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“So I should give my daughter everything she wants?”
“This time, yes. It will be difficult and messy and you’ll face questions and gossip, but that’s not the point. It’s the right thing to do, which is your default position. More important, it’s something for Summer to experience. She’ll always remember this. For the rest of her life, you will have done this for her. Years from now, she’ll look back and be in awe of your actions.”
“I wish. My daughter doesn’t feel awe when it comes to me.”
“She will this time.”
Nice words, but she wasn’t sure they were true. She was more inclined to believe that it was the right thing to do. She’d always had trouble walking away from that.
“I want to say no.”
“But you won’t.”
Erica felt the weight of the inevitable on her shoulders. “Did it have to be that woman moving in? Couldn’t I just give her a kidney?”
“You’re unlikely to be a match.”
“But I could offer and that would be my good deed for the year.”
His gaze was steady. “You’ll get through this, and I’ll help as much as you’ll let me.”
She laughed. “You make me sound difficult.”
“In a good way.”
“Why are you so nice to me? I’m not sure I’m worth it.”
“We’re good to each other.”
An evasive answer, she thought, unwilling to push. Right now she was already at her limit with the whole Allison issue.
“I really don’t want her in the house.”
“I know. Let me know the date and I’ll arrange for packers and movers.”
Erica cut herself a large piece of coffee cake. “Ugh. Details. Yes, I’ll need movers, but not just for Allison and Jackson. Summer’s going to move into the Jack and Jill guest bedrooms across the hall. Jackson will take one and she’ll take the other. So all that furniture has to be moved out and hers put in.”
She took a bite of the coffee cake and did her best not to moan. “This is delicious.”
“Thank you. Don’t forget about babyproofing the house.”
“What?”
“Jackson is only going to get faster as he grows. He’ll be into everything.”
She thought of her beautiful home and her comfortable life and that she didn’t even like Allison.
“I don’t want to do this.”
“I know. But you’re going to anyway.”
14
For the second time in as many days, Allison found herself in the presence of Erica Sawyer. This time the request to stop by had come from Summer, with no mention of her mother, leaving Allison wary when the two arrived together.
“We brought food,” Summer said, handing a large to-go bag to her mother and hugging Allison. “It’s fried chicken and stuff that will keep until tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Allison said, not sure what was happening. She’d been hoping to speak to Summer alone so she could apologize for dumping on her, as her mother had said the previous evening. Knowing she’d hurt the teen had been yet another reason why she hadn’t slept. But exhaustion was hardly news.
