Page 74 of September

“Thanks. So do you. What’s wrong, though? Carly, bed,” Juliet added that last part firmly, pointing to Carly’s bed.

Gwen was then pulled inside the apartment, and Juliet closed the door behind her. The dog looked sad but walked to her bed anyway. Gwen heard her huff a bit, which made her smile on the inside, at least.

“I had an unexpected call with my mother earlier, and I let her get to me.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing. We don’t have to talk about it. I made a reservation. Want to go?” She hooked a thumb toward the door.

“We can stay in tonight and talk about it, Gwen,” Juliet suggested.

“No. We only have a few days, right? Then, you’re on the road again. I’ll get out of my funk, I promise. You’re already helping. You really do look great.”

“Can we talk about it when we get to the restaurant, if you need to?” Juliet asked.

“Sure,” she replied, feeling unsure about that.

CHAPTER 21

“She worships your brother?” Juliet asked.

“Well, not exactly worships, but it’s not that far off. It’s nothing new, really, and it’s not even surprising at this point. She was raised that way. Her mom was a stay-at-home parent while her father worked as a lawyer. Grandma raised six kids and was the embodiment of their definition of a perfect wife: always cooking, cleaning, and making sure the kids had what they needed, while Grandpa did his thing and showed up just in time for dinner. On occasion, anyway,” Gwen added before she picked up her water glass and took a sip. “I get that my mom was raised like that, and she raised us like that, too, but still. She expected Archie to get married to a woman just like her, and while Elisa acted like that woman, it was all fine. The moment she stepped out of line and dared to be herself, though, my mom stopped supporting her, and it became all about what my brother needed then and how Elisa had done him wrong. It’s pretty much the same with Annabelle. She’s a bitch to everyone and never comes home, and yet, somehow, she’s a better daughter than me because she spends her trust fund and doesn’t work. Explain that.”

“Trust fund?”

“Yeah. All four of us got them. I got part of mine when I turned twenty-five. The other part only comes if I’m married by thirty-five.”

Juliet lifted an eyebrow at her.

“Don’t worry, I’m not proposing,” Gwen added with a laugh. “Besides, that’s still three years away, so I’ve got time. I don’t want it, though. I haven’t even touched the one I got at twenty-five.”

“No?”

“No. And if you’re thinking about proposing just so you can get your hands on that money, be aware that it comes with strings.”

Juliet laughed and replied, “I wasn’t. But what are the strings?”

“My mom claims that there are none, but the moment I’m married, I know she’ll expect a kid to pop out or something so that she can have more grandchildren, and if I don’t make it happen immediately, she’ll mention the money I got ‘just for that purpose’ over and over until she’s annoyed me enough to pop out a kid.”

“Do you want them?”

“Kids?” Gwen asked and pushed her plate away.

They’d gotten dinner at a nicer place than the previous night, and Juliet’s food had been delicious, but she’d been so worried about Gwen that she hadn’t been able to eat much of it. Gwen had been somewhat silent throughout their drive and dinner, and if she wasn’t silent, she was only making small talk. That had given Juliet an indication that she had needed to get something out, so she’d taken a chance and had encouraged Gwen to talk about the call with her mom. Now, she felt like they were really talking for the first time that night.

“Yeah, kids,” she said and smiled.

“I do, yeah. And I don’t care if I’m married first. I just want one person forever; you know? I know some women are amazing single moms, but if I can help it, I would like to have a partner help me raise them. You?”

“Me too,” Juliet said. “And I don’t so much care about the wedding thing, either. I mean, it’s great for tax purposes, but I’d do a ceremony at city hall with witnesses. I don’t need a whole thing that costs a ton of money and only lasts one day.”

Gwen smiled at her and said, “Whoever gets to maybe marry you at city hall is one lucky woman.”

“Does that mean you’re taking yourself out of the running?”

“Hell, no,” Gwen replied.

Juliet laughed and said, “Good. I don’t want you to.”