My brothers went to school in Hyde, the county just outside of Dogwood Beach, so the drive wasn’t bad. From my apartment, it was thirty minutes away, and only a forty-five-minute drive from Whitecaps.

I grew up in Hyde, for the most part. My parents moved there when I was in fourth grade after Dad got a job transfer, taking us out of the small Ohio town we’d been living in.

At the time, I hadn’t wanted to move. I didn’t want to leave my friends or my grandparents, and everything else that was familiar to me. But then I’d found out how close we’d be living to the beach and quickly changed my tune.

I’d never seen the ocean before.

And the second I saw it, I’d fallen in love. That very first feel of sand beneath my feet and the water on my toes, the smell of the air, the sun, and how different it felt and looked, reflecting off the water. We lived close to paradise, but I couldn’t wait to live closer, and as soon as I turned eighteen, I packed up my things and moved to Dogwood.

I loved it here for so many reasons, but I liked visiting home too. I was grateful to be close enough to do that anytime I wanted.

Since the buses were filling the pickup circle in front of Hyde County Middle, I pulled up along the side so I could still see the front entrance where the kids were walking out, and threw the gear into park.

I still had fifteen minutes to kill, so I tugged my phone out of my bag and pulled up Snapchat.

I had a few more notifications from followers, people congratulating me or requesting information for an appointment. That made me crazy happy. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this whole thing, so knowing people were interested gave me a rush of relief.

I took ten of the fifteen minutes to respond to everyone, even the followers just congratulating me, and then switched to video mode, selecting the filter that gave me killer lashes and a halo of gold leaves.

“You guys, seriously, thank you so much for all the sweet messages! I’m so grateful to have followers like you. You guys are the best!”

I added the snap and took a quick photo with the life filter, blowing a kiss at the camera. After sending that one through, I typed my hashtag and DM me for info! on a black screen, and added that to my story just as someone knocked on my back window.

Dominic was standing by the car.

I unlocked the doors and put my phone away as he climbed in behind the passenger’s seat. His book bag hit the floor with a thump.

I turned halfway. “What up? How was school?”

“Fine,” he grumbled. He pushed his hood down and rubbed at his short, dark hair while fishing the phone out of his jacket pocket, then he slumped back against the seat and started typing.

“Just fine?” I asked. “Anything cool happen today?”

“No.”

“Did you have any tests or anything?”

“Can we just go?” he snapped, gaze still fixated on his screen. “Why are we still sitting here?”

I narrowed my eyes, but I didn’t get on him about giving me an attitude. For two reasons.

One, I was used to it, seeing as he was thirteen now and basically hated everyone who wasn’t one of his friends from school. So it wasn’t personal.

And two, I knew he was having a hard time with Dad’s diagnosis, and I figured Dom had a right to be angry at the world, if that was part of his process of coming to terms with it.

The situation sucked. We were all having difficulty dealing.

I could put up with a little attitude.

The drive to Hyde County Elementary was made in silence.

Dominic stayed glued to his phone, and I kept the radio off, just in case he wanted to initiate conversation. When he didn’t, again, I didn’t take it personally. Still, I wanted him to know he could talk to me, if he wanted, so I made sure to look back at him and smile every chance I got, those times happening when I was forced to stop at a light.

Dominic thought me smiling at him was weird, I could tell, given the looks he’d given me in return. Maybe I was overdoing it.

After parking at the curb in the designated parent pickup lane at Hyde County Elementary, I waited on the sidewalk for Eli, giving Dom the space I figured he wanted.

When my eight-year-old brother walked out with a crowd of kids surrounding him, I smiled and waved.

He didn’t wave back, but he did smile, big and bright, before breaking into a run and pushing past the other kids. When he reached me, his head hit my chest, his arms wrapped tight around my middle, and he gave me a squeeze.

“Hey, E,” I said against the top his head. “Did you have a good day?”

He pulled away and nodded.

“Getting straight A’s?”

He shrugged.

“Girlfriends? How many? I see a couple cute ones over there…”

Red-faced, he quickly looked left and then right. “S-Shay.”

