“Lily Grace Thompson.”
She frowns at me, wrinkling her nose. “What’s with the full name?”
I turn my phone to show her the email. In an instant, the tired sluggishness of her demeanor evaporates. So much so that if I didn’t know how sick she was, I’d say she’s been faking the last fifteenyears.
“Oh my God! OH MY GOD! You were chosen? Courtney, oh my God!”
“I take it by your lack of surprise that you were behind this?” I ask sternly.
“Absolutely, I was! No offense, but I really didn’t think they’d pick you. I mean, the chances had to have been, what? One in a million?”
“Gee, thanks,” I sneer.
She rolls her eyes at me, but her smile never fades.
“You have to fill out the paperwork and get back to them ASAP! Hurry!” she rushes as she reaches for my phone.
I shake my head and snatch it away from her. “Lily, I’m not doing a freaking reality TV show.”
She frowns, all of her excitement dying in an instant. “Why not?”
“Because I… I can’t! I have a life here. I have you here. I have three jobs in Seattle. You think they’re going to let me take a hiatus for God knows how long and travel to Lord knows where and I’ll still have said jobs?”
“The grand prize is five million dollars, Cece. If you win, you’d never have to work again for the rest of your life!” she points out.
I shake my head. I can’t believe she actually thinks I’d consider this. No, wait. I totally can.
“I can’t just leave you behind. You need me.”
“Not as much as you think I do.”
I pull back at that, physically hurt by her words, and she’s quick to reframe.
“That’s not what I mean. I just… you live your entire life for me, Cece. You have from the moment I was born, and I’ll never be able to repay you for that. I… I hate what a burden I’ve become to you. You’re driving yourself into an early grave because of me. I just wanted you to have something for yourself, some time to be a whole person, not a caregiver. Maybe you meet a guy, fall in love and win so much money that you never have to decide whether I can get a lifesaving surgery or you get a hot meal again.”
“Lily,” I say emphatically. “Looking after you is the greatest privilege of my life. It’s all I want to do. I love you more than anything in the world.”
She smiles sadly at me as she covers my hand with hers.
“I love you too, which is why I want you to take this opportunity. For us but also for you. Please.”
I sink my teeth into my lower lip, considering her words carefully. This is so dumb. I don’t even know why I’m considering this. Maybe it’s delirium, maybe it’s desperation to get us out of the financial and emotional hole we’ve been buried in, or maybe it’s out of the deep-seated need to give Lily anything I physically can in this life.
“I’ll look into what kind of stipend they offer, if any, and see about taking some leave.”
“Yes!” Lily cheers, giggling to herself. “You know Gretchen will help watch over me while you’re gone. Was it the whole dying-sister speech that convinced you? I’ve been saving that one for something good.”
My eyes widen, and my mouth drops open in outrage. “You little shit,” I say, tossing a pillow at her.
She laughs and tosses one back at me before we delve into a full-on pillow war. The sound of her laughter echoes through the room, filling my heart up in a way I haven’t felt in a while. I cherish the sound, tucking away the memory. If this is what it takes to give her a little hope, a bright light at the end of a rough fucking tunnel, then fine. I’m doing this for her, though. For her and the money, and then I’m fucking gone.
The last thing I remember is following the instructions to head to the airport and wait for the liaison. They wouldn’t tell uswhere the show was being filmed to prevent spoilers. I got there and had a few drinks at the hotel bar, then… nothing.
A hand touches my shoulder, and I nearly leap out of my skin. A girl with long lavender hair smiles at me in sympathy, lifting her arms in surrender.
“Sorry. Are you okay?”
My eyes trail over her tan skin, wrapped in a white bikini with the show’s logo on the left breast. Another breeze brushes against me, and I feel almost naked. Looking down, I’m shocked to see myself in an identical swimsuit.
