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accident, and we were starting to think she would never date. It was starting to look like she would never sign those papers.”
Papers? Accident?What the hell is he talking about?
“Um . . .” I clear my throat. Why did I turn that drink down? “I’m glad to hear it.” My throat is on fire. I lean up and look down the hallway. Where is Nora?
“We are on her side. That’s why we want her to sign them. My family is up in arms over this.” He runs his hands over his facial hair and his eyes are strained.
I’m out of resources here. I can only play pretend for so long. He’s getting too specific now, and I’m as clueless as ever. I can’t believe Nora would bring me into this place without a warning. She did tell me it was a bad idea to meet her sister, but I didn’t think it was anything like this, where there would be family drama and talk of papers and some mysterious accident.
“I can talk to her,” I offer, not knowing what else to say.
“Really?” His face lights up. “Anything will help. We just don’t understand why she won’t sign the papers. They were already separated before any of this. It doesn’t have to be this messy, and honestly”—he takes a deep breath—“I would love to have this all resolved before the baby comes.”
Yeah. So would I. I would love to have just a hint as to what the hell is happening around me.
“Yeah, I get it. I’ll see what I can do.” I stand up. I need to find Nora before my head explodes. “Do you have a bathroom I could use?”
He points. “Yeah, straight down and to your left,”
I thank him and the words burn in my throat. He doesn’t move from the couch when I leave the room.
I go to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. It always works in movies when people do that. However, then I dry my face off on a monogrammed towel and feel even more out of my element.
There’s too much going on. Nora, this fancy apartment, and the fancy secrets it holds.
I pee and wash my hands. When I stare at myself in the mirror, I look different. Is it the lighting or do the missing patches of facial hair make me look younger?
I don’t belong in this place, with these people.
Chapter Twenty-six
WHEN I FIND NORA IN the kitchen, she’s scooping diced potatoes into a plastic bag. Stausey is sitting at a small round table in the corner of the room. I can practically hear her feet screaming to be let free of their strappy heels. No way they aren’t swollen.
“Nora, can I talk to you for a minute?” I stand straight and stare at her, ignoring Stausey. I don’t need either of these two to try to get me off track here. I need to talk to Nora, and she needs to explain what the hell I just walked into.
She briefly looks at me and continues to put the dinner away. “Yeah, just give me a few minutes.”
I should nod and walk away. I should be polite and not cause a scene. The words repeat in my head: “papers,” “accident,” “before the baby comes.”
I stand still in the entryway of the kitchen. My cheeks are hot and my legs want to run away, but I can’t back away now. I need to know what the hell is going on. “It’s important,” I press.
Nora’s eyes rise to mine, and I can see her assessing the situation. A flash of understanding makes its way over her face, and she nods, dropping the bag onto the counter. She tells Stausey that she’ll be back, then leads us to the roof to talk. There’s privacy out there, she says.
“What’s going on?” Nora asks as soon as we get outside. It’s a shared rooftop, but we’re the only ones using it. Good. Nora saunters over to a couch next to the largest table, and I follow. She sits down, and I take the chair across from her. I don’t want to get too close to her or I know how this will go. I’m sure that she’ll be pulling out all the stops the moment I begin pressing for an explanation.
“You tell me what’s going on.” My demand sent, I look at her and wait.
The view up here is incredible. I can see the Empire State Building, and if I weren’t so mad at Nora, I would be able to enjoy this New York moment. I haven’t had many such moments since I got here. I spend most of my time working and walking around campus between classes. The lights are bright, the city is loud and alive, and this would be so much more enjoyable under different circumstances.
Nora leans against the back of the couch. “Do you want to explain to me what happened, or should I guess?” Her voice is steady—cold, even.
“That’s a good question. That’s a really good question, Nora. Todd seems to think that I can get you to sign some sort of paper, and informed me that you and your sister weren’t speaking recently, and mentioned some sort of ‘accident’ that is apparently pivotal to something or other.”
Nora’s face is hidden under the shadow of the night, so I can’t see her expression. She doesn’t move her body, not one centimeter. “He what?”
If I didn’t know her better, I would think she was genuinely surprised. “Don’t play coy about it. Just tell me, Nora. You brought me into this apartment knowing that I didn’t know a thing about your relationship with your sister. So either tell me or don’t. But I can’t play these games with you. You either want me to be a part of your life or you don’t.”
Nora shifts and gapes at me. She looks genuinely shocked, and I can’t believe her nerve, or mine. I scoot to the end of my chair and don’t look away from her hard stare.
“Obviously I want you to be a part of my life.”
That’s it. She doesn’t say anything else.
Is she kidding? I don’t remember the last time I was this angry. I feel like a puppet on strings, and I’m tired of playing this back-and-forth with her. If she doesn’t want to open up to me, I’m done trying.
“If that’s true, then act like it. Because so far, all I’ve gotten from you is mixed signal after mixed signal, and I’m sick of trying to figure out what’s true and what’s not.”
Nora leans up and reaches for my hands.
