Both of my sisters dropped whatever they were doing and met me at my house in response to the text I sent them. I didn’t want to get them involved, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed someone to talk to. I couldn’t turn to Austin. My sisters, no matter how different we are or what we’re going through, have always been there for me when I needed them.

Maddie entered dramatically, pushing the front door open with her backside so she wouldn’t drop the massive amount of clothes and shoes gathered in her arms. Because that’s Maddie. When she’s upset, she shops. So she thinks the shiny new things that make her feel better will make other people feel better too. I can’t be mad at her for loving me the way she knows how.

Emily came with lip gloss and ice cream. Again, things that make her feel better. Huge props to Em for knowing her audience. Unlike many of her friends, I can’t be consoled with weed and her tattoo machine.

“I can’t believe you said fuck in front of Mama,” Maddie says after I’ve rehashed the entire story of dinner at my parents’ house. She digs her spoon into her pint of Coffee Caramel Fudge. Yes, I said her pint. Emily brought one for each of us.

“I can’t believe you said fuck at all. I didn’t think you swore,” Emily says.

“I do in my head,” I defend myself. “I learned to control my swearing. Can’t go dropping the f-bomb in front of patients or their families, ya know?”

As my sisters enjoy the ice cream, I twist the cap off the gorgeous, deep-red lip gloss that Emily brought. It sparkles like diamonds in the tube; any other day I’d be dying to see how it looks on my lips.

Suddenly my phone rings, breaking me out of my thoughts. It’s Ariana, the event planner I hired to take care of the details, for the event coming up in two days at the auction. I lift a finger and tell my sisters, “Hang on, I need to take this.”

The call lasts less than a minute. I set my phone down, then dig into my ice cream. Stabbing the spoon into the carton as if there’s something to kill in there.

“What’s up?” Maddie asks.

“The band we had booked for the auction just cancelled. The singer has mono. We’re two days away. Everyone good will be booked at this point.”

Another issue I don’t have the energy to deal with right now. Why can’t anything go right? Where’s my good karma?

“Do you want me to call around? Maybe find a DJ?” Maddie asks.

“No, but thank you. Ariana is on it. She just wanted to keep me informed.”

“Well, that’s piss poor. She should’ve called with a solution, not the problem,” Maddie says. I roll my eyes because it’s one of Daddy’s favorite things to say.

“Okay, back to the story. You cussed out Mama and Daddy. That was a long time coming,” Emily says. “Let’s talk about the money thing. What do you mean they offered him money to stop seeing you?”

“I heard Mama and Daddy talking in the kitchen. And—”

“Whoa! Wait!” She holds up her hands and waves them in front of her. “You’re basing this on something you overheard? You know they don’t say anything important in public. Maybe they were hoping you were listening. Trying to piss you off or get you mad enough to break up with him yourself.”

They wouldn’t. Would they? I hate thinking about our parents being so deceptive, but I know they are. Though I don’t normally see that side, I’ve heard about it. I’ve tried to ignore the stories because they’re my parents. I appreciate what they’ve given me, even if I struggle with living my life as they want me to, versus the way I want to live.

“Well—”

“Maybe you need to talk to Daddy about the money thing,” Maddie pipes up.

“Why would I do that? That’s absolutely—” As I speak I search my sister’s face. She’s biting her thumbnail and averting her eyes. She almost looks guilty. “Maddie, do you know something about it?”

“No! I swear, Liz! I just—I know something about Austin’s family and the money you might be talking about.”

Emily and I both stare at Maddie. Imploring her to tell us what she knows. I’m a bit offended that she’s been keeping something about Austin a secret from me.

“Is Austin’s last name Williams?”

I nod.

“Well, Daddy—” she stops. “I shouldn’t even be telling you guys this.”

“Madeline, spill your guts or I will dye your hair purple while your sleep,” Emily threatens her.

Maddie’s eyes darken. Messing up her gorgeous blond locks is probably the worst torture she can imagine. “Daddy didn’t come up with the idea for the Commons store. And he didn’t even design the first clothing line. Charles Williams did.”

“Who is that?”

“Austin’s dad.”

“What?” I ask, wide-eyed. “How do you know this?”

