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“No, thank you. Hey, this is Avery,” I say, cocking my head to Avery, who is rocking back and forth on her heels.
“Ah, yes, the girlfriend,” my sister says, holding out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Avery says, and it gives me a certain pleasure she doesn’t correct my sister. “This is a cool place. Design? Like house interiors?”
Lucy nods as she looks up at the building she has spent the last five years trying to get. It’s only an office with all her design shit inside, but it’s hers and she’s happy, which is all that matters. It was her dream to have this place, and if you ask my mom, Lucy basically designs houses for Carrie Underwood.
Lucy only opened it a couple months ago. Before then, she was doing business out of my mom’s bonus room, but now she has her own space. She was even looking into getting a place to live close to it. But my mom helps so much with Angie, it would be hard. Either way, we are all crazy proud of her and what she has accomplished. Coming through a nasty divorce and sharing Angie with her dickwad ex, it’s easy to say it hasn’t been roses for Lucy. But she’s prevailed, and I couldn’t be prouder of my big sister, even if she is kind of a bitch. We love her anyway.
“Yup, when you get a house, keep me in mind,” she says with a wink and Avery smiles.
“Will do.”
“Well, I wish I could chat more—”
“No, she doesn’t. She hates people,” I tease and Lucy holds up one hand to block Angie from seeing she’s flipping me off.
“Don’t listen to him. He thinks everyone our family loves him when, really, we don’t. We just felt bad the wolves didn’t want him anymore and took him in.”
Avery giggles as I roll my eyes. “Says the person I look the most like.”
She shrugs, brushing her long brown hair off her shoulders. “I mean, it isn’t my fault you decided to be a boy instead of a girl. It was a big decision for him, he’s sorta quiet about it, but we love—”
“Shut up, Luce. Don’t listen to her,” I say to Avery, grabbing Angie’s bag. “She’s jealous I’m prettier than her and that my mom loves me the most.”
Avery giggles as Lucy scoffs. “Please. She has to love you, being adopted and transgender. Ah, that’s rough.”
“I hate you,” I say, but then I look at Angie when she smacks me. “I really don’t. She’s being mean.”
Angie rolls her eyes, looking every bit her momma. “You love her the most.”
“No, I love you the most,” I say, kissing her cheek. “Bye, Lucy.”
“Bye, Mommy!”
“Bye, y’all,” she calls before going back in the building as I put Angie down. Grabbing her booster seat out of Lucy’s car, I strap it in before buckling her in. Meanwhile, Avery and Angie are in a long conversation about Angie’s sparkly pink shoes.
“They are dope,” I say, shutting the door and getting in.
“Fo’ sho’,” Angie says and I grin over at Avery.
“We’re gangsta.”
“True dat,” Angie adds and I bubble with laughter.
“Oh my, Lucy must love that.”
I smile wryly. “No, actually, she tried to cut me with a knife, like, for real, when Angie said, ‘First things first, I’m the realest.’”
Biting her lip, Avery tries not to crack up as I nod. “Exactly.”
“Uncle Jace, what is transgender and can I catch that?”
Avery sputters with laughter as I glare. Meeting Angie’s gaze in the mirror I say, “Ask your mom. And also, I’m not transgender and you can’t catch it. It’s not a disease.”
Still laughing, Avery bends over and I just shake my head. “What’s so funny?”
“Who knows?” I say to Angie. “She’s crazy. You ready?”
