“…Because we all deserve to be seen, heard, and cherished."
The crowd erupts into applause.
I don't move, while she gives them resources to check out and ways to reach her.
When she is done, she's smiling at someone offstage.My eyes drift that way, and I see him.A man.Tall, dressed in dark slacks and a fitted sweater.He nods slightly, and she beams.My stomach turns.
She walks offstage, the applause still echoing, and disappears into the wings.
I sit in my chair, unmoving and watching the whole thing, processing.
She says she's free.
But all I see are chains painted gold.
Chapter 21
Skye
Gemmasetsdownhermimosa and arches a perfectly groomed brow at me."So, what is going on with Gage?"
Summer leans forward too, chin propped on her hand, eyes glittering with curiosity."Yes, please spill.You've been twitchy all morning."
I poke at the edge of my avocado toast, stalling.It's brunch, girls' day out, and I was hoping to dodge this exact conversation.But they know me too well.I sigh.
"I agreed to meet him tonight," I admit.
Summer's lips part in surprise."At Club Red?"
I nod, feeling the heat creep up my neck."Yeah."
Gemma whistles."Damn.He must be persuasive."
"It's not just that," I say, trying to find the right words.I trace a line through the condensation on my glass."It's like...I can't stay away.Every time I think I should put distance between us, he pulls me back in with a look, a word.The man is like gravity."
Summer nods slowly."I get that.But are you okay with it?"
I pause, really thinking about it."Yeah.I think I am.It's not simple.None of it is.Especially not with everything else going on."
Gemma tips her head."What everything else?"
I swallow, heart tightening.Here it goes.
"You know my mom is sick."
They both nod.I've mentioned it before, brushed it off with jokes or sarcasm, but I've never laid it out.
"She has her good days and bad days.Last week she insisted Gage come over for dinner.Well, he did, and now she expects him there every week.Even though she knows he's my professor and what's on the line, she just says everything will work out.And my dad?"
I look down, the words thick.
"He left.Cheated on her with a girl only a few years older than me.He had money but didn't send a cent to help raise me.Not a birthday card, not a dime.Now he's back in my life, wanting to pay for school.I guess it's the big reason I am getting my master's as a fuck you to him, making him pay for it.Doesn't make up for everything else though."
Gemma's fingers touch my arm, light and comforting.
"I held everything together growing up.Mom worked two jobs so I could focus on school.I helped by paying the bills, cooking, and cleaning.Mom was working so much that I barely saw her.She didn't know I had a job at a salon cleaning so I could pay for my school field trips, and my senior year stuff.Because she had such a small cushion in her bank account, I learned to shop for thrift store clothes, something I still do.And when that wasn't enough, I found other ways."
They don't speak, letting me talk.
