that sounds bad. I’d gotten out of a particularly toxic relationship and Matthew came along. He was safe and…very even.”
“Sounds boring.”
She laughs, which is good because this conversation has been a whole lot of heavy. “He was painfully boring. Is, not past tense. I’ve never met a more monochromatic human being in my life, apart from Maddy anyway. They are perfect for each other. All they want to do is work for the family because of all the perks and their ability to take selfies with famous people and travel all over America, while depriving themselves of carbs so they can be Insta-pretty.”
“Doesn’t sound like your type at all.” I don’t know what her type is, but boring and vapid sounds like the opposite of what she’d go for.
“He wasn’t. Like I said, he was a rebound. He was uncomplicated and he seemed to like me. I went out of town for a convention and by the time I came back, well, he and Maddy had hit it off.”
“How freaking long was the convention?”
She gives me a sidelong glance. “Five days.”
“She stole your boyfriend in five days?” Her family really is a bunch of jerks.
“Stole sounds harsh. Matthew and I were not destined for white picket fences, two-point-two children, and a purebred poodle. Besides, we’d only been seeing each other for a couple of months.”
“That’s still shitty.”
“What was shitty was when they ambushed me the second I got home and sat me down together to ask for my blessing to date.”
“And you obviously gave it.” I want to be angry that she folded, but clearly Matthew is a douche and so is Maddy, so it’s better they ended up together. Or at least that’s my assumption.
“Seemed pointless not to when it was obvious they planned to date regardless. I also got to be a bridesmaid at their wedding. On the upside, I’m well aware that Matthew is painfully average in every way.” She motions toward her crotch, as if it needed further explanation.
I don’t want to think about Blaire with that asshole. I don’t want to think about Blaire with anyone, which I realize should raise some serious red flags. However, I’m inclined to ignore those at the moment.
I decide to leave that information alone. For now it’s enough to know he’s barely adequate and vapid. “And what’s the deal with Skylar?”
“She’s always been a hot mess. She was young when the swap happened, so I honestly think it messed her up more than the rest of us. She doesn’t have any kind of moral compass at all, or direction, or independent thoughts. I actually sometimes wonder if she’s my half sister and not just my cousin.”
“That’s a mind fuck, right there.”
“My whole family is a mind fuck. And like I said, I love them and I know they love me even if they suck at showing it. I just want a normal life where I can do what I love without my family trying to railroad me and make all the decisions for me.”
“You’re incredible. You know that, right?”
“My family doesn’t think so.”
“No offense, but your family is fucked.”
She laughs. “This is very true. I knew I would fall short if I tried to work with them.”
“Fall short how? You’re amazingly talented.”
She chews her bottom lip for a moment. “I don’t share the same values as they do. They’re all about appearances and who they know, and that’s never really mattered to me. Our goals just don’t align. I want to do what I love, not necessarily what’s going to make me the most money. And maybe that’s naïve, or shortsighted or whatever, but it’s how I feel. So I avoided the potential disappointment by going in a completely different direction and now here I am, eking out a living, but doing it on my own.”
“They won’t help you?”
“My dad has tried to loan me money half a dozen times. He’s constantly offering to transfer funds into my account, but if I take their money, I also have to take their advice, and that is not something I want. Like when I wanted to buy the cupcake truck, my dad was there with a big old check, but it came with all kinds of stipulations, so I thanked him and told him I wanted to do it on my own and that’s what I did—well, with Paul’s help, anyway.”
This explains why Blaire is all about doing things her own way. “Do they get how hard you’re working?”