Sabrina looks likeshe’sbeen slapped. “No,” she wrenches out on a sob.
“What thefuck?” Jack snarls.
“What the fuck?” Lucky echoes.
“You can’tsell Bean & Nugget,” Decker says. “What ifmykids wanted to work there someday?”
“You did not,” someone on his side of the crowd says. “Chandler. Explain this.”
Aunt Brenda’s voice rises above all the others. “That better not be true, you little asswipe.”
“You sold it?” Sabrina whispers. Laney grabs her elbow when she teeters on her heels. “I had a solution.I had a solution.”
“I’m not taking more porn star money from that dick,” Chandler snaps.
“Stop it,” Emma cries.
“You sold it?” Sabrina repeats once more. “That’smy life.Ishould’ve had a chance to buy it. How—no.”
We were supposed to have two months.
I told her no.
I could’ve fixed this.
And I didn’t.
Chandler reaches for Emma. “Babe.Babe. You know we’ll work this out. Let’s just get married—”
“Seven years,” Emma shrieks. “Seven years, you didn’t want to get married, and now, when you’ve lied, cheated, and probably stolen fromeveryone here, pretendingeverything’s fine, whenyou let my brother go to jail for you and never thought to tell me, when youlied to me about what was wrong at work, now that you’ve gotten caught,now that you’re hoping Theo will support us, now you want to get married?”
“Think of our babies,” he says.
She gasps.
Audibly, painfully gasps.
I’m clenching my fists and bouncing on the balls of my feet.
That’s all she’s ever wanted.
To get married, have babies, have a family. Anormalfamily with a mom and a dad and a distinct lack of taxidermy animals lurking in every corner of her house.
“How. Dare. You?” Emma says.
“Babe.Babe. You know I don’t want his money.”
“I’ve known you forfifteen fucking years, Chandler,” Emma shrieks. “You can’t stand it that Theo’s making money—”
“With hispenis,” Chandler says.
He angles back while Emma advances on him. “—and you’re not,” she finishes.
“Why are they calling you a porn star?” Laney asks me.
One more person I’ve let down today.
Emma’s wedding is ruined. Sabrina’s café is gone.