“A few weeks ago he had a lawyer draw up some paperwork. I happened to be there when the courier dropped it off. I thought it was a contract we’d been waiting for, so I opened it. And read it.” She looks so disgusted with herself, I feel bad for her. It’s not a situation any of us ever expected to be talking about.

“What does that have to do with Austin’s dad?” I ask.

“It was a contract offering his mom money for the ideas his dad came up with for the business. Like, giving her compensation that they never received. It seemed really weird that they would have a contract drawn, up out of the blue, after not compensating the Williams family for all these years. I can only assume Mama told him to try to buy Austin off, and that’s how he did it. I doubt he walked up to Austin or his mom and offered them money to stop seeing you. Mama might do something that callous, but Daddy never would.”

Emily snorts. She thinks both of our parents are completely capable of that kind of behavior.

“The funniest part is that I was only offended that Austin may have taken the money for a split second. He needs the money. He doesn’t need me. He can find another girlfriend—one who doesn’t have parents who think they can do shitty things to get their way.”

“You’re right, Liz, he can find another girlfriend. But he won’t find another soul mate.” Emily says.

“Soul mate? What kind of soul mate accuses their boyfriend of taking money from her parents to stop dating her? Why the hell would he want to be with me after that? It’s the most offensive thing I could have ever done. Especially given how big a deal the wealth difference was at first for both of us.”

Why didn’t I talk to Austin before I ran my mouth? Why didn’t I call my sisters before I did anything?

“It was shitty, but if you tell Austin the truth, I think it’s salvageable. He really loves you, Liz,” Emily says. “You’ve been a completely different person since you met him. You’ve come out of your shell and done things that you normally wouldn’t do. It’s like you found your true self.”

“I agree with Em,” Maddie says. It’s a surprise not only to me, but to Emily, as well, judging by the startled look on my youngest sister’s face. “It’s obvious Austin loves you. He brought you out of your shell and into yourself. I know you’ve felt hopeless since the accident, like everything you’ve ever known was flipped upside down. But now, it seems like you’ve finally realized that you don’t have to be what other people want you to be. And I think he helped you realize that.”

Wow. I didn’t expect that observation to come from Maddie. I really thought she would be angry with me for not falling in line to what our family expects of me. “So what do I do? He’s gone for the next three months.”

“Go to him, Liz! Check their tour schedule and show up at a show,” Emily says.

Maddie takes out her phone and begins tapping away at the screen.

I contemplate Emily’s suggestion for a minute, then shake my head. “I don’t want to show up unannounced at a show. That might throw him off and I don’t want to mess with their set.”

“They’re off tomorrow night,” Maddie announces, holding up her phone. The screen is filled with a list of Drowned World tour dates.

“The auction is tomorrow. I can’t miss it. I’ve failed at a lot recently; I’m not going to mess up the fundraiser. It helps a lot of people.”

“First”—Maddie says, lowering her phone—“you aren’t a failure and you’ve gotta stop with those kinds of thoughts.”

“I—”

“Second, I agree about not missing the auction. They’ve gotta have another night off soon, right?” She drops her gaze to her phone again.

I nod. “They usually play a few days in a row and have at least one off in between, for rest and drive time.”

“Maybe you should call him?” Emily suggests.

She’s right. I should have my phone in my hand right now. But it seems like one of those things I should apologize for to his face. And I honestly don’t even know how he’d react if I called him.

“After the auction. Once that’s in the books, I’ll call him and tell him how stupid I was,” I say, hashing out the plan in my head. “And if he won’t take my call, I’ll go to him—wherever he is—and beg for forgiveness.”

“On your knees,” Emily adds. “Definitely be on your knees.”

I roll my eyes, but make a mental note to give head if necessary.

“You’re so crude.” Maddie scowls.

“Oh, come on! Doesn’t Trent like blow jobs?” Emily teases. “I would’ve thought the stick up his ass would make it extra enjoyable.”

Maddie slams her ice cream carton on the table and stalks out of the room.

She’s been a different person since Trent moved back to Charlotte from Georgetown. She’s been moody and distant and sad like I’ve never seen from her before. Maddie is usually bubbly and energetic. And she never would have eaten an entire pint of ice cream in one sitting. I think they had a better relationship from a distance. Maybe she’s finally opening her eyes to what a controlling asshole he is.