Though today, I wish I weren’t coming back with Caden. His roommate, Chris, is home with his girlfriend, Grace. And I can no longer avoid what I have been putting off for days. The phone call with my godmother.
“There you are.” Grace throws her arms in the air, standing at the threshold of Caden’s flat, as we return from class in the late afternoon. “Get in already.”
“The next dinner is on me if you get me out of this,” I mutter to Caden as she grabs my arm and drags me through the lounge.
Caden’s roommates stand at the center of the room, trying to knock empty beer bottles lined up on the counter with tennis balls, and missing every time.
“Hey, Etheridge, looking fit,” Nick hoots with a drunken grin.
Chris gives me a tired wave as Grace pulls me into his room and slams the door shut.
“Let’s get this over with,” she says, spraying Chanel into the air, like that will cover the smell of grease, sweat, and sex.
“You think Valerie can pick up the scent on FaceTime?” I ask. Grace rolls her eyes, then closes the curtains and settles on Chris’s bed.
“You ready?” She wiggles her eyebrows.
I let out a deep sigh and throw my bag on the floor.
“What’s that?” Grace asks. I follow her gaze to my waist. My bruised hip, peeking out of my skirt. “That looks nasty. What did you do?”
“Walk into stuff in the dark, as usual.” I drag my top downand sit next to her. She gives me a pointed look but doesn’t push it.
Both of us sit up straight, shoulder to shoulder, a closeness we are not used to, then plaster on our best smiles. Not too wide, just enough to show this is not a rare occurrence.
“Girls,” Valerie chimes, her face filling the screen.
She looks better than when I saw her at the funeral. Her blonde hair is up in a tidy bun. She sits poised with a cup of tea in her French-manicured hands, in front of her botanical temple of peace lilies, a hobby she and Mum have in common. We had more soil inside the house than outside, thanks to the jungle of house plants Dan and I had to climb over to get to the landing.
Valerie has always been vibrant and outgoing, like her daughter, and just as beautiful, though she can be overbearing and garrulous. I have known Valerie my whole life. She takes her role as godmother very seriously. Same as Mum with Grace. Not only are Mum and her best friends, but they are practically soul sisters. Something they hoped would be the same for Grace and me. But we are too different. Still, we pretend for their sake.
“How are you, Eva?” She zeros in on me, instantly. “I heard you’re ghosting Doctor Janet.”
“I spoke to her last week.” I throw a hand in the air.
“Twice a week, hon, you promised.” She hugs the cup to her chest.
“Mum. Let it go,” Grace intervenes. “She just settled in.”
Valerie lifts a hand defensively, eyes dancing with a mixture of amusement and frustration. “Sorry, sorry, I know I’m being annoying. Let’s talk about boys, then. You’re both keeping up with your shots, right?”
“Val, can you not?” I groan.
“Seriously, Mum?” Grace looks at the closed door and turns down the volume aggressively.
“What?” Valerie throws out a palm. “Would you rather Jonathan or Elton talk to you about this stuff?”
Hell, no. Mum has been taking me to the clinic, tracking my shots, since I was fifteen. I definitely don’t need the birds-and-bees talk. From anyone.
“How is Dad?” Grace asks, changing the topic swiftly.
“He’s been cutting back on surgeries, so he’s been home more, which is nice…” She half-smiles, then looks directly at me. “But he’s been spending too much time with Elton.”
Great, Jonathan is part of the whole charade, too.
“You stay put, Eva.” Valerie shoots me a pointed look. “It’s bad enough that Elton parades Daniel around London like a trophy.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I mutter. “Dan still hasn’t answered my calls or texts.”
