Page 4 of No One But Us

“I just don’t understand how could you do this to us right now,” she says. An oblique reference to my grandfather’s death last winter. “This is the time you need to think of someone other thanyourself.”

My grandfather’s death hit all of us hard—and made it impossible for me to tell my parents what I’d intended to: that my plans and theirs no longercoincide.

Leaving the internship like I did was selfish, and what I’m planning to do now is even more so. But I can’t seem to stop myself. “I’m sorry, Mom,” I tell her. “I tried. I just couldn’t spend another summer in thatoffice.”

“What exactly do you think being a lawyer is?” she asks, exasperation sharpening her voice. “Once you’re an associate, it isn’t going to suddenly involve a keg and football games, James. This is what your life is going to be, day-in and day-out.”

No, it’s not, Mom, but you don’t know thatyet.

When she finally realizes the conversation is going nowhere, she gives up and instead asks about my sister, once again affirming that Max, our roommate for the summer, knows how young she is and is not going to try anything. I laugh wearily as I assure her it isn’t an issue. Max is 25. He’s no more interested in dating a college freshman than Iam.

* * *

Ginny finds me on the back deck after I’ve hung up the phone. “Did she say anything to you about theinternship?”

I roll my eyes. “She’s barely capable of discussing anythingelse.”

“I can’t say I blame her, James. I mean, people would kill for that chance, and you just walkedaway.”

It troubles me that no one seems to understand. Allison, Ginny, my parents—they all think I’m making a mistake. And when enough people think you’re wrong, you usuallyare.

“Well, look on the bright side. If I don’t go back, you get the whole thing toyourself.”

“Except I don’t want it,” she argues. “And if you bail, it’s all going to fall onme.”

We sit there for a minute in silence. I could tell her what I keep telling myself—that there’s a limit to what she owes our family—but I know it won’t fly. I’m disturbed by my mother’s illness, but Ginny is devastated by it. She can’t imagine doing anything to make it worse, and both of us bailing on the family would definitely make itworse.

“By the way,” Ginny says. “I think Elle is comingdown.”

I stiffen, hoping I’ve misheard. “ElleGrayson?” I ask, and she nods. “For howlong?”

“The summer,” she chirps. “Her parents want her to lay low for a while, until the Edward thing diesdown.”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck,fuck.

“Did you tell Mom?” I askquietly.

Ginny shakes her head. “I have no idea what’s crawled up her ass about Elle and her parents, but ever since she got sick, it’s like she hates their whole family. I’ll tell her. I’m just kind of dreading it. I mean, really, why should it matter to her if Elle ishere?”

I agree with Ginny that based on what we know, it shouldn’t matter. But I also know it will matter, and I have a sneaking suspicion about why thatis.

Chapter 3

ELLE

The guy sittingacross the aisle spends an hour of the train ride to DC pretending he’s not staring at me before he finally bridges the distance betweenus.

“Has anyone ever told you,” he begins, “that you look just like KellyEvans?”

Yes, everyone, ever, has told me I look like Kelly Evans. “I’ve heard that a fewtimes.”

“I mean, look at her,” he says, holding his phone aloft. I glance over at it: long blond hair, high cheekbones, a mouth that is slightly too full. I know the face well. “It’s uncanny,” he continues. “I’ve spent the past hour trying to figure out if you were her, but I think she must be in her 30s bynow.”

Actually, she is 44, so she’d be thrilled to hear his guess. I’d probably even share it with her, if she’d answer herphone.

I cab from Union Station to Georgetown, arriving at the townhouse to find it vacant. It’s times like this that I long for normal parents, the kind capable of providing comfort or even, merely, the kind capable of returning mycalls.

Then again, if I did have parents at home, there’d be someone to stop me from taking theirPorsche.

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