Page 37 of Loan Wolf
Clara unlocked the door to the hotel.
“Hey, big sis!”
Clara did a double take. “You aren’t Mama.”
“Happy to see you, too.” Vicky was lying on Clara’s bed playing on her phone. “I guess you’re having some big shot performance. Papa couldn’t come, so he sent me. I drove through miles of cows to get here.”
Clara groaned. “It’s not a big shot performance. It’s a stupid small town theatre revue with a bunch of local acts.”
“They’re sold out,” Vicky said, snapping her gum. “Guess it’s a big shot for Green Valley. Linda Turner says it’s going to put the town on the map.”
“The theatre is, maybe,” Clara said, pulling off her sneakers and putting them by the desk. Vicky’s shoes were haphazardly left in the middle of the aisle between the beds. “Not me personally. You didn’t have to come, you know.”
“And not support my famous sister? It would bring dishonor upon the family.”
Clara didn’t mean to wince, but Vicky sat up. “Hey, what’s wrong?” She had perfected her image of careless teenager, but she was actually very astute. She and Clara had always been close and Clara wished now that she was as self-absorbed as she seemed, or that Clara had been able to hide her emotional turmoil better.
“Nothing,” Clara grumbled. “I’m famous and don’t want to dishonor the family.”
“Is this about that boy?”
That boy.
Gabe.
She loved Gabe.
“What did Mama tell you?” Clara could feel her throat closing with grief and confusion.
“He sounds exciting,” Vicky said, tossing her phone to the side. “Dish!”
“There’s nothing to dish,” Clara protested as she kicked Vicky’s shoes aside and set on the bed opposite from her. “I mean, we…sort of hooked up. But I…don’t know anything.” She desperately wanted to know.
“Is he cute?”
“So cute.”
“Is he smart?”
“So smart.”
“Is he funny?”
“So funny.”
“You’re giving me nothing,” Vicky complained. “Do I have to drag every little bit out of you? How old is he?”
“Older than me.”
“Does he have a car?”
“A truck. And a bike shop.”
Vicky’s eyes lit up. “A motorcycle shop? In Green Valley?”
“No, freak. A mountain bike shop. I rented a bike.”
“Of course you would,” Vicky scoffed. “Save the environment and shit.”
