Page 28 of Badd Daddy

“Does it ever get annoying, always being right?”

I laughed. “Yes, it does. People don’t want to believe me when I say I’m nearly always right about certain things, and then they resent me when it turns out I was right. It’s very annoying, as a matter of fact.”

“So what do I do?”

I laughed through a sigh. “Charlie, I can’t tell you that. Only you can decide what’s best for you.”

“You were right then, and I didn’t listen. I’m ready to listen, now.”

“I wish it worked that way, sweetheart.” I sighed. “You’re in a place in life where you need to figure this out for yourself. I’ll be here, and I’ll do whatever I can to help, but I can’t tell you what you should do.”

“But I don’tknow what to do.”

I switched the phone to my other ear. “You should talk to Poppy.”

“Why?” Her voice was skeptical. “What’s she got to do with this?”

“She’s going through similar circumstances. Maybe if you two spend some time together talking things over, you’ll help each other come to some decisions.”

“We will end up trying to kill each other within five seconds, Mom.”

“Perhaps now is the time to resolve that. Try talking to her as a sister and friend instead of being the big sister.”

“Gahhh, Mom! Getting a straight answer out of you is like talking to Yoda!”

I chuckled. “Small and green I am not,” I said, in a terrible attempt at a Yoda voice.

“Oh god, Mom. Don’t ever do that again.”

“Talk to Poppy. Listen to her. Be her sister and her friend. You both need that, and who better to get advice from than your sister?”

“She’s vague and irresponsible and naive.”

“And you’re bossy and overbearing to an almost comical degree.”

“Overbearing?”

I laughed. “Yes, Charlie. You can be overbearing at times. And I’m your mother.”

She groaned again. “Why Poppy?”

“Why not? She’s your sister.”

“We’ve just never gotten along.”

“I know. To my great chagrin, I know. But you’re both going through very similar situations, and I think you really could both benefit from leaning on each other.”

“You do know Boston and New York aren’tthatclose, right? Like, I can’t just pop down to New York for a quick cup of coffee with Poppy.”

“Your life is up in the air, and so is hers. Maybe you should both throw caution to the wind and just…spend time together, figuring things out.”

“What, like a road trip?”

I smiled to myself. “Something. I think you both need to get away from your current situations—get space in terms of time and distance from everything you’re trying to figure out. Answers have a way of cropping up when you stop trying to force it.”

“Great. So when you finally do give me a straight piece of advice, it’s something I’d rather eat glass than do.”

I frowned. “Charlotte, now really. What is your issue with Poppy?”