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Jamie—Yes.
Wesley—Leaving now.
I make it to Phillip’s house in record time, but as I pull in I notice I’m the last to arrive.
Wesley lives farther away from here than I do. How did he manage to get here before me?
I don’t even want to think about how fast he had to have been going to get here so quickly.
When I walk in, I smell something amazing—Wesley’s work, I’m sure—so I head straight to the kitchen.
Sure enough, the table is full to the brim with fried chicken, cornbread, collard greens, and mashed potatoes.
We must have caught him in the middle of making dinner.
“Grab a plate and load it up. You’re going to need the comfort food,” Phillip encourages.
There’s no need to ask me twice.
“I take it you visited your mom today?” I ask, filling my plate.
“What gave it away?”
“The food you made.”
“Fair enough.” He shrugs. “We had a good time right up until the end when she realized I wasn’t her brother and got confused.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It's not her fault her memory is going. I’m just glad I’m in a position where I can afford to give her the treatment she deserves.”
“She likes it there?”
“Likes it?” He snorts. “She’s practically running the place. She’s got all the nurses wrapped around her little finger. They adore her.”
“That certainly sounds like the Ms. Lillian I know. I don’t think I’ve met a single person who wasn’t immediately charmed by her.”
“I’m glad she’s doing well,” Phillip says, “and your mother is very important to all of us, but I’d like to get this over with, so can we save the small talk for later?”
Wesley and I nod.
There are several times in his story where I have to stuff my mouth with cornbread or potatoes so I don’t derail him with an angry outburst.
By the time he finishes, I’m seeing nothing but red, and Wesley’s actively shaking with fury.
“First thing tomorrow, I’m going down there and I’m going to give Dimitria a piece of my mind. She’s been after us since day one for her marketing schemes, and now to use one of our students against us? I know Avery’s more than that to us, but she doesn’t know that. For her to go after a scholarship student and talk to her the way she did?” I shake my head in disgust. “That’s low even for her.”
“I’m not doing it. She can huff and puff and threaten all she likes, but I’m not signing that damn release and I’m going to make sure Avery doesn’t either,” Wesley says, slamming his fist on the table.
Phillip sighs. “I feel the same way, but there’s no talking Avery out of it. You saw what she said in the group text and I told you what she said to me in my office. She feels obligated.”
“What, to roll over and be treated like trash? Why the hell didn’t you bring her ass here so we can talk some sense into her?” Wesley demands.
The crestfallen look on Phillip’s face tells me everything I need to know.
“Someone’s hurt her like this before. She actually feels like she deserves that treatment, doesn’t she?”
“I don’t know what happened for sure, but the dead look behind her eyes and the way she shrank into her chair...” Phillip sighs. “If she wasn’t dissociating, I’ll eat my degree.”
