Lacey’s stomach tightened. Saved by the fifty-year-old cheerleader. Brandi walked into the living room with a smile. That smile faded slightly as she saw Lacey, but she soon rallied and walked over. Her father immediately placed an arm around his wife’s waist, giving her a soft look.
“Hello, Lacey, are you enjoying our little celebration?” Brandi asked in a voice that sounded way too young for her age.
Lacey nodded. “Thanks for inviting me.”
Thanks for inviting me? Really? This is supposed to be my home.
But then, it hadn’t felt like home in years.
“Well, thank you for coming. I hope you still consider this your home and will come back whenever you like. You’re always welcome.”
Well, thanks for telling me I’m welcome in my own home.
Be nice, Lacey.
“Thanks.”
Brandi looked up at the wall of Brax. “There are some nice photos up here. Your father took down the ones with your mother. I told him he didn’t have to, but he wanted to make me feel more at home. He’s a sweetie that way.”
He sure was.
“When I asked him where the photos of you were, he said you were camera shy and didn’t like getting your photo taken as a child. Said you used to run away whenever it came out.”
Funny, that wasn’t the way she remembered things. They hadn’t put up photos of her because she hadn’t mattered as much as Brax. Because they’d blamed her for his death.
Her anger stirred.
An awkward silence fell between the three of them.
“Darling, could you help me bring the dishes in?” she asked her father.
“Of course.” Her father smiled.
Brandi took hold of his empty glass. “I’ll put this in the dishwasher. It was nice to finally meet you, Lacey.”
“You too,” Lacey said before the other woman walked away.
“Brandi doesn’t want me drinking as much. Thinks it will put me in the grave early and she wants as much time with me as possible. You could have had that if only you’d tried a bit harder.”
Right. Because she hadn’t been trying hard her entire life. To be the best, to be the smartest, to have him notice her. All for nothing.
“Sure, Dad. I’ll try hard to make you proud. Like Brax would have done if he were still alive.”
He nodded solemnly and she realized he was never going to understand she was being sarcastic. Without another word, she turned around. She was done here. Done with trying to make him happy. Done with trying to make up for something that wasn’t her fault. Now she realized that all she felt towards him was anger. Anger that for so many years he’d made her feel like she wasn’t good enough, that her brother’s death was her fault. Anger that he couldn’t be a better parent.
Coming home had shown her nothing had changed. There was still no getting through to him. She wasn’t going to settle any demons this way. She walked away.
She was done.
***
“You sneaking off?”
Lacey cried out then turned, holding her hand to her chest. “Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“Feeling guilty will do that to you,” Travis said slowly crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against her rental car.
“It’s rude to sneak off without saying goodbye,” he told her.