Page 31 of Housekeeping

Emily showed up just moments later, and I frowned at her, not bothering to get up to greet her properly. She didn’t look like she’d expected it anyway. She had her hands clasped in front of her meekly, her head tilted downward, and an uneasy expression on her face.

“I’m not going to scold you or anything,” I said, scowling. “I just wanted to get the news from you directly. I don’t know why I had to wait for Trent of all people to tell me about this, Emily.”

She had the grace to look contrite, a grimace crossing her face as she took the seat across from me and hesitantly met my gaze.

“Just how mad are you?” she asked.

“Enough to consider tugging your hair right now. I haven’t done it since we were kids, but it’s not like I won’t smack you.”

Her eyes widened a bit, and it was almost funny watching her hide her hair with one hand, and her cheek with the other.

I was still too mad to appreciate it.

“I swear it wasn’t my idea,” she said, shaking her head quickly. “Dad was the one to bring it up, saying something about being lonely. I didn’t want to do it, but he was so insistent, and it’s Dad, so I couldn’t exactly turn him down.”

I let out a sigh and she stopped talking immediately.

“I could guess that Dad was the one to put you up to it, Emily, you don’t even need to tell me that. I just don’t like how you went along with it anyway. Do you have any idea how worried I was? Hell, how worried Trent must have been to come back here? What you both did was so wrong, I don’t even know where to begin.”

“I know,” she said, her voice small. She looked down at her lap, her hair falling over her shoulders to cover the sides of her face. She played with her fingers in her lap, looking every bit the chastened child. “I know I should have done something to stop him from doing something so ridiculous, at least. He did seem to mean it when he said he was lonely, and that he wanted you guys all to come home. Of course, once you all did he couldn’t exactly see you…”

No, he couldn’t. Not without blowing his cover. Or maybe, he just wanted to prolong the inevitable so we would stick around longer.

“It’s okay, Emily,” I said, my voice growing softer. “I forgive you for going along with Dad’s whims, just promise me you’ll never do it again. Dad’s a grown up and he should act like it, not put you in awkward situations like this.”

“I agreed to it in the end, so it’s not like the blame only goes to him, you know. Don’t worry. There definitely won’t be a second time.”

She looked up at me from under her lashes, looking a little hopeful. I sighed, then opened my arms to her. Immediately, she beamed and jumped up, then rushed over to me. She sat down beside me and hugged me from the side, burying her face in my chest. I couldn’t help but chuckle because we hadn't been in this position for quite a while.

“I love you, sis,” I said, burying my face in her hair. “That won’t change just because you make a few stupid choices here and there, but please next time, try to be a little more considerate of other people. Don’t just listen and do whatever your old man is telling you to. You’re a grown up now.”

“I know,” she said with a sniff, pulling back, though she was still smiling. “Those days are definitely behind me, I promise.”

I wouldn’t hold her to that promise, though. Dad could be pretty persuasive when he wanted something.

“I wonder if I should go back to the hotel,” I sighed, leaning back against the seat.

“You could always stick around, at least for today?” she suggested. “Mom is around somewhere, and she misses you. Why don’t you hang out with us?”

I pursed my lips. “Is Dad around?”

She shrugged. “Nah, I think he headed out at some point to look for Trent over something important. He left a while ago and he hasn’t come back yet.”

That meant he’d probably gone to the hotel. Which meant, there was no point in me going back there anyway, because I wanted to avoid him for a little bit longer. I could always wait to confront him when he came back.

“All right,” I conceded. “I’ll stick around.” Then I grinned at Emily. “And what is this I hear about you being in the kitchen, huh? Are you still trying to be a chef, or were you lending the staff a hand? Haven’t I told you plenty of times about hanging out with the help?”

“But I like it,” she said, frowning. “And it’s not like I have anything better to do around here. Did you know there was a girl my age working in the kitchen? I had no idea!”

“Imagine what it must be like for her! You’re dressed in your usual designer gear and looking like you’re about to go to some high-class party. The person who sees that…”

Wasn’t going to be particularly happy about it. The truth of my own words hit me. I was pretty much doing what my sister was doing, or at least trying to, and going about it all in the wrong ways. I’d been sending gifts to Laura, expensive shit I thought all women would love, but I forgot I was rubbing our different statuses in her face with such thoughtless gifts.

No wonder they were all returned! I must look like an idiot to take this long just to realize.

Shit!

Would she even let me try to make it up to her?