It was fine. She was fine. She’d talk to Teri, and they’d decide what to do together.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Teri’s car pulled into the driveway behind her, and Teri jumped out.
“Lillian!” she called. “Sorry I didn’t get here before you, I thought for sure I would—are you okay?”
She was staring at Lillian through the window. Lillian wondered what on Earth she looked like to be putting that expression on her sister’s face.
Slowly, she opened the door and got out of the car, retrieved her bag and purse, and said, “How about let’s go inside.”
Teri nodded immediately and led the way. They made it inside without any further attack or harassment, fortunately for Lillian’s composure.
Teri pulled her into the living room and sat her down on the couch. “What’s wrong? Apart from the obvious, I mean.”
Lillian took a deep breath. “I only—I was at Cal’s, and I had to come back because—” She stopped.
Teri frowned. “Did something happen at Cal’s? Is Cal okay?”
“He’s fine!” Lillian rubbed her forehead. “It’s nothing.”
Teri put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. It’s not nothing. You’re really upset about something, what is it?”
“I just—I think I made a stupid mistake,” Lillian whispered.
Teri rubbed her shoulder, still frowning. “You? You never make stupid mistakes.”
“Are you joking?” Lillian snapped. “I married a stupid mistake!”
Teri jumped. “Wow, okay,” she said slowly. “I never really thought about it like that, I guess? Marriages don’t work out sometimes. I just figured you and Lew grew apart or something.”
Lillian shook her head, blinking hard. “No, he was—it was dumb to marry him. If I hadn’t, none of this would be happening.”
“None of this,” Teri repeated. “You mean the mountain lions? What does Lew have to do with that?”
Slowly, haltingly, Lillian explained. Her cheeks burned as she talked. She’d never told Teri about Lew’s faults, about the debt, and the real reason she’d moved back in with their parents. Neither her mother or her father ever spoke directly about Lillian’s financial troubles, and Lillian knew it was because they, like her, were ashamed that she’d been so stupid as to land herself in this situation. So Teri had never learned what really happened.
As she spoke, Teri’s eyes went wide with shock, and then her expression turned to outrage. “That jerk! I can’t believe he’d do that! How could he possibly—what an asshole.” The last word was savage. “I ought to go find him and teach him a lesson. Where does he live?”
Lillian was surprised into a choked laugh at Teri’s sudden protectiveness. “You can’t go teach him a lesson!”
“Why not?” Teri asked. “He deserves it.” She was wearing a furiously determined expression that Lillian recognized from past confrontations with their mother.
“Because—” Lillian suddenly wasn’t sure what reason would convince Teri that this was a silly idea. “Because you have to stay here with me right now,” she finally said.
“When Zach gets home, I am out that door, then,” Teri amended.
“No, Teri—it was my own stupid fault for not realizing what was going on,” Lillian said. “I’m an adult, I chose to marry him, and these were the consequences. I’ve accepted that.”
Teri seemed to be barely listening. “Wait, so that’s why you moved in with Mom and Dad? It is, isn’t it? You don’t even want to be there. You’re just putting up with all of her bullshit because you have to, because of the money.” She frowned. “No way. You should come live with us. We have a spare room now that Joel and Nina are up in the cabin full-time.”
“Teri, I cannot move in with you and your fiancé!” Lillian insisted. “Zach doesn’t even know me. That’s ridiculous.”
“I didn’t know Joel,” Teri pointed out. “We made it work. Sort of.”
“Sort of isn’t good enough,” Lillian said dryly.
Teri frowned. “Okay, well, we’ll talk about this when Zach gets home, then. I’m so sorry I never knew.”
“I didn’t want you to know,” Lillian said heavily. “I was too ashamed.”