“He hurt his back trying to lift a tire he had no business going near in the first place.”
And there it was. The reason for her call. Undoubtedly, my dad’s injury meant he was unable to do as much around the house, so she’d called me.
“He okay?” I asked.
“He’ll be fine. Lying around on the couch, milking it every chance he gets.”
I laughed softly. “I’m sure.” Silence lingered on both ends of the phone for what felt like a long time. “Can I do anything to help?” If I waited long enough, she’d ask anyway, so I put it out there first.
“Yeah, if you have the time. Just some yard work and stuff. The grass is getting pretty long, and that branch finally fell off that tree in the backyard the other day. It can probably just be broken up and tossed into the woods.”
“Okay, I’ll get time at some point to come over this week. What’s Cody up to? He should be doing some of it too.”
My brother still lived at home, and there was no reason he shouldn’t be helping if I could find time to.
“I could ask him if I ever saw him. He’s never home.”
Sounded like Cody. “I’ll call him.”
“Thanks, Andrew. The girls and I miss you around here.” She said “girls” like they were all jumping rope and playing dress-up. Two of the three “girls” were older than me but still lived at home, mooching off my parents, who barely had anything to give.
“I miss you too.” And it was true. I did miss them. I just didn’t miss that life. It was why I’d moved out when I was old enough to get a job that paid for a small apartment and why I only talked to a couple of my buddies from high school.
I’d realized shortly after graduation that if I were going to go anywhere in life, be anything, I’d need to distance myself from the people and places that were holding me back. And then, when I’d agreed to “sub” for Brody, I’d all but cut them off completely.
I didn’t know for sure, but I had a pretty good feeling they’d have opinions about my choices that I didn’t care to hear. I knew damn well they thought college was a waste of time and money, and I didn’t think their perspective would change just because I wasn’t paying for it—especially since I wasn’t even getting college credits for them. It wasn’t something they’d be on board with, and I didn’t need any more doubt infiltrating my mind. I already doubted myself enough.
It was the reason I’d always been so protective of Cody. I wanted better for him than he wanted for himself. He was a good kid with a sharp mind. I didn’t tell him that enough. No one did. It’d be good for both of us to spend some time together, even if it was cleaning up our parents’ yard.
“Have you guys thought about Cody’s birthday?”
“What about it?” my mom asked. “It’s not until December.”
“Yeah, but it’s his eighteenth. I thought we could do something special for him.”
“What’d you have in mind? We never did anything special for the rest of you.”
That was true, though her argument didn’t do much to help her maternal image. She meant well. She and my dad both did, but there was no giving five kids anything more than they needed.
“I don’t know. Just like a small party or something.”
My mom was quiet for a few seconds. “You think we could have it at Rafferty’s? Do you guys have a back room or something? Maybe the owner’d give us a deal.”
My first choice would not have been to volunteer the bar as a place for my kid brother’s birthday party, but my mom clearly wasn’t offering their house as a venue, and something was better than nothing. There was no way they could afford to rent a place out.
“I can check.”
“Okay, we can make it a surprise!” she said, suddenly enthusiastic. “Let me know if you need any help with the planning or anything. I’m sure the girls would be happy to help too.”
“Sure, okay. And I’ll let you know when Cody and I can help with the yard work.”
We said our goodbyes, and as I hung up the phone, I wondered how I always seemed to bite off more than I could chew. I was currently taking higher-level college classes, working almost full-time, helping someone run for sorority president, and now I was planning a surprise party.
My life was almost unrecognizable. And it made me happier than I’d been in a while until I remembered much of it wasn’t really my life.
By the time I made it back out to the living room, my group was packing up to leave.
“I think I just agreed to plan a party,” I said, scratching my head as I let my conversation with my mom sink in.
Aniyah shook her head. “Does every member of the Mason family need a lesson on why parties are manufactured popularity contests?”
“Apparently,” I said.
Aniyah just shook her head again and threw the last of her books into her enormous purse. We’d gotten a good amount accomplished, and once everyone knew what their individual responsibilities were, they headed out. Carter was still there, about to begin his study session with Sophia. He pointed to her room now that I wasn’t in there and told her he was going to get set up.
Once he was out of earshot, Sophia said, “Everything okay? You seemed like you weren’t expecting her to call.”
“Yeah. Fine. She just needed me to help with some stuff around the house.” I pressed my hands into my eyes before massaging my temples. “And then I somehow agreed to plan a surprise party for my brother.”
“Yikes.” She winced.
I’m sure my face showed just how daunting I found the whole process, even if it was only a birthday party for my little brother.
“I also think I somehow made it my idea, which means I can only blame myself for whatever work I have ahead of me.”
She smiled widely, raising her eyebrows in a way that made me nervous for what she was about to say. “I’ll help you plan your party if you help me plan mine.”
It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Chapter Fifteen
S O P H I A
I was straightening up my—well, Brody’s—bedroom when I heard a distinct ringtone coming from my phone, which was charging on the bedside table. I took a deep breath before picking it up and answering.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Sophia.” Her tone was clipped as sharply as her chestnut bob. Everything about Kate Mason was severe and angular, and while she could, at times, be as warm as a bonfire, she could also ice someone out with a simple stare. It depended on her mood. And her mood right now sounded positively glacial.
“What’s new?” I asked as I sank onto the side of the bed, trying to sound upbeat and sincere.
“Quite a bit, it would seem. I just got off the phone with Vivian. You do remember Mrs. Follett, don’t you? Macy’s mother? The conversation was…enlightening.”
And here I thought things had already gotten as bad as they could get. What an idiot I was. Of course, I knew that it was a possibility that someone in my sorority would tell their parents about the house drama, but I hadn’t really thought that my name would get back to my mom.