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Torches are perched on the sand around tables and there are festoon lights hanging from the timber frame over the bar. With the view of the setting sun, the gentle roar of the ocean and the warm breeze across my skin, it doesn’t matter that I’m dining alone. This place is paradise.
I’m a little miffed to see that there are no free tables. And no free bar stools.
It’s fine. I can order a drink and sit out on the sand for a while until something becomes available.
The bar is busy, crowded with people from the conference making the most of their last night by buying endless rounds for their packed tables. I smile and wave to a few of them but ignore their hollers to join them.
I’ve just managed to order a large glass of white wine when two spots free up at the end of the bar. I make my way over, slide onto one of the bar stools and take a deep sip of wine, feeling the icy tang relax me.
From this end of the bar, I’ve got a great view of the ocean and the beach. It’s the perfect spot to watch the sun dip beneath the waves. A few stars are already out.
My phone vibrates in my bag.
I pull it out. My sister’s name lights up the screen. “Hey, Sky.”
“Hey, sis!” Skylar is sort of half-yelling and I can hear music in the background. She must be out somewhere. Which makes the conversation easy to predict. “How’s freaking Hawaii?”
We spoke a few days before I left for my trip. She always sounds upbeat, but her highs can mask some pretty devastating lows. If it’s taken a few drinks for her to call me, I know what sort of day she’s having. “It’s so beautiful here, Sky. You’d love it. The color of the water is unreal.”
I describe everything, down to the particular shade of the ocean, the way the waves foam up on the sand, the room service, and I give her a quick overview of the conference. Even Lucas gets a mention. Anything to take her mind off whatever’s going on in her life right now. Her last boyfriend dumped her around six weeks ago and she’s been having trouble getting auditions and gigs. Until Sky makes it big and can afford to have her own adventures, I’m living this for both of us.
“I’m so proud of you, Dust. It sounds incredible. You deserve all of it.”
She’s in auto-pilot mode, saying the right things, but her voice sounds hollow. I hear her order another beer.
“What’s up?” I prompt, pressing my fingers to the bridge of my nose. Here it comes. I already know what she’s going to ask, and I already know I’ll help her. I always help. But the timing’s not great.
“Nothing…I just…”
“Tell me.”
“Oh, you know, it’s just the usual. Things are tight at the moment.”
‘Tight’ is code for everything has turned to shit. Sky doesn’t ask for money unless she’s desperate. In fact, she never really asks. She tells me how she’s struggling and waits for me to offer. That’s the usual pattern.
Might as well cut to the chase. “How much do you need?”
“I hate to ask, Dusty. We’ve just had the bills come through and this month they’re way more than we expected. The hot water heater broke and my car needed some repairs. I thought we had a handle on things, but I haven’t had a gig in a while, so we’re relying on Mom’s money and it’s not going far.”
Skylar’s a musician. A hugely talented one. But she doesn’t make a lot from the handful of gigs she gets each month. It’s unfair that someone with her talent hasn’t been snapped up by a major record label yet, but the fact that she’s as good as she is almost makes it worse. If she wasn’t anything special, it’d be easier to accept defeat and focus on a nine to five. But she’s so damn good, it seems wrong to give up. She just needs her big break. If I can help her find it, I will.
“How much, Sky?”
“A thousand?” she mutters quietly. “Only if you can spare it.”
Things must be bad. Usually it’s just a couple of hundred here and there. Mom will be working her cleaning jobs, and Sky will be waitressing and busting her ass trying to get work, but some months it just isn’t enough to support them both.
A familiar knot of guilt twists in my stomach.
The last thing I want is for them to have to move. It’s our home, even if we’ve been renting for years. And Austin is getting more expensive by the day. I don’t even know where they’d go if they had to move out.
From the outside, it must look to them like I have the perfect life. With my sublime view of the beach and a chilled glass of wine in my hand, maybe I do. But despite my job and its decent salary, my financial situation isn’t exactly secure. I’m still on entry-level money with a massive student loan to repay every month and an apartment that has stretched my budget more than was sensible.
Once I landed my job, I decided I needed my own space.
I was manifesting when I signed the lease, trying to positive-mindset my way into being able to afford it, hoping the universe would come through. I’m due for a salary review next month. I’ll get a raise, I’m determined. But at the moment, the apartment is a huge drain on my paycheck, especially when I’m bailing out my mom and sister every month or two.
“I’m sorry, Dust. I wouldn’t ask unless we had no other option.”
