Page 68 of WASP

Okay, now Annie was confused. “What? What does that have to do with any of this?”

“Who do you think spent the last decade repeatedly telling Kent McHenry to get his homophobia in check so you and Caroline could have the biggest life possible? You were going to be the town commissioner’s wife, and who do you think laid all that groundwork for you? I did. Because I love you. I made sure the Dillinger name meant something—that it mattered. That was me. Look at how the town respects us. When you came out to your dad and me, I knew you would never let anything stand in your way, but I also knew how horrible people can be to those who are different, and you, Annie, have always been different. I made it so that when you and Caroline were ready to move back here, Wellington Point would be ready for you. You could have been powerful together. That is what I’ve always wanted for you because I love you,” she choked out.

Annie stared at her mom in disbelief, the reality setting in that, for years, her mom had been working behind the scenes to make her life easier, but only if Annie stayed on the predetermined path laid out for her.

“You never asked me what I wanted or needed to feel loved,” she said, carefully choosing her words as her mind still tried to wrap itself around her mother’s revelation. “You decided for me and then got upset when I didn’t like it.”

Silence hung in the space between them, neither attempting to fill it for several long moments.

“Wellington Point has always made me feel incredibly tiny,” Annie said finally. “Like I’m existing under a microscope where I’m being studied, and everyone is constantly looking for a slip up or moment of imperfection to use as their next piece of gossip.” She took a deep breath. “And while Caroline made my life a little bigger, it maxed out pretty quickly because at the end of the day, she’s the perfect embodiment of this place. You were right when you said she was a reflection of the values of Wellington Point.”

Annie’s point landed cleanly and precisely, stinging in the exact way she had intended as she held a mirror up to the place and the people who had raised her.

“Annie—” Her mother tried to interject, but Annie held up her hand.

“I’m done, Mom. I don’t have anything else valuable or productive to contribute to this conversation. I’m sorry all of this played out the way it did, but I will never be sorry for telling you exactly how I feel. All I can do is hope you actually heard me this time,” she said with quiet finality as she moved towards the door, placed her hand on the cool metal doorknob, and paused for a moment to collect herself before slipping out into the hall. Her mother didn’t say anything, and Annie had said all she needed to.

SIXTEEN

MAX

Max nervously looked around the crowded living room. From her position, she could still see the stairs Annie and her mother had disappeared up moments ago. “I should go with them,” Max muttered from her spot next to Jack, tucked away from the other partygoers. “You know, just to make sure everything’s okay.” She gripped her drink tightly, unable to ignore the protective instincts she had been fighting since Annie had slipped away with Colleen.

Drew stepped beside them, having finished helping his dad and brother get the party moved inside. “I wouldn’t if it were me. Dillinger family conversations are not for the weak,” he said, catching the tail end of their conversation, handing each of them a cookie snagged from the dessert table in the next room over.

Max hummed, eyes scanning the room full of faces that were part of Annie’s world. Through the archway leading into the dining room, she spotted Dani on the other side of the dessert buffet wearing a long, flowing blue maxi dress adorned with clusters of embroidered red flowers. Much like her, Max appreciated Dani’s quiet pushback and avoidance of wearing anything overtly patriotic. She watched Dani load her plate with an assortment of desserts. Next to her, Annie’s sister, Avery, followed suit, but it was the final member of the trio who surprised her most—Caroline.

“I didn’t realize they were all friends,” Max said, eyeing the three, thankful to have something else to focus her attention on while her nerves were upstairs with Annie.

Jack snorted. “They aren’t.”

Drew followed her gaze, landing on the three women. “They aren’t anymore,” he corrected, quietly bumping his shoulder into Jack’s. “They used to be, back when we were in high school, but no one really knows what happened and none of them have said a word about it.”

Jack cut in. “All we know is when Drew and I left for college, the girls were all best friends forever.” He shook his hands in mock excitement. “And when we came home for summer break, no one was speaking. Caroline and Avery went off to college, and Dani got shipped off to boarding school in Vermont. We didn’t really see her again until she moved back to town to work for her dad a few years ago.”

Max let her mind wander through the possibilities of what could have transpired between the trio, realizing that it wasn’t important, but gladly taking the distraction. “I take back all my previous complaints about having moved around so much. I managed to avoid being anywhere long enough to form friendships with fallouts.” She bit into a cookie, watching Avery laugh at something Caroline had just said, Dani smiling in polite acknowledgment. “How did Annie and Caroline get together in all of this?” she asked, the question she had quietly wondered for months since becoming intertwined with Annie.

“Colleen,” Jack and Drew said simultaneously.

“I think my mom liked the idea of cultivating Wellington Point royalty. With Caroline’s dad being who he is, my mother may have given Annie a gentle push or two in the direction she wanted her to go.”

“More like a giant shove,” Jack mumbled into the last sip of his wine.

Drew shot a glare at Jack. “There were parts of Annie and Caroline that made sense, but Annie has a habit of putting everyone else’s needs before her own.” He looked pointedly at Max over the rim of his glass. “I’m really glad she seems to be outgrowing that.”

The underlying warning landed cleanly. “Don’t worry, I won’t let her do that with me. For the record though, big brother threats are way less effective when I’ve watched you lose your shit over meeting your favorite drag queen.”

Max checked her phone—ten minutes had passed since they had all dashed into the house seeking shelter from the rain. “I’m taking my chances,” she said quietly, slipping away from the boys towards the back staircase before they could argue.

Muffled voices carried down the dark upstairs hallway as she reached the top landing. A flash of lightning, followed immediately by a thunderous boom, echoed through the house—the kind of thunder that reverberated in her chest long after it sounded.

Colleen’s sharp tone reached her ears first through the partially closed door at the end of the hall. “Your feelings have always been too big, too much. You’re never settled.”

Max paused in the hall, standing on the other side of the door, finding herself in the awkward position of unintentionally eavesdropping. She kicked herself for not fully thinking through her plan. Should she knock? Wait for Annie and her mom to finish? She settled on the latter, leaning against the wall opposite the door, trying her best not to listen to the conversation on the other side—a challenging feat given the way Annie’s voice cracked as she responded.

“I’m not too much, Mom.” But her voice was strengthening as persistent rumblings of thunder drowned out the rest of her words. That didn’t stop Max from standing there quietly in awe of Annie and the way she stood up for herself. The thunder subsided, Annie’s words reaching her once again. “—and now that I’ve finally gotten myself to a place where I feel like I’m in love⁠—”

Max’s ears perked up, her heart racing, the rapid whooshing of her pulse drowning out the rest of Annie’s words as she focused on just the one: love. Annie was in love with her. This was wrong. She shouldn’t be listening like this. She should have stayed downstairs with Jack and Drew and waited for Annie to come to her.