Page 48 of Breadwinner

Her phone vibrated against the granite countertop, drawing their attention. Beth reached for it out of habit before handing it to her with a raised eyebrow, and Sarah saw Nell’s name on the screen. Sarah silenced the call before setting the phone face down.

“Nell as in Cornelia Stanhope?” Beth leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. “So that’s the mysterious woman you’ve been sneaking off to see?”

That jolted Sarah back into full alert.

“It’s not like that,” she said, dismissively. She felt an immediate twinge of guilt because Nell wasn’t nothing, she just wasn’t what Beth was insinuating.

Beth raised both eyebrows. “No? Because that photo from the WNBA championship game said otherwise. The way you were looking at her. The matching shirts were a bit much, if you ask me.” There was a bite of jealousy to Beth’s words that Sarah immediately registered.

“You mean the shirts promotingyourgirlfriend’s business?” she said coolly. “It was just a photo, Beth. Don’t read too much into what’s not there.”

“Yeah, okay. Just a photo, then.”

Sarah exhaled sharply through her nose. “We’re friends. I’m considering a career shift. She’s helping me connect with people. You know, open doors.”

Beth narrowed her eyes. “That’s not all, though, is it?”

Sarah looked at her squarely now. Beth had no right to be interrogating her like this.

“She’s someone who sees and respects my power,” she said cooly, wanting her words to sting.

Beth blinked, surprised, and Sarah immediately regretted it.

“I didn’t mean that to be?—”

“No,” Beth cut in. “You did. And maybe that’s for the best.”

They sat in the sudden quiet.

Beth turned her gaze toward the window. “You always needed to be seen that way. I didn’t realize that was something you weren’t getting from me.”

Sarah swallowed. There was so much she could say. So many versions of the truth, none of which would make this any easier.

“I’m tired,” she said dimly.

Beth nodded. “Yeah. Me, too.”

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs interrupted them, breaking the tension as Lily and Wren came into the kitchen.

“We’re all ready to go, Mama,” Lily said, with a smile.

Sarah shifted her attention back to Lily and Wren. “Have a good night, girls. Lily, no more sneaking off from practice without telling anyone where you’re going. Wren, I’ll pick you up tomorrow. We’ve got a few things to take care of.”

She hugged each of them, noticing the way Wren held on for just a little longer, before they left.

Beth lingered for a moment, pausing as she pulled on her coat.

“It’s bad timing, but Jamie and I wanted to extend an invitation for you to join us in Palm Springs for Thanksgiving,” she said. “I’m sure you probably already have plans with Nell.”

“You’re right. I do have plans,” Sarah answered quickly, thinking of Nell’s invitation to spend Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania, which sounded absolutely perfect right about now.

Beth looked at her for a moment longer, those blue eyes searching for something more, then she was gone, leaving the scent of lavender and old memories in her wake.

TEN

NELL

RULE #6: CARING IS A RISKY INVESTMENT. MAKE SURE YOU GET A RETURN.