Deacon winces and looks away. “Levi’s out of the state on business right now, so he’s hard to reach.”
“Out of state?” What is that panicky feeling? “What’s he doing in another state?”
Deacon opens the door of his truck. “I believe he’s looking into what sort of trouble your father got himself into back in Wyoming. Levi asked me to tell you he’ll be in touch as soon as he has some useful information. In the meantime, my brothers and I are going to do everything we can to make sure your dad doesn’t sell this house.”
That can’t be good. “Why can’t Levi tell me himself?”
He shrugs. “He seemed to think the less you had to talk to him, the happier you’d be.”
“Tell him…” I pause. What do I want Deacon to tell Levi? “Just tell him to be careful.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Gentry,” he says as he swings himself behind the wheel. “We’re going to take care of you and your sisters.”
Before I can ask anymore questions, Deacon shuts the door and starts the engine.
I’m halfway back to the house when Sophie and Emily come out onto the porch. Seeing them in their pajamas reminds me I’ve just been talking to Deacon in mismatched pajamas with my hair unbrushed.
Hopefully, when he talks to Levi, he won’t tell him about that part.
“What’s going on?” Sophie asks. “What was that man doing in the house?”
I’m not going to lie to my sisters when the real estate agent is going to be here later today. “You know how Trisha’s been so insistent on keeping the house clean?”
Sophie nods, frowning. “It’s annoying, but the house does look good.”
I’ve been amazed that neither of my sisters has complained to me about being asked to clean all the time, but I’ve also been freaking out about Dad selling the house, so it hasn’t been my top concern.
“Well, she and Dad have put the house on the market.”
“What does that mean?” Emily asks. “Like the garden show?”
Every spring, Catalpa Creek hosts a tour of fancy old homes and their fancy gardens. “No. It means that he and Trisha want to sell the house. They want the four of you to move into a smaller house, one that doesn’t require so much upkeep.”
“What the fuck?” Emily screeches. “I just got my room exactly the way I want and —” She jolts forward and tosses a glare at Sophie, who’s already glaring at her.
“It makes sense,” Sophie says through gritted teeth, her eyes glazed. “Gentry’s going to be looking for her own place, remember? We don’t need a house this big.”
“Nope,” Emily says. “No way. This is too much. I can’t do this, Sophie.”
Sophie turns to face Emily. “You agreed, Em. You’re going to college in like four years, what does it matter where we live?”
“What agreement?” I ask. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Sophie says without looking at me. “Emily knows what I’m talking about.”
Emily’s face scrunches like it always does before she cries. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I can’t do it. I don’t want to move.”
“Seriously,” I say, wrapping an arm around Emily’s shoulders. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m sorry, Gentry,” Emily says. “I wanted to make it work. I’ve been doing whatever Trisha wants me to do and not complaining when she treats me like dirt because I want Dad to stay, but also because we want you to feel like it’s okay for you to go back to art school.”
“Oh my God, Emily,” Sophie says, her face red with anger. “You’re ruining everything.”
I glance at a neighbor who’s walking by with her dog, staring openly at us. Even if Dad has guardianship or will have it soon, we don’t need the neighbors gossiping about us. “Let’s take this to Sophie’s room,” I say. “You both are going to tell me exactly what’s happening here.”
Sophie huffs and stomps up the stairs and inside. The front door slamming for the second time today.
I walk Emily inside as she sobs.
