“Em, I have been your biggest fan since the day you were born. No one wants you to succeed more than I do. If playing my nemesis gets you closer to your dream, I’m in.”
Her face was so expressive, it was as if the relief was drawn on by a talented makeup artist as she said, “Really? Because I never, ever meant to hurt you. It was just like I was in it and I was so deep I couldn’t tell you.”
I nodded. “I get it. I forgive you. All is forgotten.”
She hugged me again. “You’re the best sister in the world.”
“I know,” I called breezily as I walked down the hall toward Vivi’s room to see if she was ready for lunch. This had become my life. One big feeding schedule. I peeked in, but she wasn’t there.
Mom followed me down the hall. “Anyway,” she said, “back to what I wanted to talk about.”
“Mom, can’t we be done with this?” I sighed. “You don’t understand. You and Dad were the perfect couple. You never dealt with anything like this. It’s nearly impossible to recover from.”
A strange look came across her face. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but she shut it again. Then she said, “Fine. I won’t say another word. But you chose him. You knew what he was like. I’m just saying that he’s here in Peachtree, it doesn’t look like he’s going anyplace, and while you’re still in anonymous territory, away from those vultures you call friends, maybe you should listen to what he has to say.”
I rolled my eyes. “Doubtful, but I hear you.”
We made our way downstairs to the kitchen—me gingerly, very slowly, but with much more ease than even two days before. Vivi wasn’t there, either. I figured she was in the main house. “Sit down,” Mom said. “I’ll make you lunch. What are you in the mood for?”
“Tequila.”
She laughed. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup it is.”
That sounded delicious. “Gluten-free,” I said.
I sank down in one of the comfortable dining chairs that was mere feet from the stove. And I figured that now was as good a time as any.
“Mom,” I said. “I need to ask you something. And it’s kind of uncomfortable.”
Oh, yes! I saw it. A Preggie Pop, right there on the counter. I grabbed it and ripped the paper off.
“Ooo-K,” she said, drawing out the one word as if it were two.
“When the divorce goes through, I think I’ll be fine. I’ll probably have to get a job, but I’m sure I’ll have enough money that I can wait until Preston is in kindergarten.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“But you know how Dad always talked about the money he was leaving for us? Was there some sort of date attached to our receiving that? Because I think if I knew what was coming down the pike, I could prepare better.”
Mom stopped stirring the soup for a long moment. Then she turned to me. “You know, Caroline, I am going to have to look into that. I’ll call the financial adviser right away.”
She looked kind of weird and pale when she said it. I had this horrifying thought, momentarily, that she had spent it. But there was no way. The house was paid for, and yeah, there were expenses, but she surely made enough to cover those. While I wanted Mom to be taken care of, she had always had this simple life and seemed fine with it.
“I’m sure Sloane could really use it, too,” I said.
“Sloane could use what?” Sloane asked.
Oops. “Oh, a break from the kiddos every now and then,” I said breezily. I didn’t want to put Mom on the spot.
But Sloane needed money worse than I did. She was always cutting coupons, and her kids dressed in hand-me-downs from God only knew who. They were lucky they were cute. I had learned long ago that not everyone needed to be exactly like me to be happy. But I was sure that her life would be better if she could buy those Dove chocolates she liked, even when they weren’t on sale. Although Lord knows, she didn’t need to be eating them.
Sloane sat down beside me. “Oh,” she said. “Hummus is here.”
I tried to move, and she said, “Don’t get up. She’s with Vivi and the boys in the main house. She said she would come back here before Preston woke up from his nap.”
I instantly relaxed. “How do you do this, Sloane?”
“Do what?” She took a sip from the bottle of water in her hand. I knew she didn’t drink those at home, only at Mom’s. She wouldn’t have spent the money.
“Take care of your kids alone all the time.”
She smiled. “I love it. It’s what I’m here for. My job is to take care of them and take care of our house and keep things together when Adam is gone. So that’s what I do.”
Adam had been deployed the first time when little Adam was only four months old and hadn’t seen him again until he was nearly one year. I couldn’t imagine that, not seeing your child for that long. It was certainly one of the biggest sacrifices a person could make. Seeing the life my sister lived made me more appreciative not only of everyone in our armed forces but also of the spouses they left behind. Because it didn’t matter if your wife was nine months pregnant. When it was time to go, you went.
Mom set a plate with one of those good, smashed grilled cheeses in front of me and a bowl of soup beside it. “Sloane?” she asked. “Can I get one for you while the pan’s still hot?”
She smiled like Mom had offered to pay her kids’ college tuitions. “That would be amazing, Mom.” Then she said, “The only hard part is the worrying.” She paused and laughed. “And not seeing Adam. That is torturous. But at least we have Skype. I don’t know what people did before Skype.”
“They talked to each other!” a booming voice said from around the corner.
I was so happy I could cry. “Hummus!” I said.
I struggled to move, but she, with one hand, told me to keep my seat. She was wearing brightly printed scrubs and those terrible clogs that were supposed to be comfortable. She was a large, sturdy, fleshy woman with a thick blondish-gray ponytail that looked like it could use a flat iron. She wore no makeup and no jewelry except for a plain gold band on her right hand. She was a sensible woman, unlike basically all of her clients.
“Don’t get up. I am going to change into fresh scrubs so that Ms. Caroline here doesn’t have a fit about airplane germs, and then I am going to go take care of my baby. I will bring him to you when it’s time to eat.”
“I’m so happy I could cry.”
Mom dropped the spatula into the sink. “Me, too!”
Vivi walked in with James, and I mouthed to Sloane, “Oh, yay.”
He kissed me on the cheek. Gross. I wanted to wipe it off, but that seemed immature. Today he was wearing jeans and a blue-and-white-striped Johnnie-O shirt that he called his “surfer look.” There were no two ways about it. I might hate him, but the man was a hot surfer.
“You look great this morning, Caroline.”
Liar.
“Are you feeling any better today?”
I pinned on my fakest smile. “Oh, right as rain, sugar.”