Her chin wobbles.
Her eyes go shiny.
And I won’t do it. I won’t carry her guilt. Being angry might not benice. But after what she did, I have every right to my anger.
Naomi slips an arm around my waist. “You need to leave,” she tells my mother.
“I did it again,” Mom whispers. “Oh my God, Tavi, I did it again.”
My lungs are too tight. My throat is clogged. My eyeballs are on fire. “Yeah, Mom. You fuckingdid it again.”
Naomi pulls me away from the window, shuts it, then closes the blinds. “You can yell at me if you need to get it all out,” she says softly. “Don’t bottle it up. Don’t let it fester.”
“I’m—just—so—mad.”
“You should be.I’mmad, and I don’t have almost three decades of baggage with her.”
I make myself unfist my hands and swipe at my eyes. “I don’t want to be angry. I want tofix this.” And I want to talk to Dylan.
Tell him what happened.
Hear him tell me the same, thatit’s okayto be angry. That I’ll still be one of the people he loves no matter what.
But I can’t.I can’t.
Naomi gives me a gentle push, and I fall to the bed.
“You know there’s one person who would understand more than anyone else,” she says.
“I can’t call Dylan. I betrayed him. I lied to him. And if he doesn’t realize that’s Sam and he tries to seduce her—”
“No, Tavi. I mean your sister.”
I blink at her.
Then blink again.
“She’s changed.” Naomi shrugs.
She’s right. Phoebe’s changed. And shewouldunderstand. She’d be outraged with me, and then she’d offer me money, and—
Fuck.
And then it gets complicated all over again, when we don’t need complicated.
“I don’t want investors,” I say quietly.Oh my God.Did my mother actually do me a favor? “I don’t want—no, Ican’tlive my life beholden to other people because of their money. Phoebe might help no strings attached. Honestly? I think she would. But I have to do thisfor me. With the resources I have.”
And what do I have?
I haveme.
“Where are the truffles?” I ask Naomi.
She lifts her bag.
“I need a cheeseburger.”
“I know. I could seriously go for a grilled cheese right now too.”
