She was so earnest that I felt some of my irritation melt away. "It's fine, really." I let out a weary sigh and deliberately changed the subject. "But I'm surprised you're still awake."
She fiddled with the tie on her robe. "Oh, I'm guessing you wanted some time alone?"
"No, not at all." Call it a lie. Call it being polite. But whatever you called it, the truth was, Ihadbeen hoping for some time to myself, preferably while soaking in steamy water and savoring the last of the wine.
But the way things looked now, the bath was off-limits for at least thirty minutes, maybe longer. I began heading toward the kitchen. The old floorboards – the same ones I'd run across barefoot as a kid – creaked in the same old spots as I made a new plan.
Wine first, bath second. I could adjust. No biggie, right?
"Oh, by the way," Tessa said. "I finished off the Moscato." I froze even as she added, "But don't worry, I'll grab a new bottle tomorrow."
Shit.
Before I could stop myself, I turned back. "How about the hot water?"
At this, she cringed just a little. With a furtive glance up the stairs, she said, "There might besomeleft. I was in the tub a while, so…" Her tone turned hopeful. "Maybe the tank is hot again?"
Yeah, and maybe mermaids would bring me Moscato.My hot water tank wasn't just small. It was old and slow, like a battered teakettle on a faulty stove.
I said nothing in reply.
In my current mood, I didn't dare.
If only Delaney were here, she and I would plop down on the sofa just like we'd done in the dorm. I'd pour out my troubles, and before the end of it, she'd have me laughing in spite of myself. But Delaney and I were on the outs, and the only person here was her older sister.
Golden Girl.
That's what Delaney used to call her – half-joking, half not. And eventually, I had started doing the same. Back then, Delaney would roll her eyes and list it all out – first place, best hair, best grades, boys falling at Tessa's feet.
Back in college, I'd crossed paths with Tessa only a handful of times, and every encounter had only confirmed Delaney's take.
Tessa had always played on easy mode – until apparently a month ago. That's when she'd shown up on my doorstep, asking to crash on my couch. There had been no advance phone call, no text, and no explanation – even after I'd asked.
Repeatedly.
Her arrival had been a total surprise – even more so considering that I hadn't talked to Delaney for nearly a year, not since we'd fallen out last summer.
She hadn't even come to my dad's funeral, not that I'd invited her.Why would I, when she'd made it perfectly plain that we were done being friends?
And yet, call me a sucker, but I hadn't had the heart to turn her sister away – or make her sleep on the ancient sofa. So instead I'd offered Tessa one of the two bedrooms upstairs, thinking I could put up with anything for just a few days.
Days had turned into weeks, and finally we'd come to an uneasy agreement. She'd stay through the summer, and I'd say goodbye to her in the fall. She'd made noises about paying rent, but I'd yet to see more than twenty bucks at a time – usually in singles.
I was still stewing when Tessa's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Maybe I could heat up some water on the stove?"
Right.The idea was laughable. For one thing, it's not like I had a ton of pans. Still, I didn't want to bethatperson – someone who couldn't recognize an olive branch when they saw it.
I gave her a weary smile. "That's alright. I'll just grab a snack while I wait."
She bit her lip. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. Just forget it, okay?" I shuffled toward the kitchen, already thinking about the state of my cupboards. They weren't completely bare, but they weren't overflowing either.
When I flipped on the kitchen light, something unexpected caught my eye – a hundred-dollar bill, lying on the floor by the fridge, like its owner was so rich she could just drop a Benjamin and walk away.
I stared at it for a long beat, my jaw tightening.It must be nice.No, it must bereallynice to be able to toss arounda hundred bucks and not even worry that it was missing. Meanwhile,Iwas living off peanut butter and late-night panic.
When the floor creaked behind me, I didn't bother turning to look.
