Page 16 of Accidentally Under Your Tree

"My sister?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Where?"

"At the hotel bar."

Rose opened and closed her mouth a few times.

When she finally spoke, there was a threatening edge to her voice. "What do you mean, youmether?"

My shoulders hunched, my eyes cast down to the tile floors. "It's as bad as it could be."

In the heavy silence, I forced myself to look at her face. Her cheeks were pink and there was an angry line between her eyebrows.

After a few breaths, she shook her head. "Anne?"

I nodded. "Lizzy."

"I didn't know she had it in her."

"Oh, she had it in her."

Rose lifted the flat of her hand and swung. It smacked against my upper arm. The slap was louder than the sting of contact, but I flinched away.

"Don't be a shithead!" she hiss-whispered, as I whispered back, "Not like that, I didn't mean it like that!"

"How the hell did you mean it?!"

"Iwasn't the 'it—'"

"—Ew," she interrupted.

"—I meant that…you know…we were both…interested."

"Ew."

"Sorry."

"I'm going to kill you."

"I know."

After Rose and I shoveled piping hot Shepherd's Pie into our faces, she declared, "We're heading out."

Kelly and Jim shared confused expressions.

"I thought you wanted to stay in," Kelly said. "Relax."

Rose shot me the briefest glare, then forced a smile. "I thought so too. But uh… I really want to show Bill around."

"Okay." Kelly shrugged.

Hustling out the garage door connected to the kitchen felt disrespectful, not just to Kelly and Jim, but to the Shepherd's pie. It was a shame that my taste buds weren't working. Maybe tomorrow I could have leftovers and actually enjoy them. If Rose and Lizzy didn't ship me off in the dark of night like some fugitive.

But necessity justified the quick departure. Rose and I needed to find Lizzy. If I were her, I'd feel used…and gross.

I felt like a shit.

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