Page 60 of Eleven of a Kind

“What a surprise. If I would have known you were coming over, I would have cleaned up a bit.” She walked into the living room, grabbed two empty tequila bottles off the coffee table, and took them into the kitchen.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” I said, setting my purse down.

“I was going to call you,” she said.

“You were?”

“Yeah.” She grabbed a bottle of wine and poured some into a glass. “Would you like a glass?”

“Mom, it’s noon.”

“It’s five o’clock somewhere.” She smiled.

I sighed as I sat down at the kitchen table. “Why were you going to call me?”

“I need to borrow some money. I’m behind on the mortgage, and the stupid bank sent me a letter.”

“How are you behind?”

“I lost my job a month ago, and I’ve been struggling.”

“You were fired again, weren’t you?”

“My boss was an asshole.” She poured another glass of wine.

“Why this time? Wait. Don’t tell me. You missed too many days because you were too hungover to go to work, right?”

“Piper, stop it!” she shouted. “I have problems in my life right now, and I don’t need your judgment! Can you help me or not?”

“How far behind in the mortgage are you?”

“Six months.”

“Six months? Mom, come on.”

“Don’t you dare!” She pointed at me. “I raised you by myself when your father walked out on us. You owe me.”

I stood up from my chair and grabbed my purse.

“The only thing you ever raised was a liquor bottle. I’ll go to the bank in the morning and pay the damn mortgage. But this is the last time.” I walked to the front door, stopped, and turned around. “Get some help, Mom.” I shook my head and walked out.

CHAPTER22

Gabriel

I stepped through the sliding door at Shaun’s house and put the six-pack of beer in the refrigerator.

“Where did you go this morning?” Grayson asked. “I noticed your car was gone.”

“I had to drive Riley to a pottery studio in Santa Monica, and then I drove Piper home.”

“I’m telling you, cousin,” Stefan walked over and patted my back, “just build her one.”

“Wait a second. What do you mean you drove Piper home?” Grayson asked. “I thought you did that last night when you left us.”

I twisted the cap off the beer bottle and walked into the living room where my cousins were sitting.

“We didn’t make it to her apartment last night. I was supposed to drive her home early this morning, but I set the alarm for six p.m. instead of a.m. Riley woke us up at ten o’clock.”

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