took slow breaths as she tried to figure out why she felt so panicky.
It was Shane’s fault she was irritated. She grabbed the huge snake she’d won earlier and cuddled the thing. She felt better with her head wedged between the two coils. Tori was already nervous about the whole situation with her sister, and Shane had made it worse.
When Ani had suggested she move in, Tori’s shocked response had been to ask, “How do I know you aren’t a psycho who’s out to kill me?”
She remembered the way her sister’s mouth had quirked up and down, like she wasn’t sure it was okay to smile. “Tori, if I was a murderer, I’d probably choose a target a little easier than you.”
She’d been teasing, but it wasn’t untrue. Tori knew she was a pain in the ass. Almost all her foster parents had said so. But they got money to keep her, and Ani didn’t. Tori was an adult now. If Ani decided to seven-day her, there would be no Shane to figure out where to put her.
“Tori?”
Pushing the snake away, self-conscious about being caught in such a vulnerable state, Tori sat up. “What do you want?”
Ani’s eyes narrowed, but she took a deep breath before she answered. “I just wanted to know if you were getting settled in okay. Do you need anything?”
“You have a kid’s room,” Tori said, her tone flat. The two rooms at the end of the hall were both open, so of course Tori had been attracted to the other two rooms whose doors were closed. One of them was the master bedroom, but the other looked like a little girl’s paradise.
Ani’s spine went rigid, and her patient expression faded away. When she spoke again, her voice had an edge to it. “We can still go out for dinner, if you want.”
Tori felt a rush of irritation. If she had to deal with a kid coming around, she had a right to know about that. Ani hadn’t said anything about having a kid. “You’re not going to tell me about the room?”
“No.” Ani seemed pissed. “Are you going to tell me about your baby’s father?”
Tori gritted her teeth so hard, she was surprised they didn’t chip. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Well, I don’t want to talk about that room.”
Tori turned those words over even as she stewed. “Are you telling me that if I talk about the baby’s father, you’ll tell me about that room?”
Her sister looked taken aback. “I might,” she said after a moment. “It’s possible.”
Tori was pissed that everyone kept trying to drag the baby’s father into things when she would just as soon forget he existed at all. “You’re being a real bitch to me right now. After what you did to me, I think the least you could do is tell me why you have a kid’s room in your house.”
For a second, Ani’s glare faltered. She looked guilty, and Tori was pleased at the pained look on her face. Then her sister’s eyes narrowed. Her voice was calm when she spoke. “If someone told you people stop being assholes just because they’re sorry or because you’ve been through a lot, you have been misinformed. That’s not how life works.”
“You’re just looking for an excuse to make how you treat me okay.”
“No, you’re just looking for an excuse to get what you want. I’m sorry for what I did when I was nineteen. It was cruel and careless,” her sister said, enunciating each word. “But that doesn’t mean I owe you anything you want. I don’t know what’s happened to you, Tori. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but you’re not the only one who’s suffered.”
Tori scoffed. “What do you know about suffering?”
“I know suffering doesn’t mean people will stop being assholes to you. Do you know what happened the day after I got out of the hospital after my husband and baby died? I went to the grocery store, and I was a little spaced out.” She laughed, the sound making Tori feel sick to her stomach, it was so twisted. “I was standing there, staring at these cookies my little girl loved, that I
It was Shane’s fault she was irritated. She grabbed the huge snake she’d won earlier and cuddled the thing. She felt better with her head wedged between the two coils. Tori was already nervous about the whole situation with her sister, and Shane had made it worse.
When Ani had suggested she move in, Tori’s shocked response had been to ask, “How do I know you aren’t a psycho who’s out to kill me?”
She remembered the way her sister’s mouth had quirked up and down, like she wasn’t sure it was okay to smile. “Tori, if I was a murderer, I’d probably choose a target a little easier than you.”
She’d been teasing, but it wasn’t untrue. Tori knew she was a pain in the ass. Almost all her foster parents had said so. But they got money to keep her, and Ani didn’t. Tori was an adult now. If Ani decided to seven-day her, there would be no Shane to figure out where to put her.
“Tori?”
Pushing the snake away, self-conscious about being caught in such a vulnerable state, Tori sat up. “What do you want?”
Ani’s eyes narrowed, but she took a deep breath before she answered. “I just wanted to know if you were getting settled in okay. Do you need anything?”
“You have a kid’s room,” Tori said, her tone flat. The two rooms at the end of the hall were both open, so of course Tori had been attracted to the other two rooms whose doors were closed. One of them was the master bedroom, but the other looked like a little girl’s paradise.
Ani’s spine went rigid, and her patient expression faded away. When she spoke again, her voice had an edge to it. “We can still go out for dinner, if you want.”
Tori felt a rush of irritation. If she had to deal with a kid coming around, she had a right to know about that. Ani hadn’t said anything about having a kid. “You’re not going to tell me about the room?”
“No.” Ani seemed pissed. “Are you going to tell me about your baby’s father?”
Tori gritted her teeth so hard, she was surprised they didn’t chip. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Well, I don’t want to talk about that room.”
Tori turned those words over even as she stewed. “Are you telling me that if I talk about the baby’s father, you’ll tell me about that room?”
Her sister looked taken aback. “I might,” she said after a moment. “It’s possible.”
Tori was pissed that everyone kept trying to drag the baby’s father into things when she would just as soon forget he existed at all. “You’re being a real bitch to me right now. After what you did to me, I think the least you could do is tell me why you have a kid’s room in your house.”
For a second, Ani’s glare faltered. She looked guilty, and Tori was pleased at the pained look on her face. Then her sister’s eyes narrowed. Her voice was calm when she spoke. “If someone told you people stop being assholes just because they’re sorry or because you’ve been through a lot, you have been misinformed. That’s not how life works.”
“You’re just looking for an excuse to make how you treat me okay.”
“No, you’re just looking for an excuse to get what you want. I’m sorry for what I did when I was nineteen. It was cruel and careless,” her sister said, enunciating each word. “But that doesn’t mean I owe you anything you want. I don’t know what’s happened to you, Tori. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but you’re not the only one who’s suffered.”
Tori scoffed. “What do you know about suffering?”
“I know suffering doesn’t mean people will stop being assholes to you. Do you know what happened the day after I got out of the hospital after my husband and baby died? I went to the grocery store, and I was a little spaced out.” She laughed, the sound making Tori feel sick to her stomach, it was so twisted. “I was standing there, staring at these cookies my little girl loved, that I
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