Page 51 of I Wish We Weren't Related

“What?”All three sisters turned to look at her. “When?”

“He only mentioned it a couple of times. I got the sense it was when you girls were young. But if you don’t remember it, maybe I’ve got things wrong.”

Jaya shook her head. “It must have been after us. There is no way Mum would have let us have a pet. That would take the attention away from her. Not to mention the molting hair—she doesn’t really do germs.”

Sita nodded. “Jaya’s right. But it’s interesting that Dad was a pet person. It’s not what I would have expected for him.” She gestured toward the room. “What with his whole spartan self-denial vibe.”

“I love that he had a cat,” said Reeva, picking up her cup of chai. “I feel like we would have got on.”

Jaya nodded. “I hear you. The more I hear about him, the more I like him. He soundsnice.I know it sounds harsh, but if one of our parents was going to be fake dead, I wish it had been Mum, not Dad.”

Sita sighed in agreement. “Yeah, he sounds a lot more normal than her. I bet he wouldn’t have shoved us into boarding school. Or made us get our legs waxed at age ten.Andhe has photos of his grandchildren in his house. Things Mum would never do...”

Satya Auntie smiled. “He was very different from your mum. But I know for a fact they’ve both always loved you. They just had... different ways of showing it.”

“Yeah, they really did not have the same love language,” said Jaya.

“Exactly.” Satya Auntie laughed. “Your dad showed his love by providing for you financially, keeping track of your lives, and I suppose by keeping his distance for whatever reason. While your mum... well, her way is more...”

“Individual?” offered Reeva.

“Selfish?” suggested Jaya.

“Nonexistent,” concluded Sita. “More chai anyone?”

—

Reeva sat ona park bench watching Amisha and Alisha attack each other on the playground. She wasn’t sure when she was meant to intervene, but she figured she’d wait till they drew blood. She pulled out her phone and reread her latest message from Nick.I’m so sorry I can’t make it to the funeral tomorrow, Reeva. I have to go to LA for a couple of days with one of my clients. Wish I could get out of it. But I promise I’ll come see you straight after. Have you got any closer to finding things out? Lots of love, Nx.

Twenty-four hours ago, this would have tipped Reeva into a panic-induced internet trawl as she tried to find out whether he was lying or not—and exactly what Hot Lips’s schedule for the week looked like. But after her chat with Jaya, she felt better.Nick was just an lcb. He didn’t have to turn up to her estranged dad’s funeral. And she didn’t have to freak out about it. She could just... reply.

Oh, that’s a shame but I understand. Which client is it? A few more clues here, but nothing concrete. Call me when you can, and I’ll fill you in. Rx

She reread it before pressing send, impressed by her naturally keen-but-not-too-keen tone. It was perfectly lowercase girlfriend, and she hadn’t even planned it out in her draft messages. Just ditching the capital letters from their relationship was making everything so much easier. She didn’t have to worry so much. She could just let things be.

Her phone rang.

“Lakshmi! I am so glad to hear from you. How are you?”

“I miss you,” cried her best friend. “I’m sorry I’ve been so shit. Work has just been way too much, and that bloody cat takes up any energy I have left over. I have no idea how you take care of her on your own. You know I’ve had to ask Lee to let me work from home two days a week so I can look after her? I finally get how working mums feel.”

Reeva laughed. “Don’t let them hear you say that. How is FP?”

“Awful and perfect. She’s currently sitting on my foot. Which means I can’t move and have had to hold in my pee for the last hour.”

“Wow. I can’t believe my cat has you so well trained.”

“Don’t. I’ve always prided myself on not letting a man tell me what to do, but now I’m bending over backward for a feline. It’s shameful.”

“Ahh, I’m so excited to see you tomorrow! I miss you. And Ihave so much to tell you. You know, I’ve been having real conversations with Jaya and Sita. And oh my god, Jaya apologized!”

“About fucking time! What did she say?”

“It wasn’t bad, actually. Genuine. She’d listened to a podcast on how to apologize.”

“Of course she had. And what did you say back?”

“I accepted her apology. I didn’t think I would. But I’m sick of hating her so much.”

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