“So… what else did he tell you?” She leans forward, eyes bright, ready for more gossip.
“That’s it,” I say.
She stares at me like I’ve confessed to a felony. “Come on.You didn’t get more details?”
I shake my head, grimacing. “Forgot.”
Lore sits back, crossing her arms. “You’re out of practice.”
“Apparently,” I mutter. “I forgot to ask the-”
She jumps in, already mocking me with a deep-dad voice: “-and then what happened?”
I groan. “Exactly. I forgot the ‘and then.’”
Lore shakes her head in mock disappointment, clicking her tongue like I’ve personally let down the entire gossip community.
“Isn’t it bad to gossip?” I ask, pretending to be scandalized.
She snorts. “It’s gossip if we do it with other people. Totally fine when it’s between us.”
I raise a brow. “Like sex?”
She nods without missing a beat. “Exactly like sex.”
I bark out a laugh, nearly twisting the wheel.
She shrugs innocently, eyes sparkling. “Look, a marriage needs drama as long as it doesn’t involve the parties.”
“So that’s the secret to a successful marriage?” I ask.
She makes an agreeing little hum. “Mm-hmm. Gossip, drama, but only aboutotherpeople.”
I snort.
She asks. “So… Chloe?”
I don’t even try to hide the noncommittal noise that leaves my throat. It’s halfway between a groan and a sigh.
“That bad?” Lore asks, turning in her seat to look at me fully.
I blow out a breath. “I don’t know what’s going on with her. And I’ve tried. Believe me.”
Lore waits, quiet in that way she is when she knows I’ll talk if she doesn’t push.
So, I do.
“She keeps saying she needs ‘space,’ but from what? From everyone? She never answers Mom’s calls. She ignores Dad, even when he shows up at her place. She only texts me when she needs something, and even then it’s vague as hell.” I rub my jaw. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that.”
“The same thing you’re doing with your parents,” Lore says calmly. “Let her know you’ve got her back, but that you won’t let her walk all over you.”
I glance at her, surprised. “You say it like it’s that easy.”
She shrugs, eyes forward. “It’s not easy. It’s necessary. There’s nowhere in the good-brother playbook that says you’re supposed to let your sibling trample you. Sooner or later, you’ll snap. And that kind of snap can damage a relationship irreparably.” She pauses, then adds gently, “Better to step back now without disappearing completely.”
I let that sink in. She’s not wrong.
Iamclose to snapping.
