Page 66 of Catching My Dreams

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Olivia said with an ugly laugh. “Have I ruined dinner for everyone by pointing out something we all already know?”

“Maybe we should all go,” Riley said.

“Well, it’s what you’re so good at, isn’t it, Riley? Leaving?” Olivia said, her rage turning to a new victim.

Noah’s stepsister frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Mom might pick favorites, but you’re worse in some ways because you didn’t just choose to keep our mom out of your life. You also chose not to be in mine.”

Riley looked stunned like Olivia’s words had struck her speechless.

“Oh, did you forget about that small little detail?” Olivia taunted her. “That when you chose not to come here anymore, you were also choosing not to be in my life.”

“I… I didn’t—”

“You didn’t what?” Olivia yelled. “Care that you had a half-sister you were all too happy to discard? Care that I was excited you were coming for the whole summer just for you to bail and never come back until your dad died and you had no other choice?”

“Olivia, I think we should continue this conversation later,” their dad said gently, but he may as well have screamed at her for the reaction he got.

“Okay, Dad,” she sneered. “As long as we can also discuss the fact that you prefer Riley too.”

Noah’s brows lifted. He hadn’t seen that one coming.

“What are you talking about?” their dad asked.

“You let Riley help you with your furniture,” Olivia snapped, her finger pointed in accusation. “You kicked me out of your stupid garage after I spilled that paint a few years ago, but sure, why don’t we let Riley and Noah help you out now? But you’re not picking favorites, right?”

“That’s not—I would love it if you wanted to help me,” their dad said, impatience starting to leak into his tone. “You just haven’t offered, so I assumed you didn’t want to.”

“Well, why the hell would I when you made me feel like a goddamned idiot for being a little clumsy?”

Olivia was outright screaming, but Noah could see the sheen of tears in her eyes.

She was angry, yes, but she was also hurt.

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry I made you feel that way,” their dad said. “I never meant to make you feel unwelcome.”

“Whatever,” Olivia muttered. “I’m going to my room. Sorry for ruining everyone’s fun.”

She left the room, but the storm Edith had started lingered behind, the uneasiness and awkwardness of witnessing family drama inescapable.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Drew offered before Noah could. His chair made a loud squeak as he pushed it back, doing nothing to settle the tension in the air.

“She’s not wrong, you know,” Riley said, breaking a silence that must have lasted at least two minutes. “You never let Olivia shine. You always find a way to make it about me.”

Edith flinched. “I don’t mean to.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Noah said, wondering if his words sounded as angry as he was. “You’ve always put Riley on a pedestal, even when she wasn’t around. And Olivia never lives up to her in your eyes.”

“I should have reached out to her,” Riley admitted when Edith remained silent. “She’s right that I abandoned her.”

Noah agreed, but unlike with Edith, he knew his stepsister didn’t need him to shove her mistakes in her face. Riley already knew where she’d gone wrong and would feel guilty enough about it without his interference.

Noah sighed. “I think it’s safe to say that, as a family, we kind of suck.”

“We’re awful,” Riley agreed.

“Downright abysmal,” Noah’s dad added.

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