“Yes.” He sighed. “She’s in her office.”
“Is she still mad at me?” I sniffled.
“Emma, you said a lot of hurtful things.”
“So did she!” I protested. “I only wanted the truth.”
“Well, the truth is that losing your sister was the worst pain that I’ve ever experienced. The truth is, I’m still experiencing it. The worst of it was watching you and your mother suffer through it. The weight of our grief almost broke our marriage.”
“What? How did you get through it?”
“We had you.” He let out a small chuckle. “Even as a little girl, you always tried so hard to take care of other people and make sure everyone else was okay. Sometimes I wondered if that was healthy for you, or too much weight to put on a little girl.”
I wanted to tell him that it was, but I didn’t want to hurt him, and I also wanted him to keep talking.
“And love, baby girl. I love your mother very much and I always will. We made a vow to each other, even before we walked down the aisle, that we would always be there for each other. Nothing would be stronger than our bond to each other. We’ve been tested time and time again, but you don’t give up on the people you love.”
“I love you, Dad.” I sighed into the phone.
“I love you too, Baby Girl,” he replied.
After a few moments, I added, “Could you tell Mom that I love her, too?”
“She knows, but I’ll pass on the message.” He let out a small sigh. “Is everything else okay?”
“Yes,” I lied, triggering a fresh flow of hot tears down my face. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
My phone call with my father made me miss Dan even more. I also felt pity for my parents and lamented my last phone call with my mother.
I thought I had reached my lowest point, but I was wrong.
I’d passed out on the couch, clutching Dan’s king, when I woke up to my phone ringing. I snatched my phone off the coffee table and swiped to answer it before I could look at the screen.
“Dan?”
“No, it’s Teddy,” he growled in an irritated voice, which was slightly satisfying. “I’m just calling to make sure everything’s gonna be ready next week. Preston Smith, his bosses, Mama and Daddy, a couple of my deep-pocket donors, and some big Georgia media outlets are coming to tour the town and watch us close the deal. Everything better be perfect, or you’ll be talking to your precious Dan during visiting hours.”
I ended the call, found the half-empty mug of wine, and swallowed the last of it before passing out on the couch again.
Usually, one needs a celebration to drink champagne. In my case, I was celebrating the fact that I had consumed all of the wine in the house and there was nothing else left to drink. It’s possible that I looked as terrible as I smelled, but I wouldn’t know because it had been days since I’d gone upstairs or had even come close to looking in a mirror.
My phone rang and I didn’t recognize the number, but I picked up anyway. I almost dropped the phone when I heard the voice on the other end.
“Emma, darling. I’ve missed you.”
“Nina?” I asked.
“Of course, sweetie. Who else would I be?”
“I’m just surprised to hear from you,” I stammered.
“I know, I know. We had an unfortunate falling-out.”
“You fired me,” I reminded her.
“Yes,” she said with a deep sigh. “All right. Let’s not beat around the bush here. I need you to come back.”
“Nina, I—”
