Before either of us can react, a key turns in the lock of the front door and it bursts open. Sylvie almost falls off the sofa as she scrambles to get up, and I can’t stop my heart from hammering painfully against my ribs as I turn.
Opal and my brother, Link, stand in the entryway, eyes wide and mouths agape. My brother has his eyebrows raised in shock, but Opal…
Opal looks seconds away from breaking down in tears.
“Hey—” Before I can get anything else out, she drops her bag and storms up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door shut behind her.
Link rubs the back of his neck. “She didn’t have a great morning.”
“What happened?” Sylvie asks, her voice low.
Link looks from her to me. “You should go up and have a word with her. Something to do with her mom calling. I don’t know about what, she wouldn’t talk to me.”
I swallow hard, chest tight. “Thanks, Link.”
My brother looks between us, brows still raised. “She also might be worried about you two. I guess she doesn’t have to be.”
I can’t help but look over my shoulder at Sylvie. There’s no point in denying anything happened, because even a blind man could tell. I have no doubt Opal knows something, even if she doesn’t understand what. She’s fifteen, not five.
The need to go after her slams into me as his words actually settle within me. “Thank you, Link. I’ve got it from here.”
My brother makes a sound in the back of his throat, but I don’t watch him leave. Instead, I turn to Sylvie, who holds her hands up. “If you don’t want me to stay, say the word and I’ll go make him take me back to my place. Or I’ll make myself scarce and call the council about why they blocked access to my street.”
“You should go with Link,” I say, keeping my voice low.
Disappointment flares in her dark eyes, but she nods once, teeth gritted, and walks around me towards the door.
“Sylvie—”
“No, I understand. She needs you. I’m not even a guest; I just crashed here.”
I don’t know if she’s saying that to hurt me, or for Opal’s benefit in case she’s listening. I know I should pull her into my arms and tell her that’s not what I think and that I want her to stay, but I’m frozen in place watching her rush to catch up with Link.
A ringing starts in my ears, one I can’t ignore as I watch Sylvie disappear, too. I stay locked in place as she returns from the guest room with her handbag and that stupid Mrs. Claus outfit.
“Thank you for last night,” she says without looking at me. “I’m stealing a pair of your rain boots. Everything will be washed and cleaned for you to pick up.” She stops in the doorway and finally looks back at me with an expression I can’t read. “Go be with your daughter. I’m not leaving town yet.”
Theyetfeels ominous–like a promise. But she doesn’t elaborate, and like a bastard, I don’t question it. Only when the door closes do I move. I’m torn between chasing after Sylvie and staying here. After everything, she should know me better.
But I also know Opal needs me more.
As I start up the stairs, I listen to Link’s truck drive away. Guilt eats away at me in a way I can’t describe, not just over Sylvie, but Opal, too.
Maybe I am being selfish thinking I can have both.
Upstairs, I can hear Opal crying, her sobs tearing at something inside me. Her door opens quietly as I push it inward, stepping into her cold bedroom without a word.
“I don’t want to talk, Dad,” she sniffles, sitting on the edge of her bed. “Just go away.”
“Can’t do that,” I murmur, closing the door behind me. “Just you and me now.”
Her eyes flicker up to meet mine, red and puffy. “Where’s Sylvie?”
“She went home with Link,” I reply, taking a seat on the floor in front of her. The walls of her bedroom have barely changed over the years, but they show her growth as she’s gotten older. Murals from different points in her life decorate the old wood panelling. Paintings hang from hooks that need to be reinforced every couple of years with how much she changes.
Opal sniffles again. “I’m sorry.”
I cut her a look, frowning. “For what?”