I smiled and ruffled his dark hair, which he always kept longer so it reached past his ears and fell a little in his eyes, something I always thought he did to hide when his voice drew him attention.

“Come on. Let’s get going,” I said, ushering him around the car and opening the back door for him.

I tossed his book bag on the passenger seat and climbed in the driver’s side.

“Okay, so here’s the plan,” I announced, pulling away from the school. “We’re going to swing by the house and get everything you guys need for the week, and then we’ll—”

“Why are we grabbing our stuff?” Dominic asked curtly. “Why aren’t we staying there?”

I glanced in the rearview mirror, expecting to see the top of Dom’s head since I was sure he was messing with his phone still, but he wasn’t messing with his phone. He was glaring at me.

I sighed. “Because I’m working out of my apartment, and I need to be there as much as I can right now,” I explained. “People might stop over to get a haircut or something. It’ll just be easier to stay at my place instead of going back and forth.”

“I thought you were a waitress,” he returned.

“I’m a hair stylist, who just so happens to also wait tables, ’cause I’m badass like that.”

Eli chuckled. I met his eyes in the mirror and winked.

“Whatever,” Dominic grumbled. “I don’t want to stay at your stupid apartment.”

“Think of it as an adventure, Dominic. Like a mini vacation.”

“A shitty vacation,” he mumbled.

“Hey,” I snapped. “My apartment isn’t shitty, or stupid. And don’t say shitty.”

“You’re saying it.”

“I’m ten years older than you. I’m allowed to say it.” Jeez, I get having a little attitude, but what is his problem? I turned us onto the highway, picking up speed so I could merge. “It’ll be fun. You guys can even go to work with me at Whitecaps and hang out.”

“Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun,” Dominic mocked.

My hands wrapped tighter around the wheel. Why do people even have teenagers? What’s the appeal? I’m not seeing it.

“Well, I’m excited to be spending time with you guys,” I said, swallowing my annoyance and sticking with the whole kill them with kindness routine. I’d wear Dominic down eventually with it. “You’re excited, right, Eli?”

He nodded fast in the mirror. I seriously loved that kid.

Shifting my eyes, I watched Dominic scowl and shake his head before putting his attention back on his phone.

It was nearly five o’clock by the time we got all their stuff and made it back to my apartment.

As I crossed the room, I slipped off my coat and draped it on the back of a kitchen chair. “You guys are staying in the bigger bedroom, so if you want, go ahead and put your stuff in there. I’m going to figure out what we’re having for dinner.”

“We’re sharing a room?”

I lifted my head and met Dominic’s eyes. “Yes. What’s wrong with that? It’s a full-size bed.”

“I’m thirteen,” he said. “I should have my own space.”

Exasperated, I held up both my hands and told him, “Well, I’m twenty-three, Dom, and when I was your age, I thought I’d be married to Justin Timberlake by now. Obviously, he’s moved on, and I’m having to deal with that. Just like you’re going to have to deal with sharing a room with Eli, unless you would like to sleep on the futon in my salon.”

“What’s a futon?” he asked, brow tight and already disapproving.

“It’s like a couch-bed thing. I don’t know. Go check it out.” I motioned at the door to the second bedroom, and he quickly stalked in that direction.

“You don’t mind sharing a room, do you?” I asked Eli when we were alone. “I really don’t want you guys sleeping on the couch. You should be in a room.”

“I’m g-good,” he said, smiling.

“You’re also my favorite,” I whispered.

His smile grew into a grin.

“I’m not sleeping on that,” Dominic griped, storming back out into the living room and hooking his thumb behind him. “That room smells like straight-up chemicals. I’ll probably wake up choking on my own puke.”

I sighed and dropped my head back.

Who knew thirteen-year-old boys could be this dramatic?

“I’m not telling you to sleep in there, Dom,” I said, moving into the kitchen and surveying meal choices in the fridge. “I was just giving you the option. Either take my bedroom or choke on your own puke. It’s your call.” I pulled out the butter, ham, and sliced cheddar cheese. When I turned around to grab the bread off the counter, I flinched, startled by the slamming of my bedroom door.

