“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“They live in Seattle,” she says. “You know them. Well, you know Autumn and her brother—”
“It’s not a crime to know some of your listeners. Teddy is a fan. Should I give you a list of the people I know who listen to you?” I don’t mean to interrupt her mid-sentence, but I have to be proactive. The next thing I know, she’s going to drag her sister into this conversation.
Two years. We’ve known each other for two years, and she’s never said, Hey, so you should get over Callie. I want it to stay that way.
She crosses her arms and leans forward. “Okay, let’s stop playing around. What’s the plan?”
“Plan?” I ask, confused. I glance at Ford, who doesn’t say anything. What happened to brotherhood and being there for each other? He’s leaving me to the lion. She’s going to devour me and throw my body into the ocean.
“You have a plan. For the past couple of years, you’ve been on this kick to save every person you encounter and more. You know Autumn. I bet you already know how you’re going to come to her aid.”
“Persy,” Ford says with a warning voice.
I glance at Ford, who is glaring at her and shaking his head.
“Why does this feel like an intervention?”
“It’s not, or you’d have Nyx and Livy here too,” Ford says. “My wife is a little nosey.”
“I think what you do is extraordinary. You use your fortune to help people,” Persy says.
“But?”
“There’s no but. I just want to know how you plan to help Autumn and Matilda.”
I stare at her suspiciously. “Why do I have the feeling there’s some ulterior motive or a hidden agenda behind this?”
She shakes her head. “You’re overthinking everything. I just want to know the plan so I can help you.”
I eye Ford, who shrugs.
“Maybe I can offer her a job at the coffee shop or pay for a babysitter while she takes that long bath,” I offer. “I don’t know yet, okay? It’s weird to just drop back into her life and say, ‘here’s a hand, hold onto it so I can get you out of that hole.’”
“It sounds like she could use a friend. Instead of listening to my podcast, go and see her.”
I laugh. “So, I just show up and say, ‘’sup can I babysit your kid?’ That wouldn’t be creepy at all.”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic.” She stands up and walks toward me with her laptop in hand. She opens a folder called Matilda that has more than twenty thousand emails.
“What are those?”
“Emails from listeners who want to learn more about Matilda and how they can help her mom.”
A new email pops in.
From: Stella McEntire
To: Life with Persy
Subject: Matchmaking
I think Autumn is perfect for my brother. We should set them up.
Stella
“Why are you scowling at the screen?” Persy asks.
I don’t like the attention this is getting. Autumn would hate it. I remember when they took her dad to jail. The next day, Mrs. Wickerton sent Aiden and Autumn to school as if nothing had happened. She didn’t care if there was an angry mob waiting for her children. Mr. Wickerton stole from some families. They blamed Aiden and Autumn.
Burke, Seth, Archer, and I took charge of the situation. Arch and Seth tried to control the angry mob while Burke and I drove them to my house. Seth’s parents helped them move to Silver Lake to one of Mom’s properties.
My parents were upset with Mr. Wickerton, but they were supportive of their family. It wasn’t their fault that his father and business partners were thieves. I recall Autumn’s fears. She hated that everyone hated her, but even more, she despised the pity.
“I know this is getting you listeners, but it’s her life, and you shouldn’t. You’re comfortable selling your life and your family but these people—”
“This isn’t about fun and getting listeners. My family is off-limits. Do I mention my grump and the kids? Yes, but no one knows them, and no one will ever know that I’m married to Ford or see the faces of my children. I do this to help. Matilda stole my heart. You’re talking about a six-year-old kid who is focused on making her mother happy. She’s my hero. I’m not airing Autumn’s interview unless she agrees to it, and I’d never dare to force the situation. I’m going to have Nyx look into the signed releases from Matilda’s uncle. It might be a fun gesture from him, but it might not be one-hundred-percent legal.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like…”
“Callie?”
I nod.
“Since you’re already pissed at me, let’s go there. I love my sister. I’ll never stop loving her, even when she’s been gone for years, even when she hated me. I love her. Nothing will replace her memory. I understand she’s your wife and that—”
“Please don’t go there,” I plead because I don’t want to confront my truth.
“It kills me to see you half living.”
“You’re right, and maybe I should start by moving on and stopping the unhealthy relationship I have with her family.” I don’t say another word and leave the house.
Before I get into the rental car, I spot Ford. “That was too fucking dramatic.”
“She has no right to tell me how to live,” I argue.
“She’s worried about you. We’re concerned. I understand if you don’t want to come back, but you’re part of the family.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Everyone is fucking worried about me, but there’s nothing wrong with me. I’m dealing with it and handling everything one day at a time.”
“It’s okay to take a Brassard break. They can be a handful.”
“If I take a break from everyone who wants me to move on, then I’d have to avoid my family too.”
“You do avoid them.” Ford chuckles. “Hence why you’re here a lot. We like that you come often. As I said, you’re a part of this rowdy, noisy family, but the ladies are concerned about you.”
“I’m okay,” I assure him.
“I want to believe you, but you seem like you’re having trouble keeping your shit together. Something is eating you alive. I can’t understand what you’re going through. It’s impossible to think what I’d do without Persy. She’s the love of my life. All I can say is that you’re here, and you might as well try to live the best life you can.”
The guilt takes hold of me again. A pair of hands choking me, trying to kill me because I don’t deserve to be here.
“I don’t even know if Callie was the love of my life.” The words come out of my mouth before I can register them. I close my eyes and cover my mouth for a second.
“It’s okay,” Ford says.
I open my eyes and shake my head. “It’s not okay. By the end, we were almost abusive with each other. We fought a lot. Everything was a fucking problem. She couldn’t stand my family. She hated the idea of Burke. We harbored secrets from her. She felt like an outsider because my brother and I had our own language.