Damnit. Saira knew?
“Do you have a job interview or something to do? If you’re home, I’m coming over,” her sister informed her.
Reena sighed. Apparently today her carefully constructed wall of secrets would be tumbling down. She rolled out of bed. She should’ve been afraid but instead just felt numb.
“I’m home,” she said. “Come on over.”
Saira arrived twenty minutes later, two vibrant green smoothies in hand. Reena tried to conceal her unease as she let her in.
“Relax, Reena,” her sister said, handing both smoothies to Reena. “You look tense. Do some yoga, or something. I haven’t told anyone you lost your job.” Saira bent to take off her boots.
So much for hiding her feelings.
“Um, okay…let’s sit.” Reena took the armchair in the living room, letting her sister sit alone on the sofa.
“So, Railside laid you off.”
“How did you find out?” Reena asked, putting the almost luminous green smoothie on the coffee table.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice that Sidecar stores are closing? Ashraf’s phone store is right near a Sidecar. They’re having a big clearance sale. I got a bunch of sweatshirts and leggings.”
Crap. She’d forgotten Saira’s boyfriend worked in the mall. “But how did you know they let me go? Railside is still open.”
“The cashier told me about layoffs. And your work email address bounced back.”
Reena’s hands fisted. This deception wasn’t sustainable.
“I’m not going to tell Mum and Dad, if that’s what you’re worried about. Drink your smoothie, Reena. You’re looking a little peaked. You should watch your blood sugar in the morning, you’ll find a power smoothie like this will boost your energy all day.”
“Why?”
“Oh, it has a combination of both complex and simple carbohydrates, plus a time-released—”
“No, Saira. Why won’t you tell Mum and Dad?”
“Really? Give me some credit. You’re my sister. You obviously don’t want them to know, so I won’t say anything.”
Reena squinted at her sister, suspicious. “You told them when I snuck out of the house when I was dating Eddie.”
“That was a long time ago! I was a kid!”
“You were twenty-two. I was twenty-four.” Which was why Reena felt no guilt about sneaking out then. A curfew at that age? Ridiculous. The fight with Mum and Dad after Saira blabbered eventually led to Dad agreeing to rent one of the units in this building to her, so maybe Saira’s loose lips proved useful. That time.
This time, though? Reena couldn’t let them find out about her unemployment. Not now. The last thing she needed was pressure to work with Dad.
“This isn’t so I’ll share that eggplant recipe with you, is it?” Reena asked.
“Why are you so obsessed with eggplant?”
Reena snorted. “I’m just not used to you being nice to me.”
“I made you soup when you were sick, I came to run interference when Mum was being all…in-your-facelike. I’m trying, here, Reena.” Saira frowned. “We have such an effed-up relationship. We should be more like sisters.”
Reena glared suspiciously again. They’d never had a close relationship, even as kids. Their personalities were too different. Not even complementary. Reena had been a shy child, and Saira’s anxious histrionics had always been too much.
Saira exhaled. “Are you still mad because of that blog thing?”
She shouldn’t be. It was months ago. Saira hadn’t meant that post against Reena specifically. And her sister had gone through such a hard time.
