"No! I'm not sick, just . . ." She drew a deep breath and pushed her curls back from her face. "Girls, I've made a decision, and I'd love for you to be supportive." Bobbi leaned in closer to the camera on her phone. "Truthfully, this is going to impact you, Megs, more than your sister." Her mom turned to her with an apologetic smile. "Frank and I are moving in together."
Bobbi squealed.
Megs' eyes widened. She’d buried herself so deep in the mental rabbit hole of illness, layoffs, or any other existence-shattering piece of bad news that she hadn’t even considered something good.
"That's—I'm—wow, Mom, that's amazing!" Megs blustered and threw her arms around her mom’s shoulders.
After years of obvious interest, Frank had finally asked Sylvia out after Bobbi left Sugar Creek. When Megs had woken up to Frank having a bowl of cereal at their kitchen table on multiple occasions, it’d been obvious their relationshipwas progressing. This shouldn't have come as a surprise, but Megs still found herself mentally adjusting to the news.Frank would be moving in here?That meant no more walking around in her bra and underwear, but she'd gladly give that up for her mother's happiness.
"Did you think we'd be upset about this?" Megs asked as she pulled back.
Her mom’s brows pulled together. "That's not exactly the part I was worried about." Megs frowned, and Bobbi’s eyes narrowed. "I'm selling the house. Frank's house is better suited for us, especially with the shop, and with prices going up, it makes the most sense to sell now before the holidays . . ."
Sylvia continued talking, but Megs stopped listening as a low ringing sounded in her ears, and the floor seemed to drop out from under her.Selling the house?
Frank wasn't moving in here. Her mother was moving in with him. She was selling their childhood home. She was selling heradulthoodhome. That meant—
"How soon?" Megs cut in.
Sylvia swallowed and clasped her hands in her lap. "One month."
"Do you already have offers?" Bobbi asked through the screen.
Their mother nodded. "Three. I know which one I'm going to accept, I only have to work out a few details with the realtor. Both of us have to be out on October seventh."
Two
Megs saton the edge of her bed, her mother's announcement echoing in her head like a boy band song from the nineties on repeat. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm autumn glow over her room—a room that wouldn't be hers for much longer.
Megs fiddled with a loose thread on her comforter as her thoughts spiraled.You can’t afford an apartment right now. You’ve wasted years and a stupid amount of money trying to make acting work, and you’ve got nothing to show for it. You’re twenty-five, making sixteen dollars an hour—the same as a starting wage for a high schooler at Chipotle.
Megs groaned and flopped onto her back. She'd put all her eggs into one basket. To be fair, she hadtriedother baskets. She’d taken college courses, and that experiment had sucked out her soul through an aluminum straw. She'd started the process to get her real estate license until she realized passing the test would require more memorization than high school biology, which she'd barely passed with a D.
Becoming an aesthetician had crossed her mind for a hot minute until she'd shadowed her mom's friend Colleen at thehair salon and left with a headache, wax fused to her fingernails, and her nasal hairs singed beyond recognition.
Megs blew out a breath. It washer.She was the problem. She had no resiliency or self-discipline. Her mom had been passive-aggressively sending that message through the ether for years, and maybe it was time to admit she’d been right.
She'd hoped that signing with Lake Talent would be her turning point, but so far, her agent had only managed to get her a few commercials. It had been enough to pay her mother back gradually, but wasn't a consistent amount to support herself with.
So, she was finally about to be debt-free.
And homeless.
Fantastic.
Megs grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts, scrambling for a lifeline. Her mother hadn’t offered for her to move with her, and Sylvia DeBosse did nothing haphazardly. Megs got the message loud and clear. Her mother was ready to move on with her life, and she was done giving her oldest daughter a free ride.
Megs didn't blame her. She hadn't planned on living in her childhood bedroom in her mid-twenties. She hadn't even planned on returning to Sugar Creek, Vermont.Always throwing curveballs when we least expect it.Her heart stuttered at the thought of that guy in the shop this afternoon. Add that missed opportunity to the growing pile.
She sighed as her thumb hovered over Kiara's name in her contacts. One of her high school friends she'd actually remained close with. They'd talked about moving in together before, but when Kiara offered her a room in the spring, Megs had declined, wanting to save money over the summer.
Kiara lived in one of the most affordable complexes in Sugar Creek, which meant it rarely had openings.How had she been so shortsighted?Megs tapped on Kiara's contact info andhit the call button. Maybe they had another room open up? She tugged on the loose thread as the phone rang.
"Megs!" Kiara's smile was audible. "What's up?"
They exchanged pleasantries while Megs mustered enough courage to bring up the room. "So, funny story," she began, trying to sound lighthearted. "My mom's selling our house, and I need to find an apartment by the beginning of October."
"Wow, that's sudden," Kiara replied. "Everything okay?"
