Page 57 of So Wrong It Must Be Right

“He’s been great,” Dinah assured her.

“Then why are you crying? You never cry. I assumed it had to be a guy.”

“Not exactly yes and not exactly . . .” It was then Dinah realized there were boxes everywhere. Dinah could only blink and stare at the evidence Kayla was . . . getting ready to move? “What’s going on?” Dinah demanded, pointing at a half-packed box.

“Let’s focus on you right now.”

“But you’re moving!”

“Not far, and it’s not important right now. What’s far more important is that you’re crying. What’s wrong?”

“I take it you didn’t hear your father’s screech of rage from ten blocks away?”

Kayla frowned. “Dad hasn’t spoken to me since I quit.”

“Carter and Simone and I presented our idea to the board, and they approved it. We’ll be working with Carter to create a completely local portion of the menu.”

Kayla smiled. “That’s great. Really. It’s a fantastic idea, and I hope it works out. But that doesn’t explain why you’re upset.”

“Grandmother summoned me into her office.”

“Oh.” Kayla let out a long breath and started moving boxes off the couch. “We need to sit for this.”

“How do you know?”

Kayla gave Dinah a nudge onto the couch before taking a seat next to her. “Grandmother never brings us into her office unless it’s bad. In fact, the only time she’s ever had me come in her office was when I quit.”

“How did that go? You haven’t talked to me. I didn’t . . .” Dinah hadn’t tried, which wasn’t like her either, but Kayla’s rejection of Gallagher’s felt like a personal rejection too.

Kayla looked away, but there was an odd smile on her face. “I needed a clean break from all things Gallagher, and I love you, Dinah, so much, but I knew you didn’t understand that. But it was good. I mean, does it suck that Dad won’t talk to me and Grandmother’s cutting me off? Sure. But I needed it. Ineedit. So I’m fine. You’re the one crying.”

“I hate that we fought.” Because she’d missed this. Missed her cousin and her friend.

“I do too, and I think I’m getting close to a place where . . . I just . . . I don’t want anything to do with Gallagher’s right now. Not Dad. Not Grandmother.”

“Not me.”

Kayla sighed. “I will gladly accept Dinah my friend and my cousin, but Dinah Gallagher, future director of operations, is not welcome in my life right now. I’m really sorry, but for once I have to do something that’s right for me.”

“But those things are all me! They interconnect and I can’t keep them separate. I tried with Carter, and even that didn’t work. I am Gallagher’s in my bones. I can’t be only your friend or only your cousin. I’m all of it.”

“It sounds like you need a break,” Kayla said gently.

“I do not need a break.” Dinah jumped to her feet, panic giving her the energy she’d been missing. “I’m not taking a break. Gallagher’s is everything to me.”

Kayla looked away. “I love you, but maybe you should go.”

Dinah felt the tears rushing back all over again, and she hated this. She hated being a whiny crybaby all of a sudden, but nothing was going right and everything felt hard.

“Before I go, will you just . . . let me just tell you this.” Her voice was wavering and the tears were threatening, but she had to talk to someone.

She knew how Carter would feel about it. It would hurt his feelings and he would get weird, and she couldn’t talk to him about it until she knew exactly what she wanted to do. Then she could convince him whatever she needed to do was the right thing. But she couldn’t do that until she knew what was right.

Kayla waited, sad blue eyes downcast, and Dinah had to swallow the lump in her throat.

“Grandmother told me she would suggest me to the board as director of operations instead of Craig, on one condition.”

Kayla’s soft expression changed immediately. “Let me guess: The condition was totally realistic and normal and not at all insane.”

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