Page 86 of Claiming Her Cougar
“It’s all going to be okay, Sparky.Trust me.”
I want to.I used to.I won’t again without a damn good reason.
* * *
“Here’s to Janet finally getting what she deserves.”Daphne refills my wine glass.We’re having a slumber party at her house while Logan’s doing a photo tour out of town.
We’re clinking glasses when there’s knocking at the front door.Our pizza arrived ten minutes ago, so I don’t know who it could be.Daphne opens it and greets Faith and Holly, who come bearing what smells like freshly baked brownies and carrying cartons of ice cream.
“Hey, Mallory!I’ve missed you!”Faith puts the platter of brownies on the counter and gives me a hug.I’m stunned but hug her back.
“Hi, Faith, good to see you,” I whisper.My throat suddenly feels clogged.I take a gulp of wine in hopes it moves the boulder lodged there.
Holly turns from putting the ice cream in the freezer.“So my nephew is an idiot?”
I look at Daphne with wide eyes.Am I being ambushed?
“Um…” What am I supposed to say?What do they know?
“He is,” Daphne confirms.
“Make him sweat before you forgive him,” Faith advises.
Not what I expect to hear from his mother.
“What else is going on?Is Liam the only reason you look so miserable?”I can’t help but love Holly.She’s so direct.
“I’m just tired.Haven’t been sleeping great.My sister is living with me and she’s…difficult.”
“She’s a bitch,” Daphne says bluntly.
Loyalty requires me to protest, albeit weakly.“No, she’s not.Valerie is going through stuff.”
“Everyone goes through stuff.She treats you like crap, and you take it.I don’t get it.”
“She’s my sister.I love her.I want her to approve of me, to be proud of me.We’re supposed to be best friends.”
“What kind of Hallmark horseshit is that?”Holly asks.“She’s family.You love her, I get that.But why best friends?”
I’m flummoxed.We’re sisters.We’re supposed to be close.It’s just how it is.
Faith places her hand on my arm.“Holly only has Will.She doesn’t get it.No offense, Hol.”
Holly looks at Daphne, who only shrugs.“I don’t get it either, I guess.Only child.”
Faith squeezes my arm.“I have an older sister, Lisa.We aren’t as close in age as you and Valerie, but close enough.Growing up, I was always seeking her approval and wanting to be included.She always picked her friends over me.Anything I accomplished, she made sure I knew she did it first.Did it better.”
She takes a sip of her wine.“She didn’t understand why I was wasting time being a teacher when I could do something useful, like business.When I started dating Will, he wasn’t good enough for me.He was just going to use me for sex and dump me.When we got married, our wedding was too small.Everything I did was wrong in her eyes, and it hurt me.All I wanted was for her to love me and accept me and approve of me.”
Now it’s my turn to comfort Faith.I place my hand over hers and give a gentle squeeze.She understands.
“Mandy, Will and Holly’s mother, was my mentor.Mandy really became like a mother to me.”Faith smiles at Holly.
Holly smiles back.“I lucked out big-time in the parental lottery.”
“One day she saw me sniffling over a tiff with Lisa and sat me down.She asked me questions that changed my life.She asked if I would want to be friends with Lisa if she wasn’t my sister.Did she have qualities I admired?Did she make me feel better about myself when I was with her?Not if I loved her.She asked if I liked her.I was dumbfounded.Of course I liked her.But then I thought about it, something I’d never really done before.Lisa’s overbearing.Everything is always about her.She’s judgmental.I realized that no, I wouldn’t want to be friends with her.I didn’t like her.I love her because we’re family, but I wouldn’t choose her as a friend.That realization lifted such a weight off my shoulders.I could stop trying.”
Air whooshes out of my lungs like I got punched in the solar plexus.I think about Valerie.She sounds a lot like Lisa.I wouldn’t pick her as a friend.At least, not as she is now.
