Page 99 of Even After This
“For entertainment, we throw Molly and Olivia in a tent together.”
24
Almost a week later,over dinner with Claire, I tick off the points on my fingers. “Let’s see, I hurt my only sister to the point that we’re not speaking.”
“Necessary,” she interjects.
“I completely lost it to Steve’s best friend.”
“Also necessary.”
“I quit all of my volunteer jobs only to consider buying a ranch I’m sure I don’t need.”
“Love it so much.”
“And to top it all off, I’m in a serious relationship with a movie star.”
“There it is.” She points her fork at me, Caesar salad and all. “That’s what I want to talk about. I’ve forgiven you, by the way, for not telling me about Hercules earlier. While I would have liked to have been on ground zero when you broke Famous People Probation, I always knew when you dated again you’d keep it to yourself for as long as possible.”
Claire always knows how to keep it light and give me space.
“Well, that’s good.” I nod, knowing we’d come back to that nowthat we’ve finally found time to catch up. “Because I haven’t talked to Stanley or Molly. Maybe they’re in a support group, plotting an intervention for me. So I need you to still be my friend.”
“Done.” She shakes her head. “Watching Stanley meet Harlan was so dang awkward. He was the perfect storm of anger, judgment, and betrayal, all wrapped up in a nice-guy package.”
“Worse than watching my sister become the worst version of herself?”
“Meredith, this blowup with Molly was bound to happen. You recognize that, right? She’s always been on the codependent side of protective big sister.”
“She held pieces of my life together for a long time. Her smotheringdidprovide comfort.”
“Doesn’t make it okay,” she says before she shovels salad in her mouth.
“No. It doesn’t. Everything I’m frustrated with, I allowed, so I’ll take ownership of that. But change is here, and I think she’s filled with fear because she can’t predict or control it.” I shake my head, disgusted and still a little bit in disbelief. “I believe her parting words were something about my ungratefulness and that I’m only alive because of her.”
Claire gapes, but she says nothing.
“The thing is, it’s true. She orchestrated getting me professional help when I couldn’t advocate for myself. But I’m hoping while I taste the freedom of change, she gets her own morsel of it too. She needs to go back to her life, and I’m figuring out what mine looks like now.”
“She’s a piece of work. Let’s talk about the good part.” My childhood friend grins at me. “How are things going with Mr. Change?”
I chuckle. “We’re going to talk about him like he’s normal?”
“I teach high school kids. Nothing fazes me.” She looks at me with a pleased smile. “Plus, you now talk about him like he’s normal. And I love that for you.”
“I think we’re settling in.” I take a drink of my water and know that I’m glowing when I smile at her. “And that feels really good.”
It turns out Harlan has strong long-distance-relationship game.
“Did you get them?” he asks over FaceTime the next evening. “Show me.”
“I did,” I say, grinning. I point the camera on my phone down at the pink cowboy-hat-covered flannel pajamas he sent me.
“We match,” he says, showing me his blue-with-cowboy-hats pajamas.
I get settled into the cushions of my couch and pull a throw over my legs. “What are we watching?”
“In honor of the showdown last week with Stanley and Molly at your O.K. Corral, we’re going to watchTombstone.”
