“Who is it?” David asked.
“My brother. Mikey.”
“Do you mind answering it on speakerphone?” David asked.
“I don’t mind, but you don’t think my brothers have anything to do with all this, do you?”
“No, I don’t. But they now employ someone I’m very interested in hearing about.”
Mati had been trying not to think about that. She answered the phone, on speaker.
“Hey, Mikey. Everything okay?”
“Where the fuck are you?”
Mati jerked, almost dropping her phone.
David turned to Reese and quietly said, “Pull over.”
Mati’s blood boiled. “What’swrongwith you, Mike?” she snapped. “Don’t yell at me like that, or next time I won’t answer.”
“You haven’t answered the last ten times I’ve called.”
She rolled her eyes as Reese pulled into a spot alongside one of the parks. “I called after you showed up at Reese’s house, and Stephen said it was nothing. Actually, he said you were out trainingFrankiefor his new job. I was pretty much done talking after that.”
“The whole world doesn’t revolve around you, Tilly,” Mikey said.
Reese spun in his seat to glare at the phone. David’s mouth fell open.
A familiar humiliation washed over her, followed by an equally familiar rage. She locked it all down.
She needed this call to be over. “What do you want?” she asked evenly.
“When are you coming home?”
“I don’t know. Are Mom and Dad okay?”
“What do you care? You ditched them.”
She rubbed her forehead. “You, and Stephen, and your wives—who are always offering to do more—are all there, Mikey. You can make sure they’re okay for a couple of weeks now and then.”
“You’re their daughter.”Translation: It’s your job.
“Is this really why you called?” she asked, her voice flat.
“Yes. No. I need to talk to you.”
“So talk.”
“In person.”
She couldn’t imagine why. “Is something wrong?”
“Maybe. I just…you’ve been saving for retirement, right?”
Mati blinked and looked at Reese, who appeared equally baffled. He shook his head once, slowly. She understood his advice and agreed.
“You want to talk to me in person about my personal investment strategy?” she asked, deflecting.
