Then I set the tray beside the table, looked directly at Jenna, and said, “Actually, that’s my seat.”
Nobody moved at first.
Jenna gave this little laugh like I was making a joke. “Oh come on, we’re all family here.”
I said, “No. You’re my husband’s ex-wife sitting in my chair at Christmas dinner after showing up uninvited again.”
The room went dead quiet.
My mother-in-law immediately jumped in. “There’s no need to make things uncomfortable for the children.”
I looked around the table. “The children are upstairs playing video games. The only people making this weird are the adults pretending this is normal.”
Jenna’s smile finally started slipping. She set the wine glass down harder than she meant to. “Wow. Somebody’s insecure.”
But this time my husband spoke before anybody else could smooth it over.
He looked at Jenna and said, “She’s right. You need to move.”
I think that shocked me more than anybody.
Jenna stared at him for a second waiting for him to backtrack. When he didn’t, she pushed the chair back hard enough it scraped across the floor.
My mother-in-law started muttering about drama while Jenna grabbed her purse and said she was “just trying to keep things civil for the kids.”
Then my husband quietly picked up my plate, carried it back to my chair, and asked if I wanted more wine.
And for the first Christmas in four years, Jenna didn’t stay after dessert.