Page 177 of What's Left of Us

A frown wrinkles the edges of her mouth. “I don’t even know what I’d do in that situation.”

Hannah throws a chip at her. “You could support your son, for starters.”

Mom shoots her a look. “Hannah Marie! I just vacuumed the floor!”

“If Lincoln had a dog, it’d clean that up,” she defends, popping another chip in her mouth and getting crumbs on herself.

“I’m not getting a dog,” I tell her.

Mom picks the chip up. “I always support your brother. But I can’t help but feel for Georgia a little. She obviously wants what’s best for her father. I would hate to be put in a position where I had to choose. Family is important, and she was split between the one she was born into and the one she married. That couldn’t have been easy.”

My lips twitch. “It should have been.”

Sympathy coats her face. “Life rarely has choices that are easy to make, sweetie. That’s all I’m saying.”

We fall to silence as Beaugard ends the press conference by telling the media that he’ll keep them updated on new charges as they come. Which means they must have gotten a lot from their warrant. I make a mental note to show up at the station with his favorite donut and a coffee to see if he’ll tell me anything.

It’s doubtful, but worth a shot.

“You should get an English bulldog,” Hannah pipes up. “I’ve always wanted one of those. A girl named Frankie.”

“I’m not getting a fucking bulldog. If you want one so badly, you get one.”

“Mom and Dad won’t let me get a dog.”

“Then get your own place.”

She frowns. “Forget a dog. You should get laid so you’re not such a grump.”

Our mother groans. “Little shits,” she repeats, walking out of the room and plugging her ears. “I guess that’ll never change.”

Snorting, I lean back in the armchair. “I’m not trying to be a dick. Eventually, you’ll want your own place after you graduate.”

“In three years.”

“Three years go by quickly.”

She frowns.

I can tell she’s nervous. “You’ll figure it out.”

She’s contemplative, staring into her bag of Doritos that she stole from my snack cupboard. It doesn’t take her long to snap out of it. “Mom isn’t totally wrong, you know.”

My brows pinch. “About what?”

“I may not know Georgia as well as you, but she never came off as a malicious person. I’m not saying take her back or anything. We all want you to be happy and move on with your life. But maybe this”—she gestures toward the TV—“is the chance for you to close that chapter of your life once and for all.I know you care about her enough to make sure her father can’t do anything, but she’s not your responsibility anymore.”

So, she feels bad for Georgia too.

I guess my ex-wife had a lot of people fooled.

Me most of all.

“I heard Opal is single.” She starts laughing when I shoot her a glare.

“You and Mom are relentless.”

She throws a chip at me. “Opal wouldn’t be dumb enough to date you anyway.”

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