Page 110 of Something Forever

This whole night has been a whirlwind. Ever since Liam came thundering through the door, everything has been off-balance.

“Can I come over?” she asks, a hint of urgency in her voice.

“Sure.” I hesitate for a moment before continuing. “Is everything okay?”

“It will be,” she says. “Be there soon.”

Hanging up, I glance around the room, wondering how the hell I got here. Caroline sounded… off. Maybe it’s because of my emotional state right now, but I feel uneasy, like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Yeah, so, listen. I need some money,” Caroline says.

There it is.

I turn to face my mother, sat on the other end of my couch, and run my eyes over her pale skin and the pronounced bags under her eyes. “What happened?”

She avoids my gaze. “Just someone I owe some cash. It’s not a big deal.”

“It seems like it is a big deal, if you came to me about it. I thought you had a job at that auto shop?”

“Not anymore,” she mutters. “Besides, that won’t cover this.”

“How much do you need?”

“Ten thousand.”

I blink, sure I must be hearing her wrong. There is no way my mom just told me she needs ten thousand dollars.

Dread creeps up my chest. “What’s going on? What did you do?”

She makes a noise of disapproval. “Do you have it or not? I know you got the first part of your inheritance. Ten G’s is hardly any of it.”

I shake my head, disbelieving. “You think I’m just gonna give you ten thousand dollars?”

She shrugs, a familiar callousness seeping into her tone. “Call it paying me back for eighteen years’ worth of meals, clothes… the whole shebang.”

“Paying you back?” I manage, my head pounding. A wave of nausea rolls through me, but I breathe through it. “I can’t believe you.”

“Whitney,” she says, her tone serious. “I need that money, peanut.”

“What’s going on, mom?” My voice shakes with fear. I’m starting to get worried. I know my mom has always been a bit of a player in the game of Life, but if she’s gotten herself mixed up in the wrong crowd or something…

Her gaze shoots to mine. “You got the cash or not?”

“Not right now,” I reply. The weight of his conversation, the fear of what my mom has gotten herself involved in, the longing for Liam to come back, all of it is pulling down on me, drowning me.

“What about the money from the will?”

“Most of mine is tied up in the salon right now.”

“Bullshit,” my mom growls. “Let me guess, you’re giving money to that husband of yours.”

“Mom,” I sigh. “Don’t start.”

“Sorry, I meant fake husband, since you only married him for the cash.”

I can’t listen to this anymore. Her words are pressing on a fresh wound, one that I need to tend to before it grows and festers even worse. Liam and I are okay. We’re fine.

“I told you I don’t need your opinion when it comes to my marriage.”

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