looked seriously tense, and that, more than anything else, was making my stomach clench.
“We’re not sure,” Quinn said. “But it sounds like…”
The door opened, and my parents stood there, pale, looking at us.
“Hey,” Dad said.
“Hi,” we all answered. He was holding Mom’s hand. With her other hand she played with the little sapphire she always wears on a chain around her neck.
Dad cleared his throat. “Sorority meeting?”
I made myself smile. Quinn and Allison faked just as unconvincingly.
“So, um, Mom and I…”
We all waited. If this were a movie, I thought, he’d tellus they were splitting up, after an opening like that. But he didn’t continue. We all just sat there waiting.
He let out his breath and started over. “We’re going out for a drive.” Mom turned to him, evidently surprised at this news. “Okay? We’re going for a drive.”
“Okay,” Quinn said.
Mom let go of her little sapphire and nodded slightly.
“Okay,” he said. “Quinn, your SAT tutor is downstairs, and the tennis guy…is…he…he…can’t come…today. Okay?”
“We don’t care,” Allison said. “Our court has a puddle on it, and…and we hate tennis lessons anyway. Right?”
I nodded. I actually do hate tennis. But Allison loves it. I couldn’t look at her so I kept my eyes on my fingernails.
“So,” Dad said, smiling fakely. “Oh, and just tell Oliver when he comes for your piano lessons that, ah, we’ll give him a check next week. Okay?”
Quinn and I nodded.
“Okay,” he said again, facing Mom. “We’re going for a drive.” He pulled her by the hand and they left.
The three of us just sat there for maybe two minutes, until Quinn leaned forward and said, “I think some people Mom works with have screwed her over.”
“Really?” I asked. “Her friends?”
Quinn nodded. “Well, she thought they were friends. You never know.”
I shook my head slowly. Poor Mom.
“This is what I think happened,” Quinn continued, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You know Mom invests huge money for people, right? Well, from what I can piece together, one of her big deals did really badly. Lost millions, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars this week. It’s not just her—there’s like six of them who decide together what stocks to pick, but—here’s the screwed up part—the other people on her team all got together and made it seem like it was just Mom, like she went off on her own somehow and made this really bad call on a drug company. They’re putting all the blame on her.”
“I hate them,” Allison said.
“Screw them,” Quinn said.
“Yeah,” I said, trying not to think about Mom in the kitchen twenty-six hours earlier, when she seemed as alone as a person could ever possibly be.
“So what’s going to happen?” asked Allison. “Like, to us?”
“Don’t know,” Quinn whispered. “That guy who was here is her lawyer.”
“She’s not, like, gonna go to jail or something, right?” I tried to grin at my own stupidity but my sisters both stayed pale and serious.
“No. He’s the, you know, other kind of lawyer, like not criminal,” Quinn said slowly. “Business lawyer. It’s bad, though. Seriously bad. They let Agnes go.”
Allison’s mouth dropped open and her eyes teared up.“Agnes?” She sniffed and turned to look at me. “You knew! Yesterday.”
I looked back and forth between Allison and Quinn.
“Did you hear Mom fire her?” Quinn asked me softly.
“I heard her say something,” I answered, thinking fast, speaking slow. “I heard her say the phrase had to let her go .”
Quinn nodded. Allison grabbed my hand. Quinn grabbed my other, then Allison’s other. “This might suck.” Quinn leaned in toward us, and we leaned in, too, so our foreheads were almost touching. “But we can handle it. We’re the Avery women, right?”
“Valkyries,” Allison whispered.
Quinn and I both nodded. “Valkyries.”
Then my cell phone rang.
9
“H
“We’re not sure,” Quinn said. “But it sounds like…”
The door opened, and my parents stood there, pale, looking at us.
“Hey,” Dad said.
“Hi,” we all answered. He was holding Mom’s hand. With her other hand she played with the little sapphire she always wears on a chain around her neck.
Dad cleared his throat. “Sorority meeting?”
I made myself smile. Quinn and Allison faked just as unconvincingly.
“So, um, Mom and I…”
We all waited. If this were a movie, I thought, he’d tellus they were splitting up, after an opening like that. But he didn’t continue. We all just sat there waiting.
He let out his breath and started over. “We’re going out for a drive.” Mom turned to him, evidently surprised at this news. “Okay? We’re going for a drive.”
“Okay,” Quinn said.
Mom let go of her little sapphire and nodded slightly.
“Okay,” he said. “Quinn, your SAT tutor is downstairs, and the tennis guy…is…he…he…can’t come…today. Okay?”
“We don’t care,” Allison said. “Our court has a puddle on it, and…and we hate tennis lessons anyway. Right?”
I nodded. I actually do hate tennis. But Allison loves it. I couldn’t look at her so I kept my eyes on my fingernails.
“So,” Dad said, smiling fakely. “Oh, and just tell Oliver when he comes for your piano lessons that, ah, we’ll give him a check next week. Okay?”
Quinn and I nodded.
“Okay,” he said again, facing Mom. “We’re going for a drive.” He pulled her by the hand and they left.
The three of us just sat there for maybe two minutes, until Quinn leaned forward and said, “I think some people Mom works with have screwed her over.”
“Really?” I asked. “Her friends?”
Quinn nodded. “Well, she thought they were friends. You never know.”
I shook my head slowly. Poor Mom.
“This is what I think happened,” Quinn continued, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You know Mom invests huge money for people, right? Well, from what I can piece together, one of her big deals did really badly. Lost millions, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars this week. It’s not just her—there’s like six of them who decide together what stocks to pick, but—here’s the screwed up part—the other people on her team all got together and made it seem like it was just Mom, like she went off on her own somehow and made this really bad call on a drug company. They’re putting all the blame on her.”
“I hate them,” Allison said.
“Screw them,” Quinn said.
“Yeah,” I said, trying not to think about Mom in the kitchen twenty-six hours earlier, when she seemed as alone as a person could ever possibly be.
“So what’s going to happen?” asked Allison. “Like, to us?”
“Don’t know,” Quinn whispered. “That guy who was here is her lawyer.”
“She’s not, like, gonna go to jail or something, right?” I tried to grin at my own stupidity but my sisters both stayed pale and serious.
“No. He’s the, you know, other kind of lawyer, like not criminal,” Quinn said slowly. “Business lawyer. It’s bad, though. Seriously bad. They let Agnes go.”
Allison’s mouth dropped open and her eyes teared up.“Agnes?” She sniffed and turned to look at me. “You knew! Yesterday.”
I looked back and forth between Allison and Quinn.
“Did you hear Mom fire her?” Quinn asked me softly.
“I heard her say something,” I answered, thinking fast, speaking slow. “I heard her say the phrase had to let her go .”
Quinn nodded. Allison grabbed my hand. Quinn grabbed my other, then Allison’s other. “This might suck.” Quinn leaned in toward us, and we leaned in, too, so our foreheads were almost touching. “But we can handle it. We’re the Avery women, right?”
“Valkyries,” Allison whispered.
Quinn and I both nodded. “Valkyries.”
Then my cell phone rang.
9
“H
Similar Books
