Page 33 of Offside Attraction

“I need a great-aunt. Or rich grandma.” Rhonda laughed.

“Just phone Earl Jones.” Brett took a swig from his sparkling water.

Penny rolled her eyes. “A grandparent scam. Excellent idea.”

“Is that the guy from Montreal who stole inheritances in the nineties?” Rhonda asked.

Brett nodded. “Like, millions of dollars worth.”

Rhonda speared a green bean with her fork. “I can think of easier ways to make a million dollars.”

Penny snorted. “Do not say Only Fans.”

“It’s my feet, Pens. If God didn’t want me to use them, he shouldn’t have given me such delicate, slender toes.”

They laughed and chatted until their plates were empty, then Rhonda pushed back from the table. "I'm going to head out. I still have some packing to do." She leaned in to give Penny a hug, then picked up her dinnerware.

Rhonda wove her way through the group still gathered by the table to take her dishes to the kitchen. She thanked the Thompsons, and was about to make an easy getaway, when she heard her name behind her.

She turned to find Jenna rushing up to the door. “We’re going to talk later.”

Rhonda hugged her. “I know, we already established that.”

Jenna pulled back. “Uh, no. Not about me. About whatever is happening here.” She waved her hands over Rhonda’s general person. “When can you meet at Tina’s?”

Rhonda’s heartbeat sounded in her ears. "I get back at the end of the week.”

“So Friday it is?”

Rhonda pulled on her coat and zipped it up. "I'm not sure about one potential meeting Friday morning. I’ll check when I get home and let you know." Jenna opened her mouth to say something else, but Rhonda’s phone was buzzing. She turned the screen to Jenna, proving she wasn’t making it up. “Mom” flashed on the screen.

Jenna waved her out, and Rhonda swiped up to answer. “Hey.”

“Hey there, baby.” Her mother’s voice came through chirpy. Too bright. “I wanted to check in before your big trip. How’s my star sales rep holding up?”

Rhonda’s gut twisted. “Oh, you know me, Mom. Just your typical tornado of packing chaos. The usual.”

Her mother’s laugh was thin. A sound of habit rather than true joy. “Well, I’m sure you’ll nail it. You always do.”

To anyone else, those words may have sounded like a vote of confidence, but from her mother? They were a faithful plea. Rhonda opened her car door and slipped in, turning on the engine and hitting the button for her seat warmer.

“Listen, Rhonnie,” her mom began, and Rhonda closed her eyes, already knowing what was coming. “I hate to do this, but I could really use your help. The electric bill this month was up twenty percent. They charged me for prime time usage, can you believe that? I don’t remember when they told us they were switching to time blocks. And the car, it’s making this noise. Awful grinding.”

Rhonda’s grip on the phone tightened. Her jaw clenched and a flicker of anger rose up. “Mom.” Her voice was gentle but firm. “We’ve talked about this. I can’t keep?—”

“I know, I know,” her mother cut in, the forced cheer stripped. “I don’t mean to burden you.”

“You’re not a burden. You know that. But you need to take him to court. Until you do?—”

“I can’t. You know that.”

Rhonda exhaled as she turned off the Thompsons’ street. She did know that. It had been almost five years since her mother had saved up enough to leave her father for good, and not once had she been willing to talk with a lawyer.

Memories of her father swarmed to the surface. The day he cleaned out her mother’s account. Zero warning. Just cancelled her cards and siphoned out all of their shared equity. Or even earlier, the time he’d refused to co-sign on a loan for her mother to go back to school. He’d sneered, saying it was a waste of money because she’d only fail anyway. That conversation had happened during Rhonda’s last year of high school.

Her stomach churned when she thought about walking out that door. Leaving her sister alone with them. But what could she have done differently?

Now, her career ambitions weren’t only about herself. They were about securing a future for her mother. But sometimes it felt like patching holes in a sinking ship.

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