Page 42 of Ruby Malice

“What in the hell does that mean? I wanted what she wanted. I wanted to take care of her,” I say. “I didn’t give up on anything.”

Alexis rolls her eyes, but Lana quickly steps in before either of us can say anything else. “We just thought… well, we always imagined you would go to college. Dad set up those funds for us. He was prepared to pay for you to—”

“I didn’t want his money.” My voice comes out in a low, feral growl that reminds me of Kirill, strangely enough.

I don’t know why I’m surprised my sisters prefer our father. They married for money, so why wouldn’t money matter when choosing their favorite parent? Dad left Mom alone to raise me and he hardly paid a damn dime in child support. He abandoned his responsibilities to start a new family with Pat, but I bet Lana and Alexis will make plenty of time to visit him on his deathbed. When that day comes, they’ll have vacation days aplenty.

“You could have taken out loans,” Lana says. “You could have asked Mitchell and me for help—”

“Me, too!” Alexis adds. “You still can.”

“You could have gone to school, but Mom roped you into being her nurse and—”

I hold up both hands in surrender. “I’m too tired to do this with you both tonight. I know what you think of me, so let’s just drop it.”

“We don’t think anything of you,” Lana says. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

I snort, knowing what she meant but hearing my darkest fear in her words.

She sighs. “I didn’t mean—We think of you. Obviously. But we don’t judge you for anything. You can be a maid if you want to.”

“Gee, thanks for your permission.” At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lana turned around and decided to offer me a job ashermaid. Considering what I did for her family tonight, it wouldn’t be so far from the truth.

“Today was your first day, right?” Alexis asks. “That’s what Lana said earlier.”

I nod. “Yeah, it was my first day.”

“So,” she prods, “give us the rundown. How did it go?”

Kirill’s face pops into my head. Lily and Brady kept me so busy that I managed not to think about him for a few hours. But now, he’s back, the confusion over whether to draw closer or run in the other direction as overwhelming as ever.

“He was fine.”

There’s a long pause. I glance from the phone screen to Lana and back again, waiting for someone to say something. A minute ago, I couldn’t get the two of them to shut up. Now, radio silence.

“What?” I finally ask.

“Hewas fine?” Lana asks, a blonde eyebrow raised. “He?”

I wince. “Is that what I said?”

Alexis hums, biting back a smile. “It is. I heard it, too.”

I shake my head. “No. I didn’t—That isn’t what I meant.Itwas fine. My first day was fine.”

“But you said ‘he.’ Who did you meet today?” Lana asks.

“No one. Well, coworkers, obviously. And the boss.”

“And who is your boss?” Alexis asks, the tension from a moment ago floating away. “Is he of the male persuasion?”

Lana whistles. “You know something, I bet he is. Is he handsome? Young?”

“You two are supposed to be older than me,” I groan. “I thought age meant maturity.”

Alexis screeches in victory. “Baby Sis has a crush on her boss!”

I want to deny it and move on, but it’s hopeless. Maybe we aren’t as close now as we once were, but I’m as easy to read as ever. They know I’m hiding something.

---