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Lily turns to me.
“And this was for an art project?”
I stare at her.
“Yes, my friend Alice is a fine art photographer. But I don’t think she would include this in her show because it’s obviously very explicit. But that’s not important now. Do you thinkLoganwill like it?”
Lily looks at the photo again, her mouth pursed.
“Like I said,” Mom shrugs, letting go of the picture like it’s some filthy rag from which she could catch a disease, “you know him better than I do. It’s really not my place to say if you want to be a hussy.” The words hurt more than I would have expected them to, and tears rise in my eyes.
“Why are you being like this?” I whisper. I blink hard, trying not to cry about this in front of her. Lily sighs.
“Hussy, I mean honey, I just don’t like seeing you making a fool of yourself,” she shrugs again.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demand.
“Only that you seem to be throwing yourself into this relationship with Logan Daniels, a man infamous for being a playboy, with some kind of expectation that it’s serious.”
“Itisserious,” I reply, anger rising in me. But it’s not anger at Mom. It’s anger at myself for stupidly thinking that I was only imagining her jealousy, when clearly, it’s very real. It’s anger at myself for wanting a meaningful relationship with Lily, after all these years, when she obviously doesn’t seem to care about me. But it’s also anger at her undermining my decisions and my life. Why isn’t she concerned with getting on my good side? Isn’t she worried that by treating me in such a hurtful manner, I might tell Logan, and he might ask her to move out? She must not understand the deep connection he and I have.
“If you say so, Jasmine,” Lily sighs. “Just don’t read too much into any of this,” she gestures to the room around us, “or anything Logan says to you about his feelings for you.”
“What do you know about his feelings for me?” I demand hotly.
“All I’m saying is, don’t get attached,” Lily continues, putting her hands up defensively. “But obviously you already are.”
“Youwantedme to sleep with him when this started so that we could keep a roof over our heads,” I bite out. “I’ve done that. I did it for both of us. But now that it’s turned into something else, you’re calling mecheap?” Which is rich, coming from a woman who lives in a harem on a wealthy dude’s estate. “You’re telling me I’m making a fool of myself? How aboutyou? You live here for free because of me!”
“I never intended for you to take it this far,” Mom hisses, eyes sharp like daggers. “You need to be careful. You can’t expect a man like Logan Daniels to provide you with the life you want. He keeps multiple women in this house. Even if he’s exclusively sleeping with you right now, that’sright now. At any point, he could swap you out for someone else. Or more likely, for several other women.”
“He may once have been like that, but -” I start to protest.
“If you’re going to try to tell me that he’s changed,” Mom cuts me off, “let me tell you something about men like Logan Daniels. They don’t change. They never do.”
“You’re wrong about him!” I exclaim in a heated tone. “He’s been wonderful to me. He’s more than just a playboy! He has genuine interest in my life. He helped me enroll in college and supports my studies. Anything I could ask for, he makes it happen for me. He’s even taking me to go see Dad in jail.”
“And that’s supposed to make him husband material?” Mom demands. “Please honey. There’s a lot more to being a husband thanthat.”
This takes me off guard.
“Who said anything about Logan being my husband?” I whisper. “And what would you know about a successful relationship, anyways? It’s not like you’ve had one!”
But the words on my tongue taste sour. How is it possible that Mom saw right through me and knew that marriage is what I secretly dream of and hope for?
“Oh, please,” Lily sighs, as if this conversation is tiresome. “As if you’re not angling for a ring on your finger! Don’t blame yourself, Jasmine, because all women do. But you need to be careful. That’s all I’m saying, baby girl. Men like Logan Daniels simply don’t propose to women like you and me. He’s out of our league, don’t you see?”
I stare at her.
“No, that’s not true. That’s not how he is.”
Lily shakes her head sadly.
“You’ve been reading too many romance novels where the prince marries a down-on-her-luck Cinderella. But in the real world, those rags to riches stories don’t exist, Jasmine. You know that. Rich men marry rich women, or even middle-class women. They don’t marry hussies who live in harems. Come on. I taught you better than that.”
Her words sting, and I’ve had enough.
“Mom,” I whisper, suddenly feeling very tired. “I think you should leave.” I expect Lily to get up and stomp off, slamming the door behind her. But instead, she stares at me for a moment, and I think I can see a glimmer of regret in her eyes. But I must have been mistaken, because instead she says quietly, “Just don’t come running to me when he’s done with you and tosses you out like you’re nothing. You’ve officially made it so that when that happens, you truly have nowhere else to go.”
