“Of course it is, sweetie.” She pats my arm. “It’s adorable, but wait until you hear about the income potential with Diamond Elite. We’re talking about real money here.”
She pushes past me toward the house, and I follow, feeling like a child again. This is how it always goes with Emma—she sweeps in, takes control, and suddenly I’m reacting instead of acting.
Inside, she sets down her suitcase and immediately starts commenting on everything. “Oh, this is cozy. Very… minimalist. Are you going for that shabby-chic look on purpose?”
I scowl, noting the difference between her response and my sisters, who noticed my decorations, and Reed, who seemed charmed by my candles. “It’s just how I live.”
“Well, that’s about to change.” Emma opens one of her boxes and pulls out glossy brochures and sample products. “Diamond Elite Wellness Journey is going to revolutionize how we think about health and financial freedom. And you, my dear daughter, are going to be one of my first distributors.”
“I’m not interested in?—”
“Don’t be silly. You’ve always been my entrepreneur.” She spreads brochures across my coffee table, marking her territory. “This is exactly what you need to take your little animal service to the next level.”
I need something to do with my hands to avoid wringing her neck, so I turn on my phone. It starts buzzing immediately with missed messages. Emma’s eyes immediately dart toward the sound.
“Aren’t you going to check that? It might be important.”
I glance down, hoping it’s one of my sisters texting back about Emma’s arrival. Instead, it’s Reed.
Sorry for disappearing yesterday. Got caught up in a work emergency, but that’s no excuse. On my way over with apology cocoa and possibly mistletoe for next year’s tree repertoire. Hope that’s okay.
Relief floods through me, followed immediately by panic. Reed cannot meet my mother. Not like this, not when she’s in full pyramid scheme mode, and I’m barely keeping my head above water.
“Who’s that?” Emma asks, noting my expression. “You’re smiling. Is it a boy?”
“It’s nobody.”
But Emma’s already moving closer, trying to read over my shoulder. “Reed Nicholas? As in Nicholas Industries?”
Shit. “How do you know about Nicholas Industries?”
Emma’s face lights up and I can practically see her spinning plans. “Darling, everyone in Pittsburgh knows about Nicholas Industries. They’re major developers, big money.” She grabs my arm. “Are you dating Charles Nicholas’s son?”
I shake my head. She cannot have this. Not Reed. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated how? Eliza, this is incredible. Do you know what this means for Diamond Elite? If we could get Nicholas Industries to invest, or even just endorse our line?—”
“Stop.” I pull my arm away. “It’s not like that.”
“Not like what? Sweetie, opportunity doesn’t knock twice. If you’re involved with someone from one of Pittsburgh’s most prominent families?—”
“Reed isn’t like that. And neither am I.”
Emma stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Not like what? Ambitious? Smart enough to leverage your connections?”
“Manipulative.”
The word hangs between us, sharp and cutting. Emma’s smile falters for the first time since she arrived.
“That’s a horrible thing to say to your mother.”
“Is it? You showed up here planning to use me for something, and now you want to use my relationship, too.”
“I want to help you succeed.”
“By selling potions and oils to my friends? By turning my boyfriend into a business contact?” I shake my head. “That’s not help, Emma. That’s using people.”
For a moment, Emma looks genuinely hurt. Then her expression hardens into something more familiar—the look she gets when people don’t play along with her schemes. The look she’d give when we couldn’t quite manage to keep social services away when we were living in a car between evictions, for instance.
