“I drove him insane.”
“Your tits are not that nice, no matter what Gran says.”
“This is all my fault.” I haul myself upright.
“You’re not in a condition to go wedding planning unless you’re going to go barf red all over her dress.” Piper tries to keep me from leaving.
“I’m not going to see Colette. I need to talk to Graham’s mom,” I explain. “I got kidnapped for like four hours, and it was horrible. I can only barely imagine what she went through.” And I pull down my shirt.
“At least cash that check first.”
I hand it to Piper. “You cash it.”
“Okay, where’s your debit card? Can you even deposit a thirty-five-million dollar check at the ATM? Google, can you—”
“No—I mean. You were always there for me. I invested too much in my so-called friendship with Colette and the Girl Squad. You deserve the money. You should go have an amazing life.”
“No, we’re in this together.” Piper looks up at me.
“Maybe you can rent me a room in your fancy, swanky condo.” I give her a sad smile.
Piper glares. “I’m cashing this check, but only because soon you’re going to wake up and realize that you need something to show for yourself.”
No one answersthe doorbell at Graham’s parents’ house.
I stand on the front porch, looking around. It’s a nice middle-class neighborhood. I imagine Graham here as a kid, riding his bike after spending his entire life cooped up in a dark, dirty hole.
I shiver.
My phone is blowing up with more demands from Colette. I seriously want to tell her to just fuck off. But my brother is marrying her, and I’m sure they’re going to have kids, and Istill want to be an aunt to future nieces and nephews—especially since I’m apparently never going to get married and have kids.
There’s a little stone path leading to a gate around the side of the house. I hear music as I sneak back there.
Aurora is sitting on a bench in the dormant garden, wrapped in a blanket. There’s a fire going in the firepit. She has a book, but she’s not reading it.
“Ahem.” I clear my throat.
Graham’s mom doesn’t hear me, so I give a cheery “Hi, Mrs. Donnelly.”
“Oh!” She drops the book. “Dani!” She hurries over as I unlatch the gate.
“I was trying to think about how to reach out to you,” she says at the same time I’m apologizing for crashing her backyard meditative session.
“Meditating? God, no—more mentally beating myself up. Do you want water, or—oh, why are you even out and about? You should be with your family.”
“I take it you didn’t catch the morning show?”
She gives me a confused look.
“Good news for you, at least. Everyone thinks that I made the whole thing up because I’m a virgin and met Graham online and was embarrassed about it, and I’m delusional, and I have been demoted to the bottom of the childless-weirdo totem pole. So, yay—kidnapping problem solved.” I weakly shake a fist.
“Oh, Dani, I’m not worried about that.” Aurora starts crying. “I’m just so heartbroken that this happened to you. Kraig kidnapping you.” She chokes on the word. “Frank’s been beside himself. I had to take him to the doctor for his heart.”
“Oh no! One of my parents’ neighbors is a cardiologist—two, actually, now that I think about it. They both had an affair with each other… Anyway, I can try and get him an appointment, if you’d like, of course,” I offer her.
“You’re too nice, Dani.” Aurora takes my hand.
“I’m not, really.”
