Page 67 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
With that worry, I check my mobile to see if Dex has responded with Piper’s number. He hasn’t, which means he’s probably in therapy and may not be able to text for hours, but I’ve only got an hour until noon.
My only option is to go to Valente and wait outside to see if she shows up, even though I’m not in a mental state to eat anything right now. I don’t want her to think I’ve ditched her because I’m angry about this morning. Maybe she saw that in my smile, but a smile can’t fix a broken promise.
I push myself up from the chair at the same time the back door slides open. Frankie stops on the threshold long enough for our eyes to meet before she rushes to me.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” She throws her arms around me.
“Everything.” I scoff and return her hug. Leave it to my sister to recognize, with one look, that something’s wrong. “Do you have Piper’s number? I told her we’d pick her up for lunch,” I say, slightly frantic as I step out of Frankie’s hug.
“Probably. But you’re in no condition to go anywhere. I thought Juan fixed your hair.” She takes her mobile from her purse but keeps her eyes on my hair.
I raise my eyes toward my hair, as if I don’t already know what she’s talking about. “This isfixed. What’s happened to yours?” I point at the blonde ponytail hanging down her back.
She pulls off her Dodgers hat, and the ponytail comes with it, then she shakes out her natural curls. “Disguise for the airplane, along with sunglasses and sitting in economy.”
“Did it work?”
“Do you see anyone taking pictures?” I shake my head while she scrolls through her mobile. “I don’t have Piper’s number anymore. I lost most of my contacts when Dad cut off my mobile service.”
I ball my hands into fists and curse Dad. His interference in my life goes so deep that the things he’s done to Frankie seem designed to push me in the direction he wants. “My life’s falling apart. The one thing I can do is follow through on my offer to take her to lunch.”
I go inside to the rack near the garage door where the keys to the van hang. Frankie follows behind me and grabs my arm before I can walk into the garage.
“Archie, slow down. Tell me what’s happened, then we can figure out what to do about Piper.”
I stop long enough to glance at her, but I have an urgency to keep moving, as if someone’s set my internal motor to high speed, and I don’t know how to switch it to slow. There are somany things hanging in the balance, and the only one I can keep from crashing to the floor is doing what I told Piper I would do and pick her up for lunch with Frankie and me. She looked excited about that, before I got angry over her, trusting me enough to tell me the truth.
“It’s not even noon, yet,” Frankie says, still gripping my arm. “Come sit down, catch your breath, and tell me how I can help.”
I exhale and let her lead me to the couch, where we sit side by side.
“Dad was never going to consider my proposal for Bombora. He’s already purchased my flight back to Brisbane.” My voice cracks.
“He told you that?”
I nod, then shake my head. “Sybil.”
“Same thing.” Frankie gives my shoulder a sympathetic bump, and we both huff a dry laugh.
Then I spill it all. Everything that’s happened between Piper and me and my conversations with Dad and Sybil. I tell Frankie the options I’m left with, knowing which choice she’ll tell me to take. She’s already taken it. She’s the reason I understand how hard it will be to walk away from Dad and the only life I know.
When I finish, she tilts her head and forces me to meet her gaze. “Look, the truth is, we got screwed in the Dad department. There’s no two ways about that.”
A laugh escapes. I’m calmer now, but I still can’t return her sad smile.
“But we hit it big in the sibling department.” She holds my gaze until I’m able to actually smile. “The friend department, too.”
I nod. She’s not wrong there. “Mum’s not too bad either.”
“Mum’s amazing.”
“I don’t even mind Piper much anymore, now that she’s grown up,” I say carefully.
“Piper’s always been awesome. You were just in your stuff back then.”
I nod again. Frankie’s not wrong about that either.
“I’ve missed you. Thanks for coming.” This is the first time Frankie’s been back in two years, which is a good sign she feels safe here. “Your hair is shorter.” I tug one of the curls. It’s my job as her brother. “Looks good.”
