“No, he won’t. You’ll tell him the generator is fine, the cabin is fine, and you saw absolutely nothing.”
“BUT I SAW EVERYTHING!”
Ally rubs her face. “Oh my god.”
Taranne’s breathing gets faster. “I can’t lie to him!”
“You lie to him every day,” Ally says. “You literally lie about his meeting times so he doesn’t show up early and cause chaos.”
“That’s different!” Taranne shrieks. “That’sethicallying!”
I drag a hand down my face. This is spiraling.
“OK,” I say, forcing air into my lungs. “New plan. Taranne, come sit down. We’re adults. We can talk this through.”
“I can’t sit down,” she says faintly. “I’m in shock. I need electrolytes.”
Ally points to the kitchen. “Drink a Gatorade then, you absolute wetwipe!”
“I LEFT IT IN THE CAR!”
“Jesus Christ, if this woman isn’t on Prozac, I want to know which doctor she needs to sue for negligence,” Ally mutters.
We shuffle, still dripping, into the living room while Taranne follows, wringing her scarf like she’s throttling a snake. She keeps making small panicked noises every time she remembers we’re both only towel-clad.
Finally, Ally sits on the couch, clutching her towel like armor. I lower myself beside her, ankle throbbing, heart pounding.
Taranne perches on the armchair like it might bite.
“Nate,” she says breathlessly, “what are youthinking? You cannot…date…your stepsister!”
I groan. “Taranne, she’s not my stepsister anymore. That marriage ended years ago.”
“You practically grew up in the same house!”
“We absolutely did not,” Ally snaps. “That’s a gross exaggeration. We lived together for, what, eight, nine months in total before I left for uni? And that was broken up into small -”
“Eleven. Eleven months,” I correct before thinking.
She shoots me a look. I shut up.
Taranne flaps her hands. “Mac will still have a meltdown! And he’ll blame me…”
“He has no right,” Ally points out quite reasonably. “He cheated on my mother.”
“AND she divorced him!” Taranne says, pointing a trembling finger. “He’s been trying to get back on your good side ever since! If he finds out you’re sleeping with hisson-”
“He’ll what?” Ally says flatly. “Lecture us? Ground us?Please. We’re both grown adults, and not related by blood, so will youcalm the fuck down. And, while you’re at it, book yourself a holiday with a mindfulness retreat, for the love of God.”
I choke on a laugh I absolutely should not allow to escape.
Taranne slouches back. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” I say. “It’s nothing to do with you, after all. We’ll tell them.”
Both Ally and Taranne snap their heads toward me.
“What?” Ally says.
