It was no use.
Nothing would drown this.
Nothing mattered anymore.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Poppy
“I kind of like it,”Jane said as I was rifling through the fridge full of meal prep containers.
“Like what?” I asked as I inspected one of them. Vernon Callahan had come by the previous morning, before I’d awoken, and prepared everything we would need for the week. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Jane’s meals looked like they were packed with flavor based on the colorful arrangement. I didn’t see anything marked for Ivan, but everything for me looked like diet food… At least Jane was getting some good treatment out of this.
When I turned away from the fridge with one of theproteinpancake containers, Jane was sitting at the island slathering cream cheese on a toasted bagel. Where had those come from? She shrugged as she kicked her dangling feet. “Don and Ivan.”
“I think I’m missing some context here,” I popped the container into the microwave as I waited for her to explain.
“No one has ever cared about me or my whereabouts before. It’s oddly comforting to be looked after andwanted.”
Maybe I wasn’t the only one who needed therapy.
I frowned. “Of course you’re wanted.”
“I know that’s why you have Don tailing me, because you actually want me. I guess my living here is enough proof of that, but you care about my safety and that’s something different…”
I didn’t know what to do or say. I didn’t know how to act. I just stood there watching my little sister, who had been neglected for entirely too long. We both had. I understood how she felt. I’d found myself feeling somewhat similarly when it came to Ivan. The only reason my brothers would care if something happened to me was because of their precious deal. Mother hadn’t bothered to reach out. I was sure she was spiraling, and I had my suspicions that Jade wasn’t allowed to come near us either.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I blinked back the growing moisture in my eyes as the microwave beeped in the butler's pantry. “I want you, and I’m glad you’re finally feeling like I am. No one ever really wanted me either.”
One of Jane’s brows went up. “I’m not so sure. Have you seen the way Ivan looks at you?”
Instead of saying anything and incriminating myself, I threw a dish towel at her and retrieved my food.
The first bite was… okay. I could see where he tried to make this a great breakfast, but it fell short, and I was almost certain it was because of the microwave. If it had been served fresh, I knew it would have been delicious. But this… this was a soggy, lumpy mess that no longer resembled a pancake. It looked worse than diet food. I tossed it on the counter and slid into the stool beside my sister. Quickly, I swiped half of her bagel off of her plate and took a generous bite out of it.
“Why do we have someone coming in and cooking for us?”
“Things are about to change in the next few months,” I started, unsure of where to go with this again. I was in uncharted territory with a teenager. At least she’d already started her period, and I didn’t have to go over that with her. Wait… “You’ve gotten your first period, right?”
Her cheeks turned pink as she ducked her head and continued to eat her bagel. “Yes, and I’m on the pill.”
Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting.
“Are you sexually active?” I whispered as if we weren’t the only ones in the room.
She peeked up at me from under her lashes and rolled her eyes. “No. Mother didn’t want any surprises, though. She sent me to a Woman’s clinic that went over everything after I had my first cycle, and then they put me on the pill. It was all very sterile, but at least I know the ins and outs of everything.”
I blew out a shaky breath. “That’s good.”
“Back to the topic at hand, please?”
“I’ve been seeing someone,” I began again.
Jane puffed her cheeks out. “Yeah, Ivan. Okay, whatelse is changing?”
In exasperation, I pulled my hands down my face. “No, not Ivan.”
She made a face. “Okay so you’re cheating on mystery man with Ivan. Got it.”
