“He’s talking about letting him be his own person,” Kitty says, chin held high.
“I’ve let him be his own person,” I reply.
“Is that so? Why did he have to put his life on hold to help you out here?”
I blink a few times because am I in some sort of weird twilight zone? What the fuck is happening?
I scratch the back of my head and say, “He came with me because he was the one who got me into the mess in the first place and, to my knowledge, had nothing going on other than mindlessly fucking some girl named Sarah who seemed less than satisfied.”
“She was fucking satisfied,” Rupert says, pointing at me.
“Are you calling my niece a mess?”
“No,” I say quickly and then turn to Renley. “I was not calling you a mess or what we have a mess.”
Her eyes widen at my slipup.
Fuck.
Wanting to redirect, I bring it back to Rupert and Kitty before she can catch on to what I said. “Rupert, I have always allowed you to do whatever the hell you want. I haven’t held you back once.”
“What about in grade school? When he wanted to join that play and you told him not to,” Kitty says, folding her arms.
My eyes fall on Rupert, who is taking a sip of his wine, looking smug.
“Are you bloody serious right now? Grade school?”
“He’s always been the sidekick, not the main character,” Kitty says. “And he has main-character energy. He deserves more than just following you around.”
“Thank you,” Rupert says. “At least someone sees it that way.”
“You can’t be serious right now. Rupert, where is this coming from?”
“Years of being suppressed and finally finding his wings,” Kitty says before they clink glasses. “Just like me, being suppressed. Rupert helped me find my wings.”
“Suppressed?” Renley asks. “Is that a dig at me?”
“Of course not.” Kitty shakes her head. “Just, you know, had to have priorities and you have been a priority.”
Jesus, that is not going to go over well.
“Maybe when Dad first passed,” Renley says. “But from there, it was all on me. I started my own business, started making money and supporting both of us consistently. Not just here and there, but with a steady workflow that has brought in money every week. I don’t see how that’s me suppressing you or stopping you from living out your dreams. I see that more as giving you the opportunity to do as you pleased, since you weren’t working.”
“I have worked jobs,” Kitty says, looking thoroughly insulted. “And I helped you start your business.”
“Yes, you help start things but you never finish them. Ever. Just like how you were once again supposed to help me today with the store and you didn’t. The one person who has been helping me is Theo.”
“That’s because you two have been hooking up,” Rupert says offhandedly, making my insides churn and burn with anger.
“What?” Kitty asks, looking between the two of us.
I’m going to fucking murder him.
Murder him for breaking the news to Kitty.
And murder him for making that fucking assumption. I wasn’t helping because we were hooking up. He damn well knows that.
“You two have been hooking up?” Kitty asks, gesturing between me and Renley.
