Chapter 8
Willa
I woke up on Christmas Eve with my phone stuck under my cheek. How had that happened? I picked it up and cleaned the glass surface with the bottom of my shirt. I knew I’d talked to Doug, but I didn’t remember hanging up.
Did I fall asleep on the phone with you?I texted.
Doug answered as I was making my bed.Yep.
How embarrassing. I wasn’t sure whether to apologize or not. Talking into the night and falling asleep with the phone in your hand was something you did with your best friend or your boyfriend. We weren’t either of those.
Sorry about that. Enjoy your holiday.
You too.
That awkwardness out of the way, I squared my shoulders and left my room with a determination to do better and not hate this trip home. The bathroom door was closed and the shower water running, so I dressed in my cold bedroom and then tiptoed to the kitchen.
Mom was at the stove stirring scrambled eggs. She turned and scrutinized me in my jeans, ratty sweatshirt, and stocking feet. She was already dressed in her best stretch jeans, high heels, and an off-the-shoulder sweater Jennifer Lopez might covet.
I refused to squirm under her inspection. While I was home I didn’t have to look like anyone special. That included skipping makeup and doing little more than running a brush through my hair and putting it up in a sloppy bun.
“Willa Mae, we have family pictures in an hour. I hope you brought something better than that to wear.”
I did a mental inventory of my suitcase and put an outfit together. Whoever was in the shower probably didn’t know about pictures either, because both my sisters took an hour alone just to blow dry their hair.
“Willa. Did you hear what I said?”
I nodded, and she huffed out a frustrated breath. As a teenager, she was lucky to get three sentences together out of me, and I was already reverting back to the habit. It was easier to live inside my head. Nobody yelled at me in there. Nobody could judge my thoughts.
“Is that Katrina or Missy in the shower?” I finally asked.
Mom’s eyes widened. “I told her to be quick about it.” She brushed past me, leaving a trail of perfume, and rapped hard on the bathroom door. “Katrina, get out, honey! We leave in forty-five minutes.”
The eggs in the pan needed to be flipped, so I took over that job while Mom finished yelling at Katrina and then discovered to her horror that Missy was still in bed. It was like a typical school day growing up, except Dad would be kissing our cheeks as he left for work…
A family picture without him would just be four single women with brittle smiles. However, our last family photo had my two ex-brothers-in-law in it, and that couldn’t be displayed in the living room anymore.
I dished myself up a small plate of eggs and pushed the pan to a back burner.
Mom stalked in with her cell phone to her ear, her large hoop earring in her opposite fidgeting hand. “Yes, can we push back our appointment? Three o’ clock? You don’t have anything earlier?”
Katrina came in, her wet dark hair pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head. She sat next to me and sniffed at my plate. “I thought you hated eggs.”
“They’re okay.”
She went to the pantry and got out a box of Rice Krispies cereal. As she bustled around, getting the milk from the fridge and pulling down a bowl, her eyes stayed on me. “What are you gonna do now that Strength Warriors got rid of you? L.A. is not a cheap place to live. Are you moving back here?”
“How would you feel about that?” I asked.
I could tell she’d been hoping for a straight answer. “You do whatever you want, Willa. Like I have any say in the matter.”
Katrina had this gift of turning anything you said to her into a chance to be offended. Occasionally, I tested my theory to see if it still worked. Unfortunately, it worked every time.
“What are you doing these days?” I asked. “Do you still work at the spa across town?”
“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”
“Nope.” I finished the last of my eggs and took my plate to the sink to rinse it. From the sounds of things, we now had several hours of primping ahead of us before leaving for the one photography studio in town.
