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‘That’s not possible. Everyone needs someone sometimes.’
I’m distracted by her. ‘Do you ever need someone?’
She angles her head. ‘Sometimes in a dark, dangerous, life-threatening moment I don’t want to be alone.’
Her mouth mocks but her eyes flicker and I know she actually means it.
‘You want someone’s hand to hold?’ I ask quietly.
She stares intently at me and her smile slowly softens. ‘Brief me on how you want me to handle them.’
I feel a wave of gratitude for her attempt to make this easy for me and suddenly I don’t hold back on the truth. ‘They’re coming tomorrow night.’
‘Tomorrow?’ Her eyes widen. ‘Decisive.’
‘Best-case scenario it’ll be a stilted and uncomfortable Cold War situation. My mother will ask me directly for money. My father will have a business idea he wants to run past me after dinner. A quick pull aside. It won’t be quick. They’ll both be disappointed. They’ll each blame me for being too much like the other. It’ll devolve into an argument between them.’
Honestly, it’ll be a timely reminder of everything I don’t want.
‘You don’t want to invite them individually?’ she asks.
‘And have one outraged because they weren’t the one to meet Lukas first?’
‘That would happen?’
‘Absolutely.’
She looks wary now. ‘Do you want them to be a big presence in Lukas’s life?’
‘I need to show respect and let them know he exists, but he won’t become a pawn between them. Ever.’
She nods but her tension doesn’t lessen. ‘Will they disapprove of me?’
My skin tightens. She’s vulnerable. ‘One will, one won’t. Purely to disagree with each other so it doesn’t actually matter what you do or say, they’ll just take a side as soon as one stakes a claim either way. Don’t worry about it and for heaven’s sake don’t take it personally.’ But of course there’s no way she won’t take it personally. I’m hit with a tardy premonition that this is a bad idea. ‘You know, maybe you don’t have to be there...’
Now she looks even more tense.
‘I don’t want to stress you out,’ I explain quickly. ‘I find it stressful enough.’
But to my surprise the pinched look slowly leaves her face and she lifts her chin. ‘They’re your parents, naturally it’s more stressful for you.’
‘I’m used to it.’ I shrug.
‘Well, now you don’t have to face them alone.’ She flicks her hair back like a diva. ‘I’ve dealt with the rudest, most obnoxious customers. Your parents will be a cinch.’
It was worse than I’d predicted. Stupid. I don’t want to discuss it. Don’t want to meet her eyes. Can’t believe I let her see it. So stupid.
She’s silent and the staff have taken away the barely touched dinner plates. We’re standing on the veranda in darkness, having watched my parents drive off in their separate cars.
‘Can you not...feel sorry for me?’ I mutter.
‘You don’t want me to feel for you?’
Something inside me twists. I’m lost for words.
‘They treat you terribly,’ she says. ‘It’s shocking.’
Her saying it aloud makes it worse. I regret inviting my parents here more than ever. Not because I can’t handle seeing them, but I can’t handle Talia seeing the truth. ‘Don’t—’
