Page 25
I clear my throat. “You’ve got to catch me up. Is that girl Molly still giving you a hard time at school? And what about the new kid? Duke or Prince, or whatever his name is?”
“Viscount,” she says with a giggle.
“Right, Viscount. Of course. How could I forget?” I say with a chuckle. “I hope he hasn’t chased you with any more dead birds, has he? Because, I have to say, kid or not. That’s some serial killer behavior right there.”
Greer and I spend the rest of the evening drinking wine, curled up around the coffee table as she catches me up on everything I’ve missed. Evie tells me all about her teacher’s new boyfriend who visits them in class, between cartwheels and back walkovers. I swear that child never stops moving. The more she talks and flips, the more energy she seems to generate. Hell, I’m exhausted just from watching her.
Greer manages to get a word in here and there, mostly when Evie’s distracted by Matilda, who’s been circling her nonstop all evening, like she’s trying to corral her and keep her from bumping her head.
It’s only when the pizza arrives that my thirteen-year-old nephew, Sasha, makes an appearance. He stays long enough to eat, then disappears back into his room.
I’m about to ask Greer how he’s been, but as if reading my thoughts, she lets out an exasperated sigh. “All he does is play video games in his room. He only leaves when he has to go to school. His grades have been falling, and he’s gotten into a few fights.”
It’s only then that I see through her mask and notice the dark circles under her eyes. Unlike me, who can’t hide my bad mood if I tried, Greer’s cheery attitude has always been harder to read. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so stressed and exhausted.
A pang of guilt stabs me in the chest at the realization of just how much I don’t know about what’s going on in her life.
“I’m no expert on teenage boys, but that’s got to be pretty normal, right?” I say, trying to lighten the mood. I hate seeing my sister like this.
“Yeah. Maybe.” She just shrugs and takes a sip of her wine.
Then, as if, she, too, is unable to bear the uncomfortable feelings, she reaches for the bottle of wine and refills both of our glasses.
“Enough about all that. I’ve been dying to hear all about your rendezvous the other night.” She waggles her eyebrows and flashes me a devilish grin.
My eyes go to Evie, who’s now practicing her front walkovers.
“Evie, why don’t you go ahead and take a shower?”
“Mommy, can I just have five more minutes?” Evie whines.
“No, baby, we need to make sure everyone has hot water,” Greer says without missing a beat.
“Okay,” Evie huffs, her annoyance showing, stomping her way to the bathroom.
“She reminds me so much of you when you were that age. Wild and spunky, marching to the world at her own beat…” Greer sighs, shaking her head.
Her words stir something inside me, and a silent moment passes between us as I’m flooded with unwelcome memories from my childhood that I’d long forgotten.
Was I really ever that carefree? It’s hard to imagine.
Greer’s voice pulls me back to the moment. “Now, spill before she comes back. And you better not leave out a single detail…”
CHAPTER SIX
Kira
It’s been one week since I arrived in Ashford Falls, and as nice as it’s been to catch up with Greer and the kids, I’m not sure I was prepared for so much togetherness.
It’s not that I’m ungrateful for her hospitality, but I can’t help but feel like an added burden to her already overflowing plate.
She’s barely making ends meet as it is, working twelve-hour shifts four days a week while attending online classes and raising two kids by herself.
All this time, I’d imagined she’d traded her Hollywood career for the American dream, two beautiful children and a white picket fence. That she’d somehow upgraded, throwing me to the wolves in the process.
If anything, it’s been a brutal reminder of the privileged life I’ve been given, a reminder that my sister and her children need me more than I realized.
I still can’t believe she never told me just how humble her living conditions were.