Bending down to peer below the hanging cabinets, I smiled at an uneasy-looking Eli.

“Hungry?”

By the time I coaxed Dominic out of the bedroom, promising to give up my wi-fi password if he ate with us—a card I really didn’t want to play yet, but I was desperate and out of options that didn’t involve smoking him out by starting a fire—I already had an idea how dinner was going to play out.

And when he finally did emerge, brow furrowed, mouth tight, and footsteps heavy, looking ready to eat me instead of the meal I’d prepared, that idea blossomed into full-blown reality.

Still, I wasn’t giving up yet.

“Glad you could join us,” I said, smiling when Dominic reached the table.

He scoffed and kicked out the chair next to Eli, slumping into it. “Password?” he asked.

“After dinner.”

His face burned with rage. “That wasn’t the deal, Shay.”

“Well, unless you’d like to explain to Mom and Dad why you’re running up their bill, it’s the only deal.” I pointed my spoon at him. “You’re lucky I don’t make you wait until the end of the week.”

His eyes widened, and he visibly tensed. I’d be lying if I said a little part of me didn’t enjoy seeing that.

“I won’t do that, though, because I’m an awesome sister,” I said, relieving his anxiety. I looked to Eli. “Right, E?”

He nodded and slurped up his soup.

“Eat, Dom. Then I’ll give you the password.”

Dominic scooted closer to the table and looked down at his food. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup?” he asked, sounding unimpressed.

“It was chilly today,” I replied. “This is the perfect meal for chilly weather.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled, dunking his sandwich and biting into it.

“There’s ham in some of them.” I scooted the plate of extras closer to the boys.

“I don’t like ham,” Dominic said, mouth stuffed full as he shoved in another bite.

I narrowed my eyes and watched him eat, realizing he was doing it fast and risking choking himself just to get that damn wi-fi password, which would get him away from this table, and thus, away from me.

Crap.

I didn’t have much time. If this meal was going to somehow bring us together, I had to act quickly.

“Do you want to talk about Nana?” I asked, looking between my brothers.

They hadn’t been as close to my grandparents as I had been, but that didn’t mean they weren’t affected by this. Their grief mattered too. I wanted them to know that.

Dominic shrugged and kept eating. Looking to Eli, I watched his gaze lift from the table.

“You okay?” I asked him.

He nodded.

“Do you guys have any homework?”

“No,” Dominic said.

Eli nodded again.

“After dinner, we’re getting on that.” I watched my perfect youngest brother comply, just like he seemed to do with everything. “What kind of dinners would you guys like this week?” I dunked one half of my sandwich into the soup. “I’m going to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I can pick up whatever you want. Do you want to do pasta or something tomorrow night? Like spaghetti?”

Eli lifted his head. “With g-garlic bread?”

I grinned. “Hell, yes. Is there any other way to eat spaghetti?” Getting approval from Eli, I looked to Dominic. “Does that sound good, Dom?”

He lifted the bowl to his mouth and tipped it back, draining every last drop of soup. Then setting the bowl on his empty plate, he wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand and shoved the dishes to the center of the table before getting to his feet. “Password?”

I exhaled a defeated breath, ready to give it up because I refused to go back on my word and risk losing Dominic’s trust, no matter how badly I wanted to deny him, but just as my mouth opened, my cell phone rang from the kitchen.

“One sec,” I said, getting to my feet.

Dominic, making all kinds of hate noises at me, slumped back into his chair and brought his arms across his chest.

I was happy to see him seated again and debated dragging out this phone call all night, no matter who it was.

“Hello?” I answered, retrieving my phone off the counter. I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hi, Ms. Perkins. This is Erin Kennedy, Dominic’s math teacher. Your mother gave the office your contact info.”

“Oh, hi. How are you?”

“I’m just calling to let you know Dominic missed his tutoring session today. Were you aware he stayed after school for that?”

I turned my head and glared across the table, keeping my voice smooth and pleasant. “No, I had no idea he was tutored.” I watched my brother sink lower into his seat, avoiding my eyes. “It was today?”

