“You will one day, I’m sure.” Kathy’s voice sounded wistful. A first.
“What did you do today, Mom?” Molly asked.
For the last three months, the answer would have been the same. Kathy stayed in bed eating chips, watching soaps, and feeling sorry for herself. But she’d kept up her appearance these past few days, which meant she was prowling for a new man or rendezvousing with her married boyfriend again.
It was ironic that Kathy found herself manipulated by crumbs too.
She dropped her fork to her plate with a clang. “Funny you should ask, munchkin. I got an interesting job offer today.”
I paused my spoon halfway to my mouth, sure I was hallucinating or I’d fallen into another dimension.
“A friend of mine owns a boat and wants to travel around the world for the next six months. I’ve been offered a job as a crew member.”
A crew member.Right. I suspected her duties involved things most HR departments would deemnot allowablein a job description.
“Molly…” My mother paused, waiting until she had Molly’s undivided attention. “What do you think about staying with your sister for a while?”
My world tilted on its axis.
Itcouldn’tbe… could it?
Molly glanced at me. I expected to see unabashed joy, especially after she’d sobbed when our mom took her away from our Christmas holiday. Instead, her wary eyes found mine, her lips pinched into a line.
Because I had been Molly, I knew what was upsetting her. She worried her mother would leave and never come back. Even with the ups and downs Molly had experienced all her life, Kathy Quinn was her main caretaker, and from what I could tell, she hadn’t completely failed. Molly was a national treasure, and that didn’t come fromnowhere.
“It’d be for the rest of the school year,” I added when Molly hesitated. Six months would get us through June. “Then Mom will come home for the summer, and we can spend it together. Go to the beach and build sandcastles. Maybe hit up a baseball game…”
I nudged her in the side, and she darted away from me.
She shook her head and finally gave a small smile. “No baseball.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Looking at my mother stopped me dead. She watched us intently, her expression soft, thoughtful. What the hell was causing this change in her demeanor? Was she trying to keep the peace before she up and left for six months? Or now she was leaving, did she realize what her selfishness would make her miss? Because Molly and I were pretty damn awesome.
“Sounds like a great plan,” Kathy said before refocusing on the spaghetti in front of her.
I waited for something more—a snarky comment, an exposition of all the amazing things she’d see over the next six months—but she fell silent for the rest of the meal, leaving me to carry the conversation with Molly. It wasn’t difficult to keep Molly talking, not after I asked her aboutCharlie and the Chocolate Factoryand the latest Wolves game. My mother kept her gaze down, but she was listening.
Molly soon left the table to watch hockey, giving me an opportunity to talk to my mother alone. I found her scrubbing plates, a sight I hadn’t stumbled upon since moving back. She usually headed to her room after dinner, taking a bath before settling into bed, leaving me with the cleanup.
“Is she all right?” Kathy kept her back to me, continuing to wash plates and utensils.
“She’s fine,” I said, voice tight.
My mother allowing me to become Molly’s guardian didn’t erase the garbage she put us through. It certainly didn’t erode my bitter feelings.
“Did you mean what you said?” I asked.
“Which part?”
She damn well knew.
I took another step into the kitchen, positioning myself to the side of the sink, where she could see me. “You’re leaving?”
She didn’t pause her movement. “Richard invited me to sail with him. Now that he’s divorcing his wife, he’s free to do what he’s always wanted. She was bleeding him dry, you know.”
I suppressed an instinct to roll my eyes. She fully intended to do the same.
