttered, watching him get a scoop of rice pilaf next.

It didn't take long for the brief pause of silence to be broken once again as Marilyn took a bite of her casserole and hummed in contentment. "This is delicious. You're going to be one hell of a chef, Clifford."

"Thanks, Marilyn," he replied, smiling wide at the compliment.

"I've been telling him to go ahead and start working on opening up his own restaurant," Ingrid chimed in.

"I agree," Marilyn added. "We should revisit the idea once you two get back from your honeymoon. I can see about making some calls after the wedding."

"That sounds great, Mom," Ingrid commented, followed by a grin as she glanced over at her fiancé. "Now you just need to finally quit that catering business you've been working with for so long."

"It's not easy leaving a job you've been loyal to after all these years," he pointed out.

Sutton continued to listen quietly while eating her food, as she'd rather not intervene into this conversation she had already heard a few times. It was a topic that occasionally came up with the couple, and Sutton was waiting for Ingrid to lose her patience over the fact that Clifford had not done anything to change it.

"Well, I can see about making a few calls to help you out," Marilyn said. "It's a good thing you have a mother-in-law like me who has connections."

Sutton did her best to stifle the snort that was coming on at her mother's comment while taking a sip of her wine, though she ended up letting out a few coughs in the process. Fortunately, Marilyn didn't seem to notice the subtle indication.

"Dear lord, Sutton, please cover your mouth before you make a mess," Marilyn told her in annoyance.

Taking a napkin and wiping her mouth, Sutton quickly cleaned off her face and was about to go back to working on her plate when the attention stayed on her for a bit longer than she anticipated.

"How was your birthday, Sutton?" Ingrid asked.

"She must've had a fun birthday if she didn't bother to call me back after I left her a voicemail," Marilyn interjected before Sutton could answer the question.

"Oh, the one about me going out and meeting someone? That voicemail?" Sutton retorted.

"Well, God forbid I want my daughter to find a nice man, maybe one that she could take to her sister's wedding that's coming up."

Not this again.

"Actually, Mom, going back to the wedding, there's still some details we need to go over," Ingrid intervened, glancing over at Sutton, who shot a grateful look her way.

So Marilyn turned her head back toward Ingrid, leaving Sutton alone to eat her food and down the rest of her glass of wine, then proceeded to have another one so that she could get through the rest of the evening with them.

There was nothing but talk about the wedding for the rest of dinner that went over to dessert, which Sutton tuned out for most of it while eating what was left on her plate for the main course, followed by a small berry parfait. She almost considered getting some more wine, but her mother took the glass from her as they started cleaning up the table. While Marilyn was starting up another conversation with Clifford as he was washing the dishes, Sutton and Ingrid drifted into the living room, looking at the small family photos that were still sitting on the tables and shelves. Suton spotted the one Calloway family photo that included her father at the top of a shelf in the corner, where her eyes scanned from the kid versions of herself and Ingrid, then up to her mother, who had her lips pressed in a curled line, and then her father last, staring at his wide smile that she remembered him having on his face all the time.

"He had such an infectious smile," Ingrid commented next to her.

"Yeah, he did," Sutton replied, and she couldn't help but wonder how someone so cheerful could marry a woman like her mother, who was the exact opposite of him.

"Sometimes I have to remind myself that he won't be walking me down the aisle," her sister said, her voice almost croaking.

"He'll be there," Sutton assured her. "You know, not physically, but he'll be there."

Ingrid flashed her younger sister a sad smile, her eyes looking as if she was trying to hold back tears at the thought. But she quickly composed herself and cleared her throat before speaking up again. "Listen, what Mom said earlier about you meeting someone--"

"Oh, God, don't you start that, too," Sutton cut her off.

"We're just worried about you being alone, that's all," Ingrid protested. "Especially after what happened between you and Zachary."

"There's no reason to worry about me," she snapped. "So what if I like being alone? Did you two ever think of that?"

"Do you really want to spend the rest of your life alone, Sutton?"

She was almost at the verge of rolling her eyes. "Well, no, but that doesn't mean I have to find someone right now, does it?"

Ingrid let out a sigh in response, now turning her body to face her sister. "I don't mean to push this topic like Mom does, but know that we're coming from a good place."

Sutton scoffed. "Mom's got a funny way of showing it," she retorted

"She can be a little hostile, yes," Ingrid agreed. "But she means well, truly." She paused for a moment, then went on. "There's more to life than just your job, Sutton, and maybe all it takes is for you to meet a guy who can show you that."

Sutton simply looked at Ingrid, who was waiting for her younger sister to agree. So maybe Ingrid wasn't totally wrong about the point she was trying to make, but it still didn't make it hers or their mother's business to poke around into. If there was anything Sutton learned about relationships, it was that she had to be careful, for they could fall apart at any moment, just like the one with Zachary did.

"Look, I'll find someone eventually," she started. "But I need to do it on my time and on my own terms, okay?"

Ingrid's expression turned more soft as she nodded her head. "Got it." There was another pause, then she spoke up again. "Just saying, though, I know a guy from work--"

"Ingrid."

"I'm kidding!" She playfully grinned at her sister, letting out a small giggle. "I remember how the last blind date went for you. What was his name again? Ethan?"

"Evan," Sutton corrected her. "Evan Buckley."

"That's right. Don't you work with his sister?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sure it's awkward between you two since it didn't work out with her brother, huh?"

"Not always." Sutton exhaled as she took a moment before she got too annoyed with the topic all of a sudden being about him. "She came with me to celebrate my birthday at the bar. I ran into her brother there that night."

Ingrid raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "And how did that go?"

"What do you think?"

Her older sister nodded and took the hint. "Well, who knows? Maybe fate will pull you two back together in the most unexpected way."

Sutton let out a snort. "Let's hope not."

Before the conversation could go any further, Marilyn and Clifford strolled into the living room, with the woman sighing in content. "What are we talking about, girls?"

"Nothing, Mom," Sutton quickly answered. "In fact, I was just getting ready to leave."

"So soon? Surely, you can stay for a cup of coffee, help you stay awake during your drive home."

"I'm fine. Thanks for dinner." She began making her way out of the living room before there were any more protests from her mother, muttering goodbyes to Ingrid and Clifford before walking through the kitchen and down the hall, then opening and closing the door as fast as she could. Right after she let out a sigh of relief as she sat inside her car, the feeling went away at the realization that filled her mind with agony:

Sutton had to do this all over again in two weeks.

~~~~~~~

A/N: CHAPTER TWO, LET'S GOOOOOOO.

We've met Sutton's family! What do we think of them?

Comment, vote, more to come soon!

-A