“I don’t understand…” I reply, folding my arms over my tan wool coat. The insulation in this house is non-existent, and there’s a constant cool draft.
“I’m twenty-six weeks.”
My eyes nearly pop out of my head, and I grip the oak banister beside me, rubbing my forehead. Holy shit. I quickly do the math…that means only three months left until there’s a baby in this house.
“I swear I didn’t know until a few weeks ago, okay? It’s been a really stressful semester, and I thought I was just missing my period from all the stress and gaining weight. I had none of the classic pregnancy symptoms they teach you about.”
I nod, unable to look at her.
My foot hits my suitcase as I take a step back, and the pale-yellow walls of the foyer suddenly seem to be closing in on me like a fun house. Even though Fia’s the one who should be freaking out, she’s standing there calm as a fucking cucumber. Which only makes my own spiral worse.
I’ve been here for approximately five minutes, and I’m already breaking my big sister rules.
“Okay. Okay. Okay,” I repeat, and Fia furrows her brow, tracking my erratic movement with her eyes.
“I need a moment,” I say, smiling way too brightly as I jut my thumb over my shoulder. “I’m just gonna grab the rest of my stuff,okay?” I don’t wait for her to answer. I turn and clumsily step over my suitcase, speed-walking to my car.
Did I become an absent sister? Is this my fault? I’m supposed to keep an eye on Fia—Nan literally asked me to do so on her deathbed.
A wave of dizziness hits me as I pull more bags from my car.
My insides twist as I imagine my baby sister here, all alone in this big house, pregnant and heartbroken over a guy who’s MIA. I was so busy working, doing lord knows what, barely having time to call her back all fall semester.
Truthfully, I want to rush inside and hug her. Pull her into my arms like I used to when we were kids and promise everything will be okay. But instead, I stomp into the kitchen and unload the grocery bags on the counter while she watches me from across the room, a wounded look flickering behind her eyes.
“This isn’t exactly the Christmas greeting I was hoping for,” she mumbles, playing with the hair tie on her wrist.
“I’m sorry, Fi. I’m just…trying to wrap my head around this too. You kind of dropped a bomb on me.”
She shrugs, turning to grab a mug like we’re discussing the weather. “There’s not much to say. I’m having a baby. It wasn’t planned, but it’s going to be okay. I have a job, I only have one semester left—”
I wave my hand in the air. “You work at a coffee shop that barely pays above minimum wage. That might’ve worked while you were a student, but babies are expensive. Your car is on its last leg, and this house is falling apart. Not to mention there’sstillone more semester between you and your degree.” The words spill out before I can stop them. No filter, no softness, just sharp-edge truth she needs to hear.
I wish I could hit rewind, take my words back, because the second they are out, Fia’s pale face goes still. She stares at me like I just kicked her.
“Penny, I’m not a child, Iknowwhat I’m dealing with.” She lifts her chin. “Can we just enjoy our holiday break? I don’t want to dothiswith you.”
“Dowhat?” My stomach grows hot, the unease crawling up my throat. I hate the way coming back to this place puts me on edge.
“Try to fix everything.” She sighs heavily, like a mom exhausted with their repetitive child. “I love you, Penny. But believe it or not, I can handle this. So please—for now—can we drop the house stuff and job pressure?”
My fingers curl against the green-tiled kitchen counter. She has no idea what she’s saying. Fia has never had to worry about finances or a living situation. This house is paid off, and Fia’s been living on her part-time coffee shop salary, plus the money in the trust from Nan. But that’s going to burn up quickly the moment she brings a child into the world.
I hate to do it, but I pull the Nan card.
“She wouldn’t have wanted you to live like this, and you know it. She didn’t leave the house totrapus. I’d settle for renting it out, and you can live somewhere that makes more sense. You can even move to Raleigh and be near me.”
Her lips press into a hard line, fists clenched at her sides. I open my mouth, ready to saysomethingto smooth it over. I should’ve taken care of this house issue a long time ago, but I thought giving her time to grieve Nan was the right thing to do. Now it’s been two years, and I have to be the bad cop.
“I know you hate it here, Penny. But this is my home. And actually, I’ve figured out a way to pay for the repairs.”
“Okay, so what’s the plan?” I’m skeptical, to say the least.
“I have a roommate,” she says, her voice careful.
“Who?” I glance toward the connected living room, noticing a large dog bed on the floor in front of the fireplace.Great.“Did they already move in?”
Spending the holidays with a stranger sounds less than pleasant.
