I hug my brother, who continues to sit there woodenly. “I’m sorry,” I tell him. “You can come with me, if you want.”
A tear leaks out the corner of Ties’s eye as he shakes his head. I brush it away—like I’m his parent and not his sister. Which is the problem. I want to rail at my father, but if I do, it’ll invariably end up in the papers. Ties and Fenna don’t need that any more than I do.
So I leave the restaurant, digging around in my purse with shaking hands. I need support. I need my friends. I finally find my phone and struggle to pull up my contacts through the tears blurring my vision.
Hammer answers on the second ring as I step outside. “Hey, Tally.”
“Can you pick me up? My parents just told us they’re getting divorced in the middle of a restaurant, and the last place I want to go is home.”
She’s silent for a beat. “I’m so sorry, Tally. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
CHAPTER 5
TALLY
“Ineed shots!” I set the emergency credit card courtesy of my dad on the bar top. We’re at the Watering Hole, and my good-decisions button has been flipped to the off position. “Who wants to do one with me?”
Dred wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. She is not a shots girl.
“I could,” Rix offers.
“Same,” Hammer agrees.
“Just one,” Hemi hedges.
“Lemon drops?” I suggest.
I get nods of approval and order six.
No one comments, but Hemi purses her lips, and Dred makes herare-you-sure-that’s-a-good-idea?face.
“Thanks for coming out.” I clink my glass against theirs and down mine, then follow with the remaining two.
I raise my hand to order more, but Hammer pulls it down. “Maybe give it a minute.”
“And have a glass of soda.” Dred hands me a cola.
I grudgingly accept it. I’ve already had two margaritas. Myinitial disbelief from dinner has morphed into simmering rage, and I need out of my head.
That makes me doubly appreciative that my Babes dropped everything to be here. I love my Tilton friends, but Fee has lost both of her parents, so crying about mine getting a divorce feels insensitive.
“I know this isn’t about me, but my parents’ timing was terrible.” The high of my performance followed by the low of their divorce is a real shock. They probably didn’t want to fake it through the holidays.
“I’m really sorry, Tally.” Hammer gives me a side hug.
“I don’t even know how to process this. Plus, finals begin next week, and then it’s Christmas. I don’t even know what that will look like this year. I can’t imagine I’ll feel like celebrating.” I’m suddenly buried under the stress of all the unknowns. “Let’s talk about something else.” I need to get off the merry-go-round of what-ifs and oh-nos.
“How about we plan our New Year’s party?” Hemi suggests.
“Connor may have already taken care of this.” Dred rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling.
“Oooh! Party at Grace Manor?” Rix is obsessed with the chef’s kitchen there.
“Well, we are having a party at a Grace property.” Dred fiddles with the bracelets on her wrist. “I might have mentioned doing something in Huntsville this year, and Connor may or may not have bought the lodge on the lake—not rented out the rooms,boughtthe entire place.”
“I didn’t know it was for sale,” Hemi says.
“It wasn’t.” Dred sips her soda.
