The project manager waits for my yelling to stop before he continues. “I figured that’s what you would say, but I wanted to check in.”
“Is she the only one?”
“Yeah, the other early buyers are real estate investment douches. They’ll pay an adjusted rate if we upgrade a few cosmetic things. Easy. The girl? We pushed back her closing date by a few months and told her the inspector found some concerning wiring issues. I could offer her Nine F for her locked-in price.”
“I literally don’t give a shit. Isn’t this what I pay you to do?” I drive past a kid—a teenager type—walking three dogs. I wonder if he works for Jenny or if he just has a lot of pets. “Hey, you got any dogs?”
“A Frenchie named Bread. Why?”
“How many treats do you give him?” I turn down my uncle’s street; everything is automatic and muscle memory.
“I give him two when I leave in the morning. I can’t confirm how much he gets from the wife and kids.”
“Hmm, is twenty-six too many in one sitting?”
“How big is the dog? How big are the treats?”
My uncle’s house already has a used car lot of extra vehicles in the driveway. Damn it. I’m going to have to park on the street. “The dog is small, twenty pounds or so, and the treats are about the length of my thumb.”
Silence on the other end of the phone. “Yeah, that is way too many. Don’t be surprised if you have to clean up dog puke when you get home.” There’s another long silence. “Dog puke is the worst. I’d rather deal with baby shit than chunky, hot dog vomit. Careful where you step,” he says, and then hangs up.
Fuck. This day couldn’t get any worse. At least my family has my back.
The house is already loud. I can hear it from the yard. I wave to one of our security guys monitoring the perimeter. He acknowledges me then calls me an asshole under his breath. What the fuck did I do?
Whatever. But as soon as I enter the house, all conversation comes to a screeching halt. I’m closing the door behind me when tiny Waverly pushes me with all of her weight and the door slams. The door handle is digging into my lower back, and I’ve got nowhere to go.
“What the fuck did you do to Jenny?”
I jolt back, hitting my head against the wreath Aunt Dawn has hanging inside the house, which is fucking weird, if you ask me. And why is Jenny back in the conversation?
“The dog walker? Nothing.”
My Irish cousin pushes me again. “I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t believe me? Me? You’ve known me your entire life.”
She pushes her finger into my chest. “That’s exactly why I don’t believe you.”
I take her finger and push it aside, sliding past her to tread farther into the house. “And how long have you known her?”
“Twenty-four hours, maybe less.”
“And you’re picking her over me. Family. Family who’s had your back through every fucking problem?”
I slam my hands on my hips, posing because otherwise I don’t know what I’ll do with them. Here’s the thing, Waverly was always closer with Uri and Izzy than she was with Donny, Thiago, or me. And that fucking stings, because she’s literally my cousin. Donny and Izzy are from my dad’s side. But Wave? She is the last remnant of my mother’s side. It’s not something we talk about ever. And for some reason, I thought that would make me different in her eyes. But no. To her, I’m the same sort of fuck-up as Donny. And that’s the most insulting part.
Waverly gets on her tiptoes to meet my gaze and mirrors my pose. “I like her. She’s funny and smart and knows all about Amanda Chase and even has excellent Kiki theories. If lines are drawn, I’m picking her over you.”
“Damn, Wave.” This fucking hurts.
“Yeah, because since I’ve known you my whole life, I know you not only probably started it, but did something stupid.”
I look over at the rest of the family. My cousins, uncles, and aunts all watch, but collectively roll their eyes at me too. “Can you believe this shit?”
Uri—who is in the top ten of my favorite humans—shakes his head. “Dude, I go where Wave goes.” This is an expected betrayal, but still.
Dimitri—my employee and one of my tenants, the man who survived the move to America because of my generosity—shrugs. “I’m with Uri.” Oh, fuck you.
