“Nope.” I shook my head. “Not happening. La la la la la. I refuse.”
“Delaney—”
“Je refuse. Ich weigere mich,” I insisted, pulling out every language I spoke even a little. “No acepto.”
Tam laughed. “No fair. You know I only speak English!”
“I have Google Translate on my phone, too,” I reminded her. “I can do this all night.”
“Fine. If you won’t talk to me about this, at least talk to Jasper. You guys are friends, right?”
“Of course. I like Jasper a lot.” I grinned, remembering Jasper’s text that afternoon, which had been a picture of Janice Plum’s cornucopia bonnet, a bunch of laugh-cry emojis, and the words, “Delaney, what have you done?”
My smile faded quickly. “Jasper’s busy, though. With Watt. Doing their couple stuff. I’m not bothering him with this nonsense.” I gave her a stony glare. “Especially when it’s a nonissue.”
Something in my tone must have given me away because Tam’s expression went all soft and sympathetic again. “You know you could have ‘couple stuff,’ too, right? If you’d let yourself.”
“Oh, dear God. Can we go back to discussing my shitty cabinet choices? Please?” I demanded.
Tam rolled her eyes, but before she could speak, there was a soft knock at the front door, followed by my brother-in-law’s voice. “Tam? Delaney?”
“In here!” I called. I grinned at Tam. “Saved.”
“For now,” she agreed reluctantly. “But I’ll get you next time, my pretty.”
“Phew.” Lucas brushed snow off his coat and hat. “It’s really coming down out there. We should probably get going?—”
“Lucas!” I jumped up and gave him an effusive hug, heedless of the damp snow patches on his coat and hat. “You know, Tam and I were just talking about how you’re my favorite family member and how I probably shouldn’t spend any time alone with Tam anymore since she’s so much nicer when you’re around?—”
“Ignore him, babe.” Tam lifted her face so Lucas could drop a kiss on her lips. “Laney’s trying to distract you from his latest renovation drama.”
Lucas’s eyes widened, and he looked around as if searching for visible signs of destruction before turning to me. “Delaney, man, tell me you didn’t try to move another outlet?—”
“No,” I said stiffly as Tam cackled. “Nothing like that.”
My traitorous sister stood, setting the baby on her shoulder, and motioned Lucas toward the kitchen. “See for yourself.”
“Oh, new cabinets.” Lucas stared at them and nodded diplomatically, exactly as Tam had done. “They’re very… ah. Very statement-making. Very you.”
Tam and I exchanged a look, and she burst out laughing. “That’s almost exactly what I said, babe.” She kissed Lucas’s cheek. “Married-people mind-meld nearly complete!”
Lucas gave her a look of warm amusement that said he didn’t mind one bit.
“It’s fine,” I told him. “I’ve already admitted they’re terrible. I just… don’t know what to do about it, exactly. And your annoying wife was not helping.”
“I think you do know what to do about it,” Tam countered, bundling the baby into her car seat while Lucas collected the baby luggage they seemed to carry everywhere. “Think about what I said. About evvvverything.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “And you’ll figure it out.”
“Stick to fire-building,” I advised. I kissed her cheek and then leaned down to kiss Tierney’s forehead. “And be safe.”
“We will.” She frowned as Lucas said goodbye and hauled the baby out to his car. “Is Brewer coming back tonight? Remember, we’re just down the street if you need?—”
“I’m fine.” I waved a hand. “They’re only predicting flurries.”
I stood in the entryway until the taillights of their car disappeared down the driveway, then walked back to the living room. The refinished hardwood floors Brewer had insisted on gleamed in the firelight, but the recently repaired ceiling still needed paint. The bookcases were mostly filled with books and other treasures I’d collected, but the walls were bare. Half-finished, like everything else in my life.
With Tam gone, the house felt chillier, and the silence I usually craved rang through the space and beat against my eardrums. A strange, hollow feeling expanded in my chest—not loneliness, definitely not, but… possibly something adjacent to it. For someone who treasured solitude, I was suddenly, acutely aware of being alone in this big, half-finished house.
Outside, snow was falling heavily, thick flakes visible even in the darkness. I checked the weather app on my phone, but it still assured me there’d be no accumulation.
