Page 106 of Falling Overboard

“You’re not funny.”

“I think I have promise.”

My phone beeped and I reached for it. I turned so that I was flat on my back, Hunter’s head right next to mine.

Rose had texted.

We need that money for Chauncy’s vet bill.

I already sent that to you.

That was the down payment. Half up front. We need the other half.

“Is their dog getting plastic surgery or something? Why is it so much?” I glanced at him and he added, “I’m sorry for reading over your shoulder.”

I nodded. “It’s okay.” I didn’t mind that he had.

What kind of surgery was it?

I saw the three dots blinking at me but Rose didn’t respond.

Instead Lily stepped in.

Hey Lucky! Rose was mistaken. We don’t need the money for surgery. We actually need it for rent.

Which I already sent you this month.

I know, and we’re so grateful and we’re totally going to pay you back. But we need it for next month because we’re so behindon our credit card bills and they are threatening to send us to collections.

This wasn’t sustainable. Hunter didn’t say anything but he didn’t have to. And even though he kept his opinions about my sisters and their money asks to himself, I could imagine what he might say if I asked him for his input.

He probably would have told me that I wasn’t responsible for my sisters. That they needed to grow up and learn to take care of themselves. That I wasn’t doing them any favors by continuing to enable them to make poor financial decisions.

With shaking hands I pushed the button to call Lily and put it on speakerphone.

“Hello? Lucky?”

“Hi. Is Rose there with you?”

“She is. I’ll put you on speaker. Okay, we’re both here. What’s going on? Will you be able to send us the money?”

My body started to tremble and I felt his arms around me, strengthening me. “No.”

There was a long pause. Then Lily said, “We must have a bad connection. Did you say no?”

“I’m not going to send you any more money. The two of you have to figure out how to take care of yourselves. You’re adult women with full-time jobs. I can’t afford to keep financing your lifestyles. You need to make better decisions. Learn to budget. Spend less than you earn.”

He kissed the side of my head.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Rose piped in. “You don’t have any expenses.”

“I know that. But when I did, nobody bailed me out. I had to do it on my own, and both of you can do the same thing.”

Then Lily went straight for the jugular. In a weepy voice she said, “You’re our sister. We don’t have anyone else to turn to.”

The trembling got worse and his arms went tighter. “I am your sister and I always will be. But you can’t keep asking me to give up on my future for your present. I have dreams and things I want to accomplish and I work really, really hard for it. You should want that for me. I want that for both of you. Because I love you.”

There was no response and then my screen changed to indicate that my sisters had hung up on me.

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