We’re at a quickie make-your-own-salad place down the street from our apartment.
She grins, unfazed, and grabs her water. “Nope. It’s important.”
Laddie is happily munching on a chicken wrap and doodling on a napkin.
I nudge Talia’s foot under the table. “Okay, what’s so urgent?”
She swallows, sits up a little straighter. “I got a new job.”
I stare at her, surprised. “Really? That’s amazing! Where is it?”
But Talia just looks so serious, it throws me off. I sit back, searching her face. “What kind of job?”
“It’s a traveling nurse position,” she says quietly. “You know, where you go fill in at different hospitals for a few months, thenmove on—the money’s fantastic, Em. And I’ve always wanted to see more, do more. Remember when I moved to California right after high school graduation?”
I rub the bridge of my nose as I take in this news. “Wow. That’s… that’s big, Tal. Really big. I’m happy for you, though.”
My sister chews on the inside of her cheek. “I hope you don’t feel like I’m abandoning you. It’s just that I never really wanted to settle in one place, and we’ve been here five years, and I really want to explore other places, meet new people. And now that Laddie’s in school, I’m not really needed for the day-to-day stuff anymore?—”
“It’s fine,” I cut in, my voice sharper than I meant. I catch myself and try again, more gently. “Really. I am happy for you. You’ve done so much for Laddie and me. We wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
Talia’s eyes welled with tears. She’s heard me say this many, many times, but for whatever reason, it’s resonating now. I reach across the table and try to grab her hand, but she swats me away.
“I was lonely in California, Em. Having you and baby Laddie...it made me feel less alone.”
“And you were my lifeline when I was at my lowest. You have no idea how much I needed you,” I say softly.
We both sit there, trying not to cry, for a few minutes, just staring at each other. Finally, Talia shakes her head and sniffs. “You fucker,” she says, and we both break down laughing.
She dabs at her eyes and perks up a bit. “Hey, if you want, I can give you the number of a girl from work who’s looking for a roommate. And since our lease is up in a couple of months,it’s probably a good time to start looking for something else anyway.”
“How much longer do we have you for?” I ask.
“I start my first assignment in a month,” she says. “I already gave my two-week notice at work.”
“Wow,” I whisper. “That’s… soon.”
Now, Talia really does reach for my hand and squeezes hard. “It’ll be okay, Em. You’re a badass mom. You work your ass off. You’ve got this.”
“Yeah,” I say, blinking fast as tears threaten to fall.
“Seriously,” she says, with another fiercer squeeze. “Everything will work out, one way or another. But that doesnotmean you should get back together with Liam Callaghan.”
I sigh and let out a shaky laugh as I wipe away the unshed tears before they roll down my face.
“He’s ghosting me anyway,” I admitted. “When I took Laddie to a game and texted him after, thinking maybe it was time to introduce them, but he pushed me away before I could tell him anything. I haven’t heard much from him since.”
“Probably for the best,” Talia mutters, but she softens it with a shrug when I shoot her a look. “I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you can tell me that he’s just living a super easy, no-drama life right now.”
I frown and stare at my half-finished salad, losing my appetite.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Talia says gently. “Em, I’ve said this a million times, it’s not that I think he’s a bad guy. He isn’t. He just… attracts chaos. It’s like he’s got some trouble magnetstuck to him. And you always want to rush in and save him. I just… I want you to save yourself for once. If he figures out how to pull himself out, maybe I’ll change my mind. But until then, I’ll always see him as a nice guy who drags you down with his mess.”
Her words sting. It’s not fair for her to judge him this way; it never has been. But I swallow the retort, reminding myself I only have a few more weeks with her, and I don’t want another argument.
“I just really thought… maybe fate was giving us another shot,” I say, voice thick. “I missed him, Tal. I missed him so much, and when he landed in my ER, I thought it was a sign, you know? That we were supposed to get a second chance. I wanted it.”
“My sister, the eternal optimist,” she sighs.
