Page 102 of Breadwinner

Sarah slid into the chair as Nell tapped a few keys on the keyboard. “I think you’ll like this game. It’s a farming simulation game and really great for beginners. Your primary goal is to rehabilitate your grandfather’s farm and help the townspeople. Turn your brain off and enjoy the vibes,” Nell said, with a wink, before settling into the chair at the desk next to her, Mortimer instantly finding her lap.

They stayed like that for hours, each lost in their game, chatting here and there but enjoying being together without having the pressure of needing to interact if they didn’t want to. It was a very welcome change to Sarah’s weekend, which, up until this point, had been nothing but forced interactions. She felt like she could finally breathe.

That afternoon, after lunch had been brought up to the room by one of Nell’s staff, a knock broke through their fun as Nate poked his head inside.

“Ladies,” he said. “Sorry to interrupt, but, Nell, can I speak to you for a minute? It’s urgent.”

Nell rose from her spot and crossed the room to join Nate in the hall. Sarah turned her attention back to the screen, where she was still deep in the farming game Nell had set her up with. She had never been one for video games, but she was starting to see that Nell was on to something. This was the most fun she’d had in a while.

Nell returned a few minutes later and resettled herself in her chair, but Sarah noticed she didn’t return to playing her own game. Sarah swiveled in her seat to face Nell, and that’s when she saw that all the color and life that had been there five minutes ago had seemingly disappeared.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked, concern creeping into her voice.

Nell looked at her with those beautifully intense eyes, but instead of crackling with electricity, they were empty.

“My dad died.”

TWENTY

NELL

Nell lay on the couch in the den, her eyes open, staring blankly at the TV across from her. It wasn’t even on, but she was still staring at it as if she were deeply enthralled in a scene being played out in front of her. Cool leather pressed against her cheek, sticky with dried tears she didn’t remember crying, grounded her in the present moment.

Thad’s dead.

The words floated through her mind, hollow and empty, lacking any actual purpose. They should have hurt more. They should have crushed her. But instead, she was feeling something completely different.Relieved.

Muffled voices carried through the closed door, Nate and Sarah on the other side, no doubt. She closed her eyes and listened.

“I had six missed calls from Charlie,” Nate was saying. “I kept ignoring them but finally answered so I could tell him to fuck off, and he”—a pause—“he told me Thaddeus passed last night, that the funeral is tomorrow in Greenwich, and that Nell could come if she wanted to.”

“How nice of him to allow her to go to her own father’s funeral.” Even from her spot on the couch, Nell could practically hear Sarah’s inevitable eye roll.

Nate laughed. “Yeah. Once a prick, always a prick.”

Nell smiled. Nate was forever her protector. Three brothers, and not one of them had ever cared about her nearly as much as Nate always had. For that, she was grateful.

The door opened, creaking slightly on its hinges as Sarah stepped inside, silhouetted by the glow of the hallway light. She crossed the room without a word, took a seat on the couch next to her, and shifted closer until Nell lifted her head to rest it in Sarah’s lap.

Fingers brushed against her temple, undoing her braid. Still, Sarah didn’t say anything as she worked her fingers strand by strand through her hair.

“How are you doing?” Sarah finally asked.

Nell shrugged, her cheek pressed against Sarah’s thigh.

“That’s okay,” Sarah reassured her, never stopping the repetitive movements, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes, leaning into the feeling of her touch. “It’s okay if you don’t know yet. The Dead Dads Club is the weirdest club you’ll ever be a part of. It, unfortunately, comes with the territory.”

Nell cracked her eyes open, tilting her head to look up.

“Your dad’s gone, too?”

Sarah nodded, leaning back against the couch cushions. “He passed away from liver failure when I was thirty.”

Nell’s ears perked up at that. Sarah wasn’t someone who talked about her family often, and Nell wasn’t one to push, but she had always been curious.

“My dad was a mean, angry man who liked whiskey more than his wife and kids. When I turned eighteen and went to college, I picked a school on the West Coast to put as much distance between myself and him as possible. It was one of thebest things I’ve ever done for myself. Being the distant daughter kept me sane. Being gay was one more thing for my father to hate about me. My parents cut me off from my siblings until, one day, I got a call from my sister, Erin. My dad needed a liver transplant, and everyone was getting tested. I ended up being the only match.”

Nell rolled onto her back and looked up at Sarah. “What did you do?”