“Yes. It’s every Tuesday and Friday. We’re really trying to get his grade up, so it’s really important he makes these sessions.”

I closed my eyes, feeling so pissed off I could scream. “I had no idea he was supposed to stay after today. I’m so sorry. My mom forgot to mention it.”

“Well, I’m sure she has a lot on her mind. She informed the office of your grandmother’s passing. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you. That’s nice of you to say.” Grabbing a notepad and pen out of the kitchen drawer, I sat back down at the table and scribbled that information down so I wouldn’t forget it. “My brother will definitely be there Friday. I’ll make sure of that,” I said, keeping my eyes on Dominic, who was refusing to look at me.

“Okay. That sounds great. Have a good night, Ms. Perkins.”

“You too.” Disconnecting the call, I dropped my phone on the table and sat back, staring hard as silence filled the apartment. “Is there a reason you didn’t tell me you had tutoring today?” I asked Dominic.

He shrugged and kept looking at the table. “You were there to pick me up.”

“So?” I sat forward, the movement lifting his eyes. “You could’ve told me you had to stay after, Dom. I would’ve just gone to get Eli and waited for you. Why didn’t you just say something?”

“Why didn’t you know?” he asked, voice growing louder. “Shouldn’t Mom have told you?”

My lips pressed together.

I understood my brother’s argument. I couldn’t fault him for it.

For the briefest moment during that phone call, I had allowed myself to wonder the same thing, shamefully putting blame on my mother, but then the reality of the situation made it obvious.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe she just forgot, Dom, since she has so much going on right now. What with Nana dying and everything happening with Dad. Maybe she expected you to say something to me, since it’s your life.”

His jaw started clenching the moment I mentioned our father. “Whatever. This isn’t my fault. It’s his fault,” he spat. “I wouldn’t even need tutoring if it wasn’t for him. Nobody helps me anymore. If I’m stuck, it’s on me. Mom doesn’t care I’m failing. Nobody cares! And you know what? I don’t even want your stupid fucking password anymore. I’ll run up their bill. I want to.” Dominic shoved back from the table and stood with such force, he knocked the chair over. Then he turned and stalked away.

“Hey!” I yelled after him. “Don’t say things like that! What’s the matter with you?”

The bedroom door slamming was his only response.

I sat back, feeling angry but also completely understanding where my brother was coming from. And that was why I stayed in that chair.

I’d never wanted to shake and hug someone to death simultaneous before, and I wasn’t sure which urge would dominate if I went after him.

Looking to Eli, I watched him pick at the corner of his crust.

“Hey. You okay?” I asked, reaching across the table and putting my hand on top of his.

“H-He’s mad about D-Dad,” Eli said. “H-He g-gets s-so m-mad at h-home, S-Shay. H-He’s…s-s-s-” Eli shook his head, his face growing red with frustration.

I squeezed his hand, hating the pain and embarrassment he was feeling and wanting more than anything to take that away. “I know. That’s just how he’s dealing with it,” I said. “If he acts mean or gets mad at you, he doesn’t mean it, okay?”

Eli nodded and looked into my face with the one eye not covered by his hair. “Is D-Dad g-gonna get b-better?”

“I don’t know, E. I hope so.”

My stomach tightened into a knot.

I didn’t know which was worse, saying those words or being on the receiving end of them. I felt terrible. I hated adding to Eli’s worry. And Dom—I didn’t want him thinking I didn’t care. I just wanted to do everything I could to make this easier on everyone, especially my brothers.

And I was off to a shitty start with it, that was for damn sure.

“I’m f-full,” Eli said, pushing away his plate gently.

“Okay. Get started on your homework. I’m here if you need any help, okay?”

He smiled softly before leaving the table.

Okay, so dinner hadn’t turned out the way I had hoped. But I wasn’t discouraged. I had a plan. I could help with homework. I could make sure Dom got to his tutoring. And I could do everything in my power to make this easier on them.

Tearing off a piece of notebook paper, I scribbled the wi-fi password down, crossed the apartment, and stuck the paper halfway under the bedroom door.

Eight seconds later, I watched that paper disappear, and I turned away, smiling.