Page 43 of Made Better Together

Although Grace is one person I don’t generally hesitate to follow. We have a relationship distinct from our brothers. She was an academic star in school, skipping a year when young and graduating from Princeton right before my freshman year. We’ve always bonded over our shared interest in scholastic success, and when I was a kid, she was the one to help me with schoolwork.

We also have the same complex dynamics with Mom. Grace and I were the focus of her ambition for “her children.” In contrast, she largely left Landon and Rawley alone, because their school years were spent surviving, not thriving. In her words, she had no time for “anyone content to be mediocre.”

In some families, it may be nice to be the favored ones, but not in ours. When your mom is a raging narcissist, it’s better to be out of the spotlight.

To be clear, that’s my unofficial diagnosis for her—no one’s ever forced her to address her issues with medical professionals. Based on my reading up on the subject, it wouldn’t do much anyway.

“How are you liking the internship so far?” Grace asks, interrupting my thoughts.

The honest answer is I’m not certain yet, but I don’t give Grace that response. Better not to throw any negativity her way.

“Milo’s been great, and it was nice to learn from the LA group while I was there. It’s dynamic like I thought too. No day is the same.”

“That’s for sure. Good.” She looks satisfied by that answer.

“The tickets are all set for the game?”

“Yup. You know I’d never let that fall through the cracks,” she says with a wink.

She’s right, I didn’t even need to ask. Same as me, Grace loves to be in charge. Though for her, it’s joyful to take care of those she loves, whereas with me, it’s about coveting control.

I smile back at her. “Never should have doubted, Gracie.”

Two hours later, we’re headed to a lounge area in the hotel for a Welcome Meet & Greet. I internally fight the urge to bail—networking with a bunch of business managers sounds tedious as fuck, but it’s part of the gig. Grace is a manager, and you like talking to her, I try to convince myself.

We grab whatever cocktail they’re offering as we walk in before she beelines for a crowd of people talking.

“Oh Grace, it’s wonderful to see you again,” says a forty-year-old-looking man dressed in a sports jacket.

“Hi, Grace,” adds the woman next to him, around the same age.

“How have you both been?” She gestures my way. “This is my brother, Connor. He’s interning at SLP this year.”

“Oh, wonderful.”

“Connor, this is Sally and Darrin. They both work at an Atlanta-based company.”

I try to muster up some energy for small talk. “Atlanta’s a great place. Do you work with soccer players too?”

Darrin shakes his head. “Golf players are most of my client base.” Shit, I’m clueless about that sport. “Sally primarily works with track athletes.”

Grace smiles. “That’s how Sally and I got to know each other. We have some clients who train at the same complexes.”

“I ran track competitively twenty years ago,” Sally explains. “Now I just chase after my kids.”

We all laugh politely, and Grace pats her arm. “How are the twins? The Instagram stories you post are so cute…”

“Oh, they’re little troublemakers, but I’m trying to soak up every moment before they finish elementary school this year.”

“You have to do that,” Darrin responds, a grin on his face. “My fourteen-year-old wants nothing to do with my wife and me right now.” More polite laughter follows.

As they chatter away, I zone out. Nothing against Sally and Darrin—they seem perfectly nice, and Grace is feeding off the back and forth—but this is not my happy place. At all.

“So Grace, you have to tell us about the wedding,” says Sally.

“Oh gosh, yes…” She gives them a short synopsis before waving to me. “And of course, Connor was part of the wedding party.”

Their attention returns to me, and I straighten, trying to seem like I’ve been listening the whole time.