And driving it like a banshee is Nan.
She skids to a stop, a grin on her face, before she reaches into the row behind her and pulls out a giant pot filled with assorted flowers. She stumbles over to us, barely able to hold it herself. “I brought you something to fix the vibes of the porch.” She drops it to the ground with a thud, dusting her hands before taking in her surroundings. “This feels like a situation.”
Tucker laughs from behind me but tries to hide it.
“Thank you so much for the flowers, Nan. You can bring them to the porch if you’d like,” I say, trying to remove her from this conversation to avoid any more embarrassment.
She eyes my mom for a moment before nodding in my direction. “You got it,” she says before walking away with the potted flower.
“She hasn’t changed a bit.” My dad laughs, shaking his head.
“No, but your daughter has,” Mom huffs.
I take a step closer to my mom, which forces me out of Tucker’s grounding hand. I angle myself so that it looks as if we’re just two people looking at the house. I smile, leaning to my sidejust enough so I can keep my voice low. This time I don’t bother covering the mic with my hand. “You were right.”
“Usually I am. But entertain me.”
“I do need to think about how this looks. Because it looks like I’ve spent my entire life trying to earn your approval.” I face her completely now, cameras be damned. “It looks like I’ve been smiling through exhaustion and swallowing my feelings and performing perfection because I thought that was the only way to be loved.”
“Scottlyn,” she whispers, her eyes wide.
“I’m not done.”
“Scottie, maybe when the cameras—” Dad starts.
I shake my head, cutting him off. “This is exactly the right time.” My chest is heaving as the truth pours out before I can stop it. “I’m so damn tired of being the version of myself you can brag about. I’m tired of building a life that looks perfect but feels empty.” My words grow louder with every one that slips free. “I’mso damn tiredof chasing validation that always moves the second I get close. I’m done doing whatyouwant me to do because it’s never going to be enough!”
My mom looks offended. “I’ve only ever wanted what’s best for you.”
“No. You want whatlooksbest for you,” I nearly shout.
I feel something settle in me as the sentence spills from my mouth. Almost like the calm after a storm. My parents don’t say anything back. My mom looks hurt by the truth, while my dad is torn between being proud of me for standing up for myself, and sticking by her. But either way, they both look at me like they don’t recognize the person standing in front of them.
And maybe they don’t.
Because I don’t recognize her either.
But I fucking like her.
“I heard raised voices behind me and assumed someone was trying to ruin a perfectly good day,” Nan says, coming to stand between us.
“Nan,” Tucker says. “Not your fight.”
Nan looks to him. “If it’s in Bluestone Lakes and involves people I care about, you bet your ass it’s my fight.”
She turns to face my mom, scanning her up and down.
“Nan, it’s okay,” I say, placing a hand on her shoulder.
My mom faces my dad. “Now I remember why we stopped coming here. This town makes mediocrity feel like magic.”
Nan straightens slowly, rolling her shoulders back. “Careful,” she says evenly. “You’re about two words away from needin’ an escort back to your car.”
“Nan,” Tucker warns.
My mom huffs in response. “Oh, please. All I’m saying is I didn’t want my daughter growing up thinking this was enough.”
“Enough?” Nan repeats. “Millie’s house wasn’t enough?”
