Page 51 of Let’s Be Real

She picked up her spoon, stabbing it into her bowl again. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever done something she really didn’t agree with. I thought…well, I knew she wouldn’t be happy I ran away from the wedding, but I’d hoped, after a week, she’d at least understand.”

“She probably does understand,” I offered.

“And she doesn’t care,” Kelly finished, slumping in her chair. “My mother would rather save face and have me marry a cheater than see me happy. That’s what matters most, isn’t it? Her image? And…you know this. It’s always been this way for you.”

I nodded, and Kelly studied me through newly shrewd eyes.

“Hunh.” She brushed her fingertips over her mouth again. “I don’t think I like this, but I’m not going back to him. Is this how it’s going to be from now on?”

It was a rhetorical question. Kelly’s gears were turning as she worked it out for herself. She’d always been our mom’s favorite. They were just alike, and Kelly had never strayed from her footsteps. Until now.

This was the most self-awareness I’d ever seen my sister have. As much as I hated the reason it was happening, it was gratifying to witness.

She scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and brought it to her mouth. “I see why you run a sex club.”

I sputtered a laugh. “What do you mean?”

“Now that I’m out of her good graces, I kind of want to go wild. It can’t get any worse, right? I should…dye my hair.” She bounced up straight. “Yes! I’m going to go blond so you and I match! We’d be so cute.”

“I think they say not to do anything drastic with your hair after a breakup,” I tried. She wasn’t listening. She started rambling out a list of all the ways she could rebel, including teen pregnancy—though she was over a decade too late for that one—getting a tattoo, piercing her tongue, and eloping in Vegas.

Then, just as suddenly, the wind left her sails and her eyes went glassy. She shook her head. “This doesn’t feel good.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“You do, don’t you? This has been your whole life.” Her lips rolled over her teeth.

“It’s okay.”

“I don’t think it is.” Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. “But who cares, right? I’m thirty years old. I won’t let my mother dictate what I do. She can’t have my life just because hers is miserable.”

I agreed with everything Kelly was saying; I just hoped she believed it—for her sake. Being on Marla Blackwell’s bad side wasn’t easy. I had a lifetime of experience and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Not even Kelly.

Chapter Nineteen

Nate

Louise was staying in a two-bedroom apartment not far from my condo. Whether that was intentional or a coincidence, I did not know. But since I was fairly certain this visit was going to be short, her location was convenient for me to stop by on my way home from work.

Nothing else about this was convenient. Not the rush of feelings that struck when her nurse showed me in. Not the way those feelings went rampant when I caught sight of my mother.

She’d been frail when she’d shown up on Roman’s doorstep a month or two ago and now was no different. A scarf covered her head, and her body was wrapped in a thick robe, but there was no hiding the hollow of her cheeks and how sunken her eyes had become.

Still, when I walked into her living room, she smiled like it was the best day of her life.

“Nathan, you came.” Her voice was clear, with only a slight vibration behind it. She gestured toward the chair opposite hers, next to a large picture window. “Please, sit down. If you need something to drink…”

I waved her off. “I’m fine. I don’t need anything. I won’t be staying long.”

It might have been cruel, but I wanted to manage her expectations of this conversation. I was here for me—to put my curiosity to rest. As soon as that happened, I was leaving. If Louise wanted something else out of this, she’d be disappointed.

“You look really great,” she said, her eyes drinking me in. “So much like your father. Like your brothers. You were always beautiful boys.”

“Thank you.” I rubbed the side of my jaw, already uncomfortable. “You don’t…”

“Look great?” A raspy laugh burst out of her with surprising force. “No, I suppose I don’t. I avoid mirrors so I don’t spook myself. I loathe to think how bad I’ll look by the end of this, but then, I won’t be around to care.”

This…wasn’t what I thought I’d be getting. Louise was almost cheerful. Not manic. I’d seen her that way before, and this wasn’t it.