Page 148 of Ice Darling
I notice Gordie widening her eyes and pushing out her bottom lip, so I do the same. Two is better than one, right?
Renthrow’s lips twitch. “You ladies drive a hard bargain.”
“That sounds like a yes.” I high-five Gordie. “Let’s eat the vegetables first so your dad can’t change his mind.”
“Okay!” Gordie proceeds to stuff her mouth with veggies.
Renthrow’s lips curl up at the corner, and he mouths, “Thank you.”
I tilt my head in response.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Brenda and Mom exchanging excited looks.
“What’s so funny?” I ask the women.
Mom shares out her pasta. “It’s not funny. It’s just…Delia, I’ve never seen you be that gentle with anyone.” She clips the roasted duck with a pair of tongs. “Renthrow, you should have seen her in the past. She was the moodiest, grumpiest little thing.”
My shoulders stiffen.
“If she wasn’t working on that death-trap of a bike, she was holed up in her room for days at a time. Sometimes, I wouldn’t see her for a week! And then, when she did emerge for air, if anyone daredbreatheon her, she’d tear their heads off.”
My nostrils flare and I frown.
But Mom doesn’t notice.
She never does.
“Do you know what our nickname was for her?” Mom laughs. “It was Gremlin.”
I set my fork aside, struggling to keep a tight rein on my expression.
“At one point, I wondered what would become of her. Thank goodness I convinced her to go to college and focus all that aggression into a business degree. I genuinely don’t know what she would have ended up doing with her life.”
My heart pounds against my ribs.
Renthrow turns to me, and his eyes fill with concern. Beneath the table, his hand finds mine, and I hold onto him, fighting to remain calm.
Brenda chuckles awkwardly. “My mother used to say that I wouldn’t understand all she went through raising us until I had kids of my own. And it’s true. I think having kids is just payback for what our parents endured.”
“Oh, that’s not always the case. Some kids are…” Mom’s eyes turn glassy. “Well, they’re gifts. Pure and simple. They’re much better than I ever was to my parents anyway.”
I drop my chin to my chest and struggle to breathe. The “angel” Mom’s gushing about is not me. It never was.
Renthrow squeezes my hand tightly as if to say,I’m here. You’re okay.
I hold onto him for dear life.
“Anyway”—Mom sniffs—“what matters is having healthy children and doing our best, right?”
Brenda nods. “That’s right.”
“So, Gordie”—Mom grins across the table at the little girl—“you’re so pretty. Have you ever considered going into pageantry?”
My back zings as straight as an arrow.
“What’s that?” Gordie asks, licking her spoon.
“Oh, it’s adelightfulplace where you get to dress really pretty and make lots of new friends and learn about different places.”
