Page 13 of Not As Advertised

“Rennie! Time to share the phone,” Isabel called from my mom’s kitchen.

“Okay, Mommy. Bye, Uncle Aiden!” Rennie waved quickly before essentially tossing the phone to Isabel. Talking to first graders on video was not for the faint of stomach.

“Go finish your dinner, sweetheart. Daddy can help you cut up your chicken.” Isabel smoothed back Rennie’s dark brown hair lovingly.

His niece muttered something about “dumb chicken” on the way back to the table.

My heart thumped at the love I could see in Isabel’s eyes. Rennie had wrapped the whole family around her finger the moment she was born six years ago.

“Hi, Aiden.” Isabel’s voice was many decibels quieter than her daughter’s. “Did she tell you that her big bad mommy said no to lollipop-looza?” The guilt in her tone was clear.

“Hey, Isabel. You don’t have a choice, though, right? I can’t even imagine what that kind of thing would do to Rennie’snumbers.” Isabel and Andreas’s lives had revolved around Rennie’s diabetes since she was diagnosed at ten months old.

“Yeah. But it still sucks. She’s such a good kid. I want to be able to say yes to her more.”

I couldn’t fully understand my sister and brother-in-law’s challenges because I wasn’t a parent. But I wished I could do more for them.

You can do even less for them now that you’re hours away from LA.The guilt over moving still rode me hard.

“Rennie is agreatkid. And that’s all you and Andreas, Isabel. Remember that. Mom and Claire will tell you the same.” I could see my reassurance didn’t quite penetrate Isabel’s maternal guilt, so I tried for a smile instead. “Admittedly, Rennie’s genetics are excellent. I like to think that her sparkling personality is because of her brilliant Sullivan genes. I mean, just look at how well her uncle turned out.”

That made Isabel snicker. “Right, Aiden. Obviously, Rennie won the same genetic lottery you did. What do your new employees think ofyoursparkling personality?”

Ah, shit. I’d thought I’d be able to keep the focus off myself with the chaos of Sunday dinner. I didn’t want to let on that I was feeling the weight of the pressure at Appeal.

“It’ll be six months before the end of the year performance reviews come out. I’m sure I’ll hear how they’ve never had a better boss.” I kept my voice light to hide the unsettled feeling that rose within me. The thought of everything I had to accomplish to prove myself before then made my blood pressure rise.

“I’m sure.” Sarcasm bled through Isabel’s voice. “You’re not a taskmaster or anything. Most easygoing guy I know.” Her fondness for me as the hard-done-by sister warmed her tone.

“You know it.” I wanted to get off the topic of Appeal. There were too many questions I didn’t have answers to. I couldn’t letClaire join Isabel in a two-on-one interrogation. I hardly ever won those conversations.

“Did Mom tell you about my new house? I had the Realtor do a video walk-through for her last week.”

Isabel shook her head. Juggling long shifts at the hospital with family life, she had a lot on her plate as a nurse.

I bypassed the talk about work and settled back in my office chair. I was excited to describe the two-story, four-bedroom house I would close on the next day.

“You’ll be the first family member to own walls that aren’t attached to someone else’s. That’s a big deal, Aiden.” Her voice rang with pride.

Sharing the news with my family gave me mixed feelings. The money I’d earned didn’t automatically feel deserving of a house all for myself when my mom and siblings were paying such high rent in LA. The success I’d had in my career paled in comparison to the albatross of poverty of my entire childhood. Although I had a steady income, I still felt the weight of not having enough.

Every day felt like one bad decision away from the life I’d left behind. And I didn’t want that for any of them, especially Rennie.

“You know, I still want to help you out on the rent for a bigger place. Maybe you could swing an extra day off each week.” I couldn’t stop myself from making the offer.

“Andyou knowthat I told you Andreas and I are managing fine, Aiden. Our finances are not your responsibility.” Exasperation bled through her tone. “I appreciate you. Now, I want to see you take care of yourself for once.”

I let the subject drop, knowing I wouldn’t get anywhere with Isabel. I moved back to a safer topic.

“It’s still a bit surreal to think of being a homeowner. It’s a lot of white right now. I also have about ten pieces of furniture, so it’s going to feel pretty strange with all that space. Amado’smarket was more accessible, and I wanted to have room for everyone to visit.”

“Once I tell Rennie that she’ll have her own bedroom at your place, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

The thought of my family filling in the blank spaces of my new house warmed me. Maybe it would start to feel like home after I’d lived in it for a while.

Before I’d sold my condo back in LA, it had just been a place to sleep and keep my clothes. I’d been managing the luxury brands team at my last firm, so I’d had little time outside of work. Most of my time off was spent with my family or at the gym.

Settling down hadn’t been on my radar, despite turning thirty-six this year. The closest I got to a relationship was no-strings-attached hookups with like-minded women over the years. There was no one pining for me back home.

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