“If I tell you something, you can’t say a word to Mom or Evie,” Elodie says.
“You know that I won’t.”
She takes a breath. “I got a job offer in Raleigh.”
I face her with a stone in my hand, water droplets sliding through my fingers. “North Carolina?”
“Yeah. It’s … far. About a nine-hour drive, I think. I didn’t apply for it. A girl I used to work with moved there and is doing the same things she did with us, but she's getting almost twice as much money. She called me a couple of days ago and asked if I wanted to come work with her.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I didn’t know.”
I chuck the rock as far as I can across the lake. The plunking sound it makes as it falls into the water is the same way my spirits nosedive at my sister’s news.
She hops off the boulder and dusts off her hands.
“Do you want to take it?” I ask.
“I don’t know, Drake. I mean, the money is amazing, and there are bigger opportunities for advancement. And she said their benefits package is out of this world.” She takes a shaky breath that I know all too well. “But how do I leave here now? Mom said that Dad has had a couple of good days, but how long will that last? What happens when he gets worse? Mom can’t do this alone forever. I know we agreed to give them their space for a while, but we’re going to have to be more involved at some point—and I’m the oldest daughter.”
My palm grips the back of my neck as my sister verbalizes the things I’ve been mulling over for a while. They’re questions that I can’t answer. I’m not qualified to answer them. But I also know this isn’t on my sister, oldest daughter or not, to feel the weight all alone.
I look into her eyes and see what I need to see.
“You gotta take it,” I say through the tightness in my chest.
Her eyes, the color so similar to mine that it’s disturbing, grow wide. “What?”
“You should take it. Ask yourself what you would do if Dad weren’t sick. That’s your answer.”
“But I can’t leave you and Evie here to handle it.”
“Why?” I chuckle. “Evie might be worthless, but I’m very capable.”
She laughs, brushing tears away from the apples of her cheeks. I pull her into a hug, and the way she clings to me tells me she needs it.
“Dad would want you to go,” I say softly. “I followed my dreams, and you and Evie picked up the slack while I was gone. It’s your turn.”
Elodie pulls away, drying her eyes with her shirtsleeves. “Why does being an adult have to be so hard?”
“Because you’re a good person.”
She leans her head on my shoulder as we stand facing the lake. Fish jump, breaking the surface and sending sparkling ripples across the water. It’s peaceful—and I think both of us need a blast of peace.
Finally, she stands and stretches her arms over her head and turns toward the house. “I haven’t mentioned this to Evie, so please keep it between us.”
“Of course.”
I follow her up the path, both of us quiet as we try to make sense of our thoughts. Elodie has a tough decision to make. I fear I might have one of those on the horizon, too.
My phone buzzes again, vibrating against my leg. I stop walking and pull it out. “Go on, Elodie. I’ll be right there.”
“Okay.”
I swipe open the screen.
Gianna: Just got off the phone with Francine. She’s suggesting a moderator for our dating chats. She thinks it might be helpful to have someone ask us questions so we can answer as a couple rather than as podcasters. Peak entertainment value, I think she said.
