Page 46 of Advice from a Sunflower

I fight the smirk that wants to come out, remembering the state Lyla left my bed in this morning. I didn't let her sleep all night and by the time we were done, she was looking rough—though extremely satisfied.

"Exactly."

"I didn't say anything," I argue feebly.

"Why are you doing this again? You know how she feels about this place." Her eyes soften the smallest amount and it's finally clear that she isn't here to berate me for her sister's sake. She's worried about howIwas going to come out of this.

"You don't have to worry about me, Mar."

"Yes, I do. She's dying to get out of here. She brings it up every day, begging me to come with her."

I roll my eyes at that. It's unsurprising that she hates it here so much, she's willing to yank Marnie and the girls from everything they've ever known to stay away for good. I can't tell if that means my plan is working or not.

"Come on, Eli. You know I'd never leave you. But she will. I remember what happened last time you two were under each other’s spells..."

"I'm not under anyone's spell. I know exactly how Mouse feels about me and this place and I have zero intention of making her stay. But why shouldn't I get to have my fun while she's here? To get my payback?"

Marnie's eyes darken as her brows pull together, casting an even bigger shadow over her face from the unforgiving sun. "You better not hurt her," she flip-flops, digging her finger deep into my chest.

"Now it's her feelings you care about?" I ridicule. I hope she realizes how insane she sounds.

"I don't know whose side I'm on. You're both playing a dangerous game and I don't want either of you getting hurt or putting me in the middle. You better know exactly what you're doing."

"We're both consenting adults. Trust me, I'm not doing anything to her that she isn't already begging for," I tease, finally allowing that smirk to pull through as Marnie squirms in discomfort.

"Just keep me out of it."

She turns to walk away, throwing a middle finger behind her back when I mumble, "I thought I was," and then obnoxiously laugh just because I know she hates it.

Chapter 24

Lyla

Denise is back from her Honeymoon. She’s wasted no time giving me the cold shoulder while openly showering Marnie and the girls with gifts from the many places her cruise took her. I usually stay away while she visits, both to avoid any confrontation in front of the girls and to protect myself from any more of the hurtful behavior Denise seems to save specifically for me.

This time, her new husband has joined her. I want to get to know him before I leave, so I hang around while she chases the girls around the house. I know it sounds masochistic to go through her abuse just to ensure she's chosen a life partner who won't do the same thing she's always done to me, but I can't help it. No matter how much venom she throws my way, she's still my mother and I still love her. I'm not sure what kind of lies she’s told him about me though, so I don't know if he really wants me around any more than she does.

"Mouse, your sister tells us you got a movie deal." Tim speaks conversationally, his tone light and friendly.

I nod, sneaking a look at Marnie who is pretending to be distracted by whatever's happening in the kitchen. "I did. It's still in the early stages so a lot can go wrong, but it's really nice to have my story recognized as something worth producing."

"That's definitely huge. Denise almost fell out of her chair when she heard." He glances behind him in the direction of his bride, ensuring she's too busy to hear his next words. "She couldn't stop talking about it on the cruise. Told just about anyone who would listen to her."

Marnie and I share a look. "Really?" I can’t hide my shock. I’ll never get used to hearing that Denise is proud of me in any way, even if she only shows it in small gestures.

“Of course. Look Kid, I know things have been rocky with you and your mom for a long time. I just hope there’s still some space in your heart to forgive her for the past and start looking forward into the future.”

“That’s sweet, but I don’t think Denise wants anything to do with that,” I say with a laugh. Of course, Denise picks that moment to walk into the living room. Marnie and the girls hesitantly trail in behind her.

“With what?” she asks, already adopting a defensive stance.

“I was telling Mouse how excited you were to hear about the book deal,” Tim explains casually. I can tell he’s able to handle her unpredictable mood swings easily. That’ll be good for him in the future. Maybe it's not her I should be worried about being abused.

Denise pretends to pick at her nails. “Yeah, well, I figured that’ll be good once you start getting some real money coming in for your stories. You can finally help us out here.”

I shoot an accusatory look in Marnie’s direction. She’s clearly kept all the financial help I’ve been offering her a secret from our mother. “I’m not sure what that means.”

“It means you went away to college and we were left high and dry to pay the bills,” Denise explains with malice biting at every word. “We were barely staying afloat until Tim came along and helped me out of the financial rut I’d been forced to dig us into after losing your wages from the diner.”

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