Page 69 of Don't Bet On It
“And your mother doesn’t care that your relationship with your father is strained?”
It was Ronan’s turn to make a face. “I didn’t say my relationship with my father was strained. Who said my relationship with my father was strained?”
Candy didn’t miss a beat. “You just did.”
“I most certainly did not.”
“Yes, you did.” She didn’t back down. “Do you know how often I talk to my parents?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell us,” I muttered before I could stop the words from escaping.
Candy’s lips quirked. “Would you prefer I didn’t tell you?”
I opted for the truth. “Actually, I would.”
Her smile was lightning quick. “Well, you’re doomed for disappointment. I talk to my parents at least three times a week. I text them both multiple times a day. Do you know what that says about me?”
She kept opening herself up for jabs. “That you’re codependent?”
“That I have a healthy relationship with my parents.” Her finger moved between Ronan and me. “You two do not.”
That wasn’t quite the flex she thought it was. “You do realize that not everybody has good parents, right?” I challenged. “Not everybody grew up in the Brady house.”
Candy’s forehead creased. “What’s the Brady house?”
“FromThe Brady Bunch.”
“You mean that old television show?”
Ugh. She was starting to irritate me. Actually, she’d passed “starting to” weeks ago. “Yes.”
“Do you like that show?”
“Not particularly. We only had a few channels in my house when I was growing up, though. No cable. I was forced to watch old reruns on the handful of channels we had. There weren’t a lot of options.”
“So you watchedThe Brady Bunch.”
“When my mother remembered to pay the electric bill,” I confirmed.
Her expression softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Why was she apologizing? “I don’t need an apology. I’m stating a fact.”
Ronan interjected himself into the conversation. “I don’t mean to tell you your job,” he started.
“But you’re going to,” Candy guessed, mimicking my attitude from moments before.
“You seem fixated on Tallulah. It’s very weird. Can’t you just leave her alone?”
“Are you standing up for Tallulah?”
“I’m pointing out something that’s rather obvious.”
“Hmm.” Candy crossed her arms over her chest. “I was under the impression that the two of you didn’t like one another.”
I was the picture of innocence. “Who told you that?”
“Things were fraught in our group session.”
