“The rest of those are for Goodwill.”She pointed to the box on the floor.
“Really?This one is from when we went to the Ben King concert.What were we—fifteen?”She held up the concert tee that featured the singer emblazoned on the front.
“It’s in the past.I don’t need it.”
Boo tossed it at her suitcase.“What you don’t need is to be packing at all.”
“Boo—”
“My brother Jack is not in a good way, Harper.He’s...dark and crabby again and...well, I blame you.”
Harper turned, her eyes wide.“What?”
“You broke the poor man’s heart.”
Boo wasn’t kidding by the solemn look on her face.
“Boo.I don’t want to leave.Are you kidding?”She sank down onto the sofa.“I’ve cried for a week straight.”Her voice wobbled.“I’ve loved your brother since I was...I don’t know?—”
“Twelve years old.”
“Yes.At least.But...”She shook her head.“It appears we want different things.”
“Like what—a family, a home?”
“That’s what I want.He wants...I don’t know what he wants.He took the bar, Boo.Without telling me.”
Boo nodded.“Maybe he was afraid he’d fail.”
“Oh, I’ve seen him fail before.It doesn’t scare me.”
“It might scare him.”
“You know what scares him?”She stood up, grabbed the stack of T-shirts, and dropped them into the box.“Proposing.”
“What?”
She rounded on her.“Not that I would know, because he hasn’t.And?—”
“You’re mad because he didn’tpropose?”Boo stared at her.
“When you put it like that...no.But...fine, yes.Sort of.I don’t know.I guess...”She frowned.“Why did you come over here?To make me feel like a total jerk?”
“Is it working?”
“A little.”
“Good.We’re having a family dinner.Steinbeck is back, along with his”—and she finger quoted the word—“‘girlfriend.’Although I think they actuallyaretogether.He’s all weirdly doting on her and...Anyway, since we’re all in town at the same time, Mom wants us to have family dinner.”
“Great.Have a lovely time.”And she didn’t mean for the words to emerge so sharp, even brittle.
“You’re part of the family, Harper.”
“No, Boo.I’m not.”
Boo stood up.“Yes.Actually, you are.You’ve always been.And for the love, will you just talk to him?Sheesh—you’re the one who’s supposed to be good with words.”
Harper apparently wasn’t done crying.She wiped her cheeks.“For the record, I wasn’t going to take this job.But he told me to.”
