Music blared in the living room as I sat on the end of the couch near the lamp on the side table in the corner. I was working on a ring design for Davina and Astrid. They hadn’t asked for it, but after taking a thorough inventory of their likes and dislikes as seen in their apartment, I had some ideas for the rings. Just in case.
Unfortunately, I liked my music loud, so I didn’t hear the front door opening until Dermot and my mom strode inside.
Adrenaline flooded me when I saw my mother, and I fumbled for my phone to cut the music. I hurried to my feet, noting the intensity of my mom’s expression.
Dermot closed the front door behind him.
Oh, shit.
My stomach flipped unpleasantly.
Apart from dark circles under her eyes, my mom looked good. She was tall and slender and looked young in her skinny jeans, Blondie T-shirt, and suede jacket. There was no gray in her dark, shoulder-length hair so I knew she dyed it because I’d started getting gray in mine when I was twenty-nine.
Her hazel eyes met my blue ones and fear held me frozen in place by the couch.
That look in her eyes, the one she’d had when she’d spoken to me last, was still there. All these years and it had never faded.
“What are you doing here?” My eyes flicked to Dermot.
“How dare you?” Mom seethed. “How dare you stand in my house and ask that?”
“Mom.” Dermot put his hand on her shoulder. “You said it was time to talk to her. So let’s talk.”
“Your father came to see me the other day.” Mom took a few steps farther into the room, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “You turned him against me.”
“What?” I shook my head, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play stupid, Dahlia. You’re the reason our marriage fell apart. You’re the reason my life turned to shit!”
Suddenly, I was twenty-two again, hurtling back in time. “You still blame me for Dillon?”
“No one is saying that.” Dermot stepped between us. “But you left when we needed to stick together, and it fucked us all up. You need to take responsibility for that.”
I agreed. “I do. I have. That’s why I’m here. But that’s not why she’s here.” I looked past him to my mom. “Dad confronted you about what you said and did to me before I left, didn’t he?”
That’s what he’d been stewing over for days.
“What?” Dermot looked at Mom. “What did you say? What did you do?”
She didn’t take her eyes off me. “The truth.”
I flinched like she’d slapped me. Again. “I’m sorry that he’s mad about that, but I needed them to know why I didn’t just leave.”
“You should have stayed gone.”
“Wait … I’m confused.” Dermot frowned. “What is she talking about?”
Mom’s gaze softened on him. “What we’ve always talked about. That’s she to blame, and she’s manipulative, and she should have stayed gone.”
Dermot shook his head. “That’s not what we talked about.” He turned, glaring at me. “What the fuck are you talking about? What did you tell Dad? More lies?”
I narrowed my eyes on my gullible brother who ran to take Mom’s side in every family argument growing up. Just like Dillon had. “I started to drink after Dillon … after Dillon died.”
He curled his lip. “We’re fully aware of how badly you handled Dillon’s death.”
I glared at him. “I didn’t start drinking just because of Dillon.”
“Oh, here we go.” Mom pushed past Dermot. “You’re going to lay that fuckin’ mistake at my feet too?”