Trials and Tiaras (Untouchable #7) - Heather Long Page 0,55

I went through the line again and got her a little extra of each, including some refried beans. I wanted some myself, but Frankie would kill me so I left them. For now.

Back at the table, she put her phone down as I set the new plate in front of her. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah, Mom just wanted to know where we were since we weren’t at home.”

“She wants us to bring food home for her.”

Trina pointed her forefinger at me and cocked her thumb like a gun. “Yep.” This time at least, when she dug into the food, she ate it with some actual gusto. And she talked about a lot of stuff and nothing. School. Her friends. What she’d like to do with her weekends with Dad. Saving up for driver’s ed. What they were going to do for a car when I left and wasn’t there to ferry her around.

It was nice. I offered helpful suggestions, mostly involving the boys she listed on her friends list, but the tears were gone from her eyes and she was definitely more upbeat. Only when we were in the car and on the way back with dinner for Mom did I bring us back to the topic.

“I need you to do me a favor.”

“Depends,” she answered. “I don’t want to clean the bathroom this week. It’s your turn, even if you use Frankie’s more than ours.”

“That’s fine, I already said I’d stick to my half of the chores, though you’ll have to get used to doing without me soon enough.” It was testing the waters, and she shrugged.

“I’m starting to see the upside of it.”

“Brat.”

“Pfft. What’s the favor?”

“Don’t bottle this shit up,” I told her. “Don’t suck it in so deep and not say anything that you make yourself miserable. You’ve been upset about this for weeks, and instead of talking to me or to Mom or even the therapist about it, you’ve just been stewing on it and hurting yourself. I need you to talk to me before things get bad. Yell at me. Throw something at my head. But talk to me and let me help. Can you do that?”

A long, almost thoughtful sigh, and she didn’t answer me immediately. I’d rather she took the time to think about it, so I didn’t push her. She made me wait until I parked before she answered too.

Little shit.

“I’ll try,” she said finally. “I don’t think I really knew what was upsetting me before you made me go eat and I didn’t want to be there. Then I was mad at you for making me spend the time, and that didn’t make any sense that I was mad at you for leaving and for making me spend time with you.” She shot me an apologetic look.

“It’s all good. I’m your brother, I have to love you, even when you’re a brat. It’s in my contract.”

“Ass,” she growled, laughing as she got out of the car. I walked her to the apartment with the food.

“Piece of advice,” I offered as I held the food over for her to take. She didn’t even question it. I was going to go check on Frankie, period. “Go in there and talk to Mom like you talked to me. Tell her how you’re feeling and listen to her if she tells you how she is. Then do the same with Dad.”

Our breath was visible in the chilly air. “Are you going to talk to Dad?”

“I have,” I told her. “He knows exactly how I feel. But my relationship with Dad, or Mom for that matter, isn’t yours. You are entitled to the relationship you want with them. Just don’t shut us out. We’re here for you, Sis, all of us.”

She threw herself at me, and I wrapped my arms around her for a hug. Trina hadn’t wanted a hug from me in a long time. While she shrugged away soon enough, I still ruffled her hair.

“Love you, Sis.”

“Only because you have to,” she teased, and I grinned.

“I know,” I retaliated. “What’s your excuse?”

That earned me a real laugh, and then she let herself into the apartment and I waited for the door to close before I headed toward Frankie’s place. Our place really. We’d all pretty much half-moved in. Archie had been there every night that week, and none of us said a word about it. He needed her. Right now, she needed him. Like I told Trina, it didn’t mean she wanted less time with