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Athena pursed her lips, the pressure building behind her eyes almost instantly. It wasn’t that she’d forgotten that it was his birthday. It was that she didn’t want to think about it. Some milestones were harder than others.

“What did you tell him?”

“To come home. I’ll figure something out.” Fallon turned her back and closed the door.

Left in the blissful quiet of her office, Athena collapsed into her chair. What was going on with her? She couldn’t keep going on like this, could she? Something had to give.

It just couldn’t be her.

She was too destroyed to break again.

Wasn’t she?

five

“I need you to come back and see Athena.”

Monti leaned back in her van, her feet up on the small bed she slept on, pillows piled behind her. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back, and she honestly hadn’t expected this call. With the way Athena had left the room, Monti was pretty certain they would never see each other again.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Fallon sighed, and Monti could imagine the stress lines on her face, the pinch in her cheeks, the thinness of her lips. “I don’t think you understand. I need you to come back.”

“I don’t practice anymore.”

“I know. I get that. But she hasn’t slept since you were here.”

“That was four days ago.” Monti sat up, one leg curled under the other. Had it really been four days? On one hand it felt longer, and on the other, she could still remember Athena’s steady breathing as Monti sat vigil over her while she slept.

“I know!” Fallon repeated, her voice nearly screeching. “I need you to come back.”

“You need me or she needs me?” Because those were two different questions, and Fallon hadn’t said anything about Athena asking for her. Not yet.

Fallon whimpered. Which answered Monti’s question.

“It’s not a good idea unless it’s her idea.”

“It’ll never be her idea,” Fallon muttered. “Come tonight at five. I’ll make sure she knows you’ll be here.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Fallon…” Monti ground out her sister’s name in a warning. “I don’t practice anymore.”

“But you’re still licensed.”

“That doesn’t matter. I’ve given it up. I’m not doing this.” Monti’s back was up. Fallon had never understood why she’d left her careers, why she jumped from one job to the next, why she’d chosen to live in her van and do life exactly as she wanted. Without expectations. Without leaving a trail of people behind her who would miss her when she was gone.

“You’re my sister, and that’ll never change.”

As much as Monti hated that Fallon was right, she also couldn’t deny it. Cringing, she took a deep breath and pushed down that defensive line of pain that lashed through her. Fallon would be better off if she wasn’t so attached, but Monti understood why Fallon was. Anyone would be, coming from their circumstances, especially because Fallon had been old enough to know what was what at the time.

“I get that,” Monti said, finally, her tone softening. Why was this always such a war within her? Why couldn’t she just find that elusive inner peace everyone demanded existed? “But if she doesn’t want me there, nothing I do is going to work.”

“Oh, she wants you here. She needs to sleep or all of us peons are going to rebel and tie her up in a closet for the rest of next week.” Fallon laughed lightly. “Not that we’d actually do that, but she has a big client meeting coming up tomorrow, and she needs to be on point for it.”

Intrigued, Monti wrinkled her nose. She hated that her sister knew how to get her each and every time. Helping people. It was her biggest weakness. “Fine. I’ll be there at five.”