Drew shrugs. “A third of LA at least.” She turns to me. “Erica’s parenting coach has her doing dinner without interruptions, biweekly family nights, and get this—no more on-site production duties. She’s passed the torch.”
“Wow.” This version of Erica—or really just the fact that she’s here and not at work—is completely foreign to me.
Erica sighs. “It’s true. They’ve tamed me. I miss the adrenaline of being on location, but a full night’s sleep is a luxury I never knew I was missing.” She clears her throat. “Okay, brood.”
All around me, my stepsiblings raise their glasses and juice boxes.
Erica glows as all our attention turns to her. “Our sweet Cindy is finally home with us again. Cindy, my darling, we love you. I know you’re figuring out your next steps, but whatever you do, your future is bright.”
“To Cindy!” Anna says, clinking her glass with mine.
“You guys!” I say. It’s no wild night with Sierra, but maybe being here with my family…for a season…won’t be so bad after all.
I reach across the table and cheers with their wineglasses and juice boxes.
The triplets eat fried rice, while Anna, Drew, Erica, and I tear into the sushi. After the initial quiet that comes with the start of a good meal, Erica turns to Anna. “Is Victor coming by tonight?”
“They broke up,” Drew says before Anna even has a chance to answer.
“Drew!” Anna says.
“If Mom knows you broke up with him, it’ll be harder for you to take him back when he comes groveling.”
“Well, that was a truth bomb,” I say.
Erica reaches over Drew and takes Anna’s hand. “I’m sorry, dear, but I know you’ll find someone who truly deserves you. And can also hold down a job.”
Anna huffs. “Victor had a job.”
“Poorly managing your Poshmark closet doesn’t count,” Drew tells her.
“Ouch.” I suck in a breath through my teeth. “You’re better off, Anna.”
It honestly blows my mind that Anna or Drew would ever put up with trash guys like Victor.
Erica’s phone rings from inside her pocket, and we all look to her.
“Mom,” says Anna, “you can answer. You don’t have anything to prove by not answering your phone. It’s no biggie.”
“No biggie!” chirps Mary followed by Jack and Gus.
Erica pulls the phone out of her pocket and resolutely sends the call to voicemail. “Whatever it is, it’ll be there for me to resolve after dinner,” she says, like she’s trying to convince herself. “Now, Cindy, tell me all about your senior project.”
I open my mouth to tell her that my adviser cut me a last-minute break and let me exhibit some handcrafted shoes from my semester abroad junior year, that in actuality I could only bring myself to do the bare minimum for the last nine months, and that it’s a miracle anyone even let me graduate. But Drew interjects herself. “It was balls-to-the-wall amazing!”
“Balls to the wall!” Jack shouts.
Drew bites her lip and whispers, “Sorry.”
“Jackie,” Erica says, “that’s not something we say outside of this house, understand?”
He salutes her. “Balls to the walls!”
Erica rolls her eyes. “Can’t wait to explain that one to Coach Geneva. Cin, I wish I could have been there for your senior project and for graduation.”
“But you sent the next-best thing,” I tell her.
Erica couldn’t make it across the country—in the peak of casting season forBefore Midnight—with the triplets in tow. She sent Anna and Drew in her place, who showed up to my graduation with literal cowbells and made enough noise when I crossed the stage to rival the large Italian family behind them.
