Page 65 of Always Murder

“Gracie Sterling sounds like she’s the absolute worst,” I said.

Millie laughed.“No, she’s super sweet.That’s what makes it so awful.I am so…tired of it.‘Did you see the top Gracie was wearing?It looks much better on her.’Or, ‘I was at book club, and Gracie said thesmartestthing.’Or, ‘I bet Gracie’s mom doesn’t have to clean up sand every time her daughter comes home.’Or, ‘Gracieneverwould have quit the jump-rope team.’No, Mom, she wouldn’t have, because she was BOINKING THE COACH!”

I couldn’t help myself; I burst out laughing.Millie’s eyes got huge.She covered her mouth as red rushed into her cheeks.When she glanced over at me, somehow her eyes got even bigger.And then she started to giggle.After a few seconds, it turned into tears, but Millie wiped them away and pulled herself back together, shaking her head again.

“I’m sorry, Millie,” I said.“My relationship with my parents isn’t exactly the same, but I know it’s not easy to have parents who find a million different ways to tell you they wish you were someone else.”

“It’s fine.Most of the time, she’s too busy fussing about Angeline and Kassandra to worry about me.Paul and Ryan are practically grown-ups now, or as close as they’re going to get.For a long time, they needed me.But I guess Keme’s right: there’s no reason for me to put up with it anymore.”

I nodded.But I said, “Except, they’re your family.”

She let out an unhappy laugh and nodded.

“Would it help if you blamed me?”I asked.“Tell her the whole thing was my idea?”

“I already did.It didn’t work; she said you had a smart mouth, and your mom should have spanked you more.”In a surprisingly morose tone, she added, “I’ll never get to be Mary.Gracie Sterling is going to be Mary.She’ll probably be Mary every year for the rest of my life, until she’s a hundred years old.”

“Okay, first of all, wow about the spanking comment—”

“She also said she always knew you were a troublemaker, and you were never invited to dinner again unless you do something really interesting and she wants to brag that she knows you.”With a tiny slant to her mouth, Millie said, “I added the last part.”

“And I don’t have a smart mouth.I’m witty.I’m urbane.I’m a conversationalist.”

Millie didn’t seem to hear me, though.Her gaze dropped, and she ran a hand over her leggings.“You, uh, heard me and Keme?”

“It’s a big house,” I said.“But it’s notthatbig.”

She picked at some lint.Then she stopped, closed her eyes again, and leaned her head against the window.“I thought it was going to be so easy.We’ve been friends for so long.I love him so much.But every time I open my mouth, I start yelling at him.And he—” She cut herself off, and she sounded close to tears when she said, “How do you and Bobby make it look so easy?”

“Trust me, we’re not perfect—”

“I know.That’s why I said ‘make it look.’”

“Excuse me?”

“And we already know Bobby’ssuperpatient, so I’m asking more, like, how do you manage not to mess it up all the time?”

The question was a flagrant violation of my, uh, dignity.But since—in this one particular instance—Millie happened to be right, I managed to swallow a series of phrases that beganhow dare you.When I trusted myself not to throw a hissy fit, I said, “For your information, I happen to be in the middle of messing up the best relationship of my life.”

Millie opened her eyes and said—with an unmistakable implication—“WHAT DID YOU DO?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

And then I told her what I’d done.

The first thing she said was “DASHIELL!”

“I know!”I snapped.“And just so we’re clear, that’s not a helpful response!”

“You have to—” Then she stopped.“He doesn’t want to be a detective?”

Because I was temporarily wordless, I managed a few flailing hand gestures to convey an overall sense ofSee?andThat’s exactly what I’m talking about.Finally I managed to say, “Thank you!”

“But that doesn’t make any sense.Bobby’s so good at being a deputy.”

“Yeah, well, don’t tellhimthat or he’ll charge you with publicly complimenting an officer.”

Millie gave me another, longer look.“Dash.”

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