It was a good question, one that almost brought tears to my eyes. Technically, I’d be back on Friday—only the day after tomorrow—but would Annie hug me then? Tell me how happy she was to see me? Or would she politely greet me, as if I were a new face at Elkins? I tried not to allow myself to dread the possibility of her being in a bad mood.
“I love you, Annie,” was all I said as I gave her a goodbye hug,one that would hopefully last until she saw me again. “I love you very much.”
“I love you too.” She raised a slightly shaking hand to my cheek. Ridges of blue veins ran across her pale skin. “My dearest Olivia.”
And with that, an aide distracted her so I could slip away, steeling myself to not look back. Thankfully, the storm had calmed; it lightly drizzled as I crossed the parking lot toward my car. Elkins Village—“the Ritz-Carlton of retirement communities,” per my dad—was safe, so I never locked the Jeep. But after I hopped up into the driver’s seat, I couldn’t help but feel like something was strange. It seemed like the car was higher off the ground than usual, and why was my seat farther away from the steering wheel?
It was only when I noticed the backpack and lacrosse stick riding shotgun that I realized I was sitting in someone else’s car.Oh my god, I thought, stomach dropping.What the fuck, Olivia?
My mind was always a little scrambled after leaving Annie, but seriously?
I slid out of the Jeep, hoping to flee the scene as fast as possible.Funny story, I didn’t want to explain to its owner.Ialsodrive an Anvil blue Jeep Wrangler, and just like you, I don’t lock it while I’m here…
It luckily took less than a minute to find my actual Jeep, two rows over with its New Jersey license plate. I’d grown up in Pennsylvania—just up the road, actually—but Erica hadconvinced my dad to move to Haddonfield after Pops died and once Annie was transferred to assisted living. I’d been a sophomore and went with the flow, knowing that my time had passed. Life in the Lupo family was about prioritizing the twins. The house my dad and Erica ended up buying? It had five bedrooms, the smallest of which was gifted to me. “You don’t mind, do you?” Erica had asked, pseudo-earnestly. “I just think it makes sense that Maisie and Bryce have bigger rooms, since they’ll be living here longer…”
By the time I pulled into our driveway, the cloudy sky had darkened and the front lights flickered on to show Bryce waiting for me. His light brown hair was extra curly from the humidity. “Hey, Olivia!” he called whilst launching himself into a big puddle. Erica would be thrilled. “Guess what?”
“Your kickball teamfinallybeat Maisie’s at recess?”
My ten-year-old brother pointedly ignored my guess. “We got your favorite mac and cheese for dinner.”
“The Hot ‘n’ Honey Pork?” I asked, stomach rumbling with hope. A gourmet mac and cheese restaurant had recently opened in town.
“No, the pepperoni pizza mac.”
“Bryce, that’syourfavorite.” I said, then wrinkled my nose.Not to mentiondisgusting!
He giggled. “Well, my mom said we all had to agree…”
“…so youlied,” I finished for him as we walked into the house together. The kitchen smelled like pepperoni and cheese andSwede bounded over to us, nearly knocking over Erica’s tall Nikon tripod. “Hello, hello, my dude!” I cooed, crouching to give the golden retriever a hug. “Bryce, do you know if Swede’s been fed?”
My brother shook his head, and our dog corroborated by barking.
“Swede…” a voice warned, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Erica walking into the kitchen. She wore black leggings and a white T-shirt that readJERSEYGIRLSDON’TPUMPGAS, but her caramel-colored beach waves and flawless makeup made her look camera ready.
“Did you shoot some content today?” I casually asked, gesturing to the tripod.
She nodded. “Tuckernuck sent a couple dresses, and I made a charcuterie board.”
“Cool.” Erica was a lifestyle influencer on Instagram; her almost 250,000 followers watched her do stuff like model preppy clothes, whip up hors d’oeuvres, mix cocktails, review books, and go on weekend getaways. Maisie and Bryce also made regular cameos, usually in coordinating outfits. “Where’s the charcuterie board?”
“I brought it over to Hilary’s house. She’s hosting book club tonight.”
My stomach sighed in disappointment, but if my stepmother heard it, she didn’t let on. Instead, she opened the fridge and started taking out salad supplies—a sign that she also planned to pass on eating Bryce’s favorite mac and cheese.
I waited for her to ask about my visit with Annie.
She didn’t. In fact, she didn’t say anything at all; instead, she admired the invitation posted on the fridge for the thousandth time. It had arrived last month.WELCOMETOCAMPCARMICHAEL!the letterpress heading read, and below that were all the details for Erica’s family reunion on Martha’s Vineyard this summer. Her parents were celebrating their sixty-fifth wedding anniversary, and we’d been invited up for a three-week-long celebration.
To say I didn’t want to go was an understatement. Erica’s family was not my family, and three weeks was almost a month.
That was alongtime to leave Annie.
The oven timer jolted Erica back to the moment. “Bryce, will you go get Maisie?” she asked as I rolled my eyes. Still no inquiry about Annie. It was amazing how wrapped up my stepmother could be in her own life.
“I can’t,” my brother answered. “I’m making sure Swede doesn’t eat too fast. Olivia said the vet said his stomach could twist, remember?”
(Swede had a tendency to wolf down his Purina Pro Plan.)
