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I raised my eyebrows, leaning back in the chair. “I’ll pass it along, but… you can’t count on me to keep delivering messages. She’s leaving tomorrow.”

“Is she?” she said quietly. “She said she’s going to book her own way back and didn’t tell me anything else about it, and she hasn’t been responding to any of my messages.”

“Probably can’t see the messages through a whole collection of people telling her off for voicing her own feelings and needs, not to mention Shane alternately telling her she’s the worst person alive and that she needs to get back with him already.”

She sighed, looking down at her hands. “I didn’t think we were doing that badly.”

“Has anyone around her actually expressed any support for her since her career change?”

“It’s just—she had a great career, and I know it’s hard to see the bigger picture when you’re young—”

“Why are you arguing right now?”

She shrank away. “Well,” she started, her voice prickly, but she looked down. “Well, I guess we could have been more supportive.”

I sighed. As much as I wanted to get into a scrap with this woman right now, the best thing I could do for Ryan was to help make it okay between her and her family once she was gone. Saying goodbye was going to suck no matter what, but I could reassure myself at least that I’d helped her live a better life on the other side of me. I relaxed my posture, leaning in over the table. “We all mess up, all the time,” I said softly. “Ryan’s not looking for you to be perfect, just like you’re not looking for her to be perfect. She’s looking for you to be accountable, to listen to what she needs.”

She wiped her eyes with a heavy sigh. “I just feel like I’ve done everything wrong, every step of the way. I can give her grace, but why is there never any for me?”

“Ryan’s been giving you grace. She’s been letting you give your opinions on her career, letting you spend time with the man who cheated on her, and she’s still come around to tell you what she needs to repair the relationship. It’s important to recognize that extending grace isn’t always pretty… sometimes it looks like someone telling you how you’ve done wrong and what they need. But would you rather hear that, or have her pull quietly away from you instead?”

She squeezed her hands on the table, shutting her eyes tightly. After a long quiet, she said, “I suppose you’re… not wrong.”

“She’s letting you know she thinks the relationship with you is worth the effort.”

She looked suddenly wide-eyed at me. “Didn’t you have somewhere to be? Am I keeping you?”

“Oh, I was lying trying to get out of this, but we’re here now, so I guess we might as well.”

She laughed, suddenly, sharply. “You’re… you’re interesting,” she said, and she put on a small, sad smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Brooklyn. I’m sorry for how… er… complicated it’s been.”

I raised my eyebrows, a wary look her way. “You met me already. Alongside your sister.”

“You know what I mean. You’re, ah… you’re the one Ryan is dating, right?”

I studied her a second longer before I sank back in the seat. “It’s just casual,” I said. “But I have grown quite partial to her. You did raise an intelligent, sharp-witted woman with a strong sense of self.”

She smiled tiredly at me. “I just want to do right by her.”

“Then listen to what she’s telling you she needs.”

“What…” She took a second clearly considering if she even should have said it before she gave up and went with it. “What should I do?” she said. “You know her… better than I feel like I do at this point.”

“If you ask me?” I shrugged. “Keep this energy with her, too. I know you’re trying to be perfect for her, that it hurts you when she sees you making mistakes and being wrong, but what she needs—what we all need from a parent—is someone who listens and owns when they make mistakes. Someone who models that it’s okay to make a mistake. For crying out loud, she wants the chance to help you, too. To matter. If you listen to what she needs and let her know what you need, I think you’ll make it work.”

“I feel like she doesn’t want me around,” she said thickly. “I know I haven’t done perfectly. I don’t think I’ve even done well. How do I… I don’t know. How do I make up for years of not doing well as a mother?”

“By doing this.” I reached across the table, putting a hand on top of hers. “Just let her know these same things you told me, that you’re trying to figure out how to do better. And then commit to doing better. Judging from what I know about the family dynamics, it might cause problems between you and other members of the family, but Stella and Oscar, at least, are on Ryan’s side. And your kids are important to you, right?”

“Of course.” She sighed, sitting up taller, and she gave me a thin smile. “You’re very… well, you’re a very intelligent young woman.”

“I’ve experienced it myself,” I said dryly. “My parents didn’t like the things I needed, so they showed me the door. That relationship can’t be fixed, but I happen to like Ryan, so… if I can make things better between you and her, that will be enough.”

She looked down. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

“It’s fine. Really. That was years ago. I’ve moved on. Just focus on making sure Ryan knows she won’t have to make that same choice—that you’ll love and support her no matter what.”

She sighed, once again, and she nodded, wiping her eyes again. “Right. I’m glad… er. Well. Thank you for being good to her.”