“He has a giant goat’s head wrapped around his throat! That’s not exactly altar boy material.”
Eustace grinned. “You’ve been living in the suburbs too long. There’s a whole field of gray out there between altar boys and devil worshippers. You should sample it sometime.”
Cordelia rolled her eyes, but secretly she knew her sister was right. The Dallas suburbs had limited her human exposure to soccer moms, church deacons, and corporate commuters.
“So, when did John leave?” Eustace asked quietly, curling up in a brocade armchair. She pulled out a small glass pipe in a spiraling design and held a lighter to it, inhaling deeply.
Cordelia deflated. There was no point in hiding it anymore. “About five months ago.”
Eustace pushed the pipe toward Cordelia as the smoke poured out between her lips.
She waved it off. She’d never taken to cannabis the way her sister had. She didn’t like how loose it made her feel, like she might unravel where she stood and puddle on the floor. “Go ahead. Gloat. You never liked him. Turns out you were right all along.”
Eustace tucked the pipe back in the pocket of her robe. “I didn’t like him because I knew he would hurt you. There’s no joy in that for me. It’s not a victory.”
“Well, he’s not the only one. You hurt me too.”
“I know,” Eustace said quietly. “I’m sorry for that. After Mom—I felt responsible for you. And you fell into him so quickly. Master manipulators are charming in the beginning. I wanted to protect you.”
Cordelia rolled her eyes. “You can’t just ride in at the twelfth hour and demand I break up with someone because you got a ‘vibe.’”
“I was scared,” Eustace told her, shrugging. “Someone had just butchered our mother in a parking lot. I didn’t want to lose you too.”
Cordelia sighed. She understood her sister’s fears better now than she did at the time. The headaches had made her vulnerable in a way she wasn’t then.
Eustace frowned. “Tell me what happened.”
Cordelia glanced at her, weighing how much to spill. It was humiliating admitting to all the ways he’d deceived and used her, and she didn’t want to drag her sister into her problems. Especially when her problems came with an Italian surname and paid muscle. “Allison.”
“That kitten of an assistant you had following you everywhere?”
She tucked a knee under her chin. “So much for loyalty. I was always worried she would strike out on her own with another agency. That someone would steal her from me. Just not my husband.”
“I should have been there.” Eustace shook her head sadly. “Your mandar is so out of whack.”
Cordelia raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Mywhat?”
“Your man radar,” Eustace told her. “It’s always been off-center. It’s not your fault. You were just born that way. Another thing you can thank Mom for.”
Cordelia scowled. “Are you saying I am genetically hardwired to have bad taste in men?”
“Pretty much,” Eustace told her. “But it’s okay now.”
“How is it okay?” Cordelia asked. “My marriage has gone down in a spectacular burst of flames.”
“It’s okay because you have me. I won’t let someone come between us ever again. I mean that.” Eustace stared at her.
Cordelia nodded, annoyed but grateful. She’d missed her sister terribly over the last five years. Missed her bossiness and explosive laugh, her wry humor and down-to-earth wisdom. Missed the way Eustace saw her like nobody else. Missed the things they held between them, unspoken. It was a heavy burden to carry alone, being a Bone.
“I will be your seeing-guydog,” Eustace announced. “But you have to listen to me next time. When I tell you he’s a dud…he’s a dud.”
Cordelia laughed despite the tears springing to her eyes. Her sister tossed a pillow at her, and she dodged it. “You want to know what the worst part is?” she said quietly. “After everything, he leftme.”
“Oh, Cordy.” Eustace rose to sit beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders.
“I knew I should have kicked him out, but I was so scared of being truly alone. He wasn’t even sorry. He acted like it was my fault. I asked to go to counseling, and do you know what he said?”
Eustace shook her head.
