Page 49 of Let’s Be Real

“You too,” I replied. And she did. Marla always looked exquisite, no matter what.

Kelly shimmied her shoulders. “You should see Samantha’s closet. She let me dress her today. It was almost impossible to choose. Her collection of dresses rivals yours, Mom.”

Mom’s smile was faint, a ghost of a thing, as she picked up her iced tea. “So that’s where you’ve been. With Samantha.”

She nodded. “Yes. She saved me, and she’s been sweet enough to let me stay as long as I need.”

We hadn’t talked about how long this roommate situation would stretch. I had quietly been hoping Kelly would be ready to move along any day now, but Josh hadn’t given up stalking my house yet, so that hope was crumbling. When we’d gone back the first morning, he’d been gone but returned that night. It was the same thing the next day. Obviously, Kelly couldn’t go back to the home they shared, but she wasn’t making any moves to resolve that problem either.

So, for now, she was my problem.

And Nate’s. Poor guy.

“Have you spoken with Josh?” Mom asked.

“There’s nothing to say,” Kelly replied.

“Surely he has an explanation. You can’t just end things without hearing him out.”

Kelly raised her chin. “I can, and I did.”

Mom huffed with annoyance. “You’re too old to be this immature.” Then her gaze swung to me. “I suppose this is your doing. Are you putting ideas into her head now? Dripping poison into her ear? Do you want her to be chronically single like you?”

“This has nothing to do with me,” I said sharply.

“Then why are you here?” she snapped.

Prick, prick. Why did it still hurt?

“My sister asked me to come.” I smoothed my napkin across my lap. “Kelly needs as much support as she can get right now.”

“What she needs is to figure out how to go back in time and not cause a dramatic scene over something so…trivial.” Red climbed up our mother’s throat—the only giveaway of how furious she was.

“Trivial?” Kelly breathed, gobsmacked.

“Yes. Do you have any idea the position your little exit put your father and me in? We had to explain to two hundred guests you had fallen ill. You’re lucky your father had thought so fast on his feet. He saved Josh and his family from complete humiliation.”

As soon as she was finished with her deranged rant, our waiter appeared to take our orders. My stomach was a wreck. Eating was out of the question, but I went through the motions of ordering anyway.

Kelly and Mom went back and forth for a while. I’d always thought of Kelly as Mom’s clone and couldn’t remember a time they’d been at odds like this, but my sister was standing her ground.

Between their bickering, several of my mother’s friends came by the table to greet her, but probably more to see what gossip there was to be had, if any. They all cooed over Kelly, asking about her health, expressing their dismay at her wedding having to be postponed, and she didn’t correct anyone. Even if she’d made up her mind about Josh, she wasn’t going to spread the way he’d disrespected her far and wide.

Lunch was served, and I did my best to pick at it in a way that looked like I was eating. I had tuned out their chatter until Kelly tapped my arm, bringing me back to the conversation.

“Nate is the sweetest man alive,” she said. “He’s putting up with me staying with him like it’s no skin off his back. All Sam had to do was ask, and he showed up to save us.”

Mom hmphed. “Well, that’s good. The Wells family is very respected in this town, despite what the youngest boy chooses to do with his money.”

“Adrian,” I said. “You know his name. And he’s hardly a boy.”

“Of course I know his name.” She speared a wedge of lettuce with her fork. “I’m still surprised Nate is okay with how close the two of you are.”

I wanted to ask what she knew about my relationship with Adrian. I should have said it was none of her business who I was close with. My throat itched to shout it was her fault I’d found family in my best friend when my own family had barely tolerated me.

Instead, I smiled serenely. “It’s really nice to have found a man who truly understands me.”

Kelly bobbed her head. “They’re so sweet together. Nate waits up for Sam to come home from work even though he gets up early for the office.”