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“You’re up early.”
“I went to bed early. I was hoping to catch you before you left for work.” She put her phone beside her and straightened. “About yesterday—”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, gearing up to make my apology.
“See, that’s not me. I’m going to worry about it. In fact, I’ll worry about it so much I won’t be able to function as a human for the rest of the day, possibly the week. And then in three months from now, I’ll randomly think about that day and cringe all over again, wondering what I could have done to not be cringing. You know?”
Oddly, I knew exactly what she meant.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted before I could, and my head whipped up from the pile of clothes on the chair my eyes had fixated on. “I made that whole thing about me, when really it wasn’t only about me. We both have been dealt some shitty cards, and it’s not a competition, and I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to play the martyr. Mom says I’m good at that, and after you left, it’s all I could think about.”
I took the pile of clothes in my arms, looked around the room for a place to deposit them, and settled on the floor next to the chair. Not ideal, but for now, it would work. I sat on the edge, taking Parker’s hand in mine. “No, I’m sorry. You were right. We’re not in competition, and I’m sorry for getting upset. It’s just when it comes to my mom—”
“It still hurts.”
“Exactly, and because of that, I get a little defensive.”
“I realized that after you left, then felt super guilty about it.”
“Don’t. I shouldn’t have left the way I did. I should have stayed and talked it out with you.” But running is what I do. It’s what I did again this morning. The sad thing is, when I woke up in Laurent’s arms, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to snuggle into his chest and go right back to sleep, but panic overtook me. The longer I stayed there, the worse the panic got, until I physically couldn’t stay. My body took on a mind of its own, dragging me out of his arms and out the door.
I forced the thoughts out of my head and focused on Parker. “I hope you can forgive me.”
“Can we hug? Would that be weird?”
I laughed, welcoming the ease in the tension. “Not weird at all.” I stood and let my sister into my arms, holding her tight as if I was trying to make up for all the years I didn’t hug her.
“Now I know this is going to sound super convenient, but I promise you the apology and my next question are completely separate.”
“Okay.”
“Are we still on for cake tasting?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
Parker gave a slighteepand bounced in place, clapping. Had she always done that? Sadness seeped into my heart at not knowing the answer. How much had I missed out on all because of a stupid grudge I had with her mother?
“I have to shower and get to work. We good?” I asked.
“We’re good.”
“I have a town hall meeting tonight, so grab something from one of the restaurants and put it on my tab.”
“Thanks! But I was actually going to go out with Lewis tonight. He told me he’d show me around town.”
“Lewis? As in my employee, Lewis.”
“That would be the one.”
“You’re engaged.”
“I know and so does he. We’re friends. He’s a good listener. I think it’s because he gets nervous and stutters, so he prefers not to talk as much. It’s nice to have someone listen. Garrett is always too busy, and Mom, well, she’s always talking about herself.”
“What about Dad?”
“He’s quiet like Lewis, but most of the time, he’s not actually listening. He’s watching whatever game is on.”
“That sounds about right.”
