I dump the clothes on my bed. “It’s fine.”
Lewis unzips the suitcase. “Why were you in the woods? Tyler mentioned he found you near a cabin your mom is living in.” He raises his eyebrow. “You said you wouldn’t go to her place anymore.”
I knew this was coming. “I was on my way to visit her,” I say reluctantly, leaving out the part about how I was going to give her cash. That was so stupid. I can’t keep giving her money and still be able to pay off my debt.
He groans. “We talked about this. She’ll hurt you and keep hurting you. She’s selfish.”
He’s right, but I don’t want to be a crap daughter because I have a crap mom. That doesn’t mean I’m risking my life again. I’ve been enabling, as my therapist puts it. It’s a fine balance.
“It’s not as easy as you think. If Becky made a mistake, could you walk away and never look back?”
His mouth compresses. “You know that’s not the same.”
Lewis’s mom is amazing. She’s loving, supportive without overdoing it. She’s shown me the kind of woman I want to be.
“My mom is as fallible as anyone else.” He grabs a stack of clothes to toss in the suitcase, his gaze narrowing on the lacy underwear in his hands. He drops them like they’re hot coal. “I think I’ll wait in the kitchen while you pack.”
Lewis moves away from the dangerous lingerie and heads out of the bedroom, but he pauses at the door. “The point I was going to make is that my mom tries to be a good parent. In her case, she succeeds most of the time. Your mother has never put you first. Her only concern is for herself, and she’ll drag you down if you let her. Have you talked about your mom with your therapist?”
“Of course.” I pull out jeans and a few tops and add them to the pile in the suitcase.
“What does she say?”
I avoid his gaze, hesitating.
“Mira?”
“Same stuff you do. That it’s not a healthy relationship. That even though my mom may not intentionally hurt me, her actions do, and I need to make decisions that are best for me.”
“You should listen to your therapist.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re saying that because she echoes you.”
“That’s not true. I want what’s best for you.”
“I know you do. I’ll try. But I can’t just cut her out of my life.”
“Maybe”—he squeezes the back of his neck—“just work on distancing yourself. Your mom expects too much.”
He has no idea.
Tyler
Minutes after Mira runs out to Lewis’s Jeep, a knock sounds at the door. I climb halfway up the loft ladder and grab my T-shirt from the floor, pulling it over my head before jerking the sticky front door open.
A woman with graying black hair and tanned, wrinkled skin stands on the other side. Despite the prematurely aged look, the woman might have been attractive at one point. Bright eyes, high, full cheekbones.
I’m not surprised. It’s Mira’s mom, after all—the person I saw inside the cabin last night.
The woman’s gaze darts past me into the cabin. “Mira stayin’ here?” Her voice is slightly hoarse, a bit slurred.
Nice manners.
“Sorry, who are you?”
I know who she is, but I want her on the defensive. With Mira’s tight-assed responses, I’m not opposed to maneuvering around her to figure out what’s going on. I’d bet my right nut this woman knows.
The woman looks me up and down, as if I’m the one with unwashed clothes and sour breath. “I’m looking for my daughter. She living here? Girl never showed last night. Was supposed to bring me somethin’.”
