Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(104)

She supposed part of her reluctance was loyalty to her mother. But she simply couldn’t accept or excuse what Amber had done.

Ironically, she’d run into her at work a few times and they’d both acted like nothing was wrong. It was an insane situation that only made sense in the odd victim-based world in which her mother lived.

Heather got home from work and changed her clothes, then looked in on the cats. Lily had seemed lost for a couple of days after her kittens had left, but she’d quickly recovered. Mrs. Bennet’s litter would be heading out for adoption at the end of the week.

Heather greeted the cat family and cleaned out the two litter boxes. After preparing the evening meals, she fed everyone, then went to wait for Sophie.

She’d texted her earlier, asking what time she would be home and if they could talk. Sophie had promised to stop for takeout and be home no later than six thirty.

She arrived right on time, bags of Chinese in her hands. Heather had already set the table and opened a bottle of wine. She wasn’t going to be twenty-one for another couple of months, but Sophie had said she was fine with Heather having the occasional drink, as long as she did it at home and didn’t ever drive after. Heather had never taken her up on it but thought tonight might be the evening to do so.

“I might have overdone it,” Sophie admitted, unloading the cartons of food onto the kitchen table. “I couldn’t decide and then I thought we could just eat the leftovers at lunch. Because it’s always just as good the next day.”

Heather nodded, wondering if she would be able to eat. She had a knot in her stomach. There was no way this conversation was going to go well—she was about to betray her mother and at the same time, tell Sophie she’d been keeping things from her.

Sophie sat down and motioned to Heather’s chair. “You called this meeting, kid. Want to start with idle chitchat or just get to it?”

“I don’t know.”

Sophie passed her a carton of steamed wontons. “Okay. Take your time.”

Heather put down the carton and hung her head. “You’re going to be mad.” She looked up. “I don’t blame you,” she added quickly. “You should be mad. I deserve that. I didn’t tell you and now I’m living here, taking advantage of you and—”

“You’re not taking advantage of me,” Sophie told her. “You take care of the cats, you get food in the house. You’re a great roommate.”

Heather told herself to just say it and then deal with the consequences. “My mom is stealing from the company. I saw her when I went home sick that day. We had a big fight about it and that’s why I moved out.”

Sophie stabbed her wonton. “Still? She’s crafty, I’ll give you that. Bear is going to have a meltdown. He thought he had enough procedures in place to keep that from happening. I swear, we’re going to have to start strip-searching her and no one is going to want that job.”

Heather couldn’t breathe. Still? Still! “She was stealing before?”

“Uh-huh.” Sophie picked up her wine. “I confronted her, threatened her with public humiliation and pressing charges. I thought I’d gotten through to her. I should have known better.” She motioned to the cartons of food. “Eat, please. I appreciate you telling me. I know it wasn’t easy. I’ll deal with it. Oh, crap.”

She shook her head. “I talked to her a couple of days ago. No wonder she started the conversation by saying it wasn’t true. She thought you’d told me already.”

Heather didn’t understand Sophie’s reaction. “You’re not mad I waited?”

“No. She’s your mom. Amber doesn’t make anything easy. You did tell me and that’s what matters.”

Heather’s concerns faded away, leaving her starving. She piled food onto her plate. “I was so scared.”

“Don’t you ever be scared of me. There’s nothing you can tell me that will cause me to stop loving you. I may yell at you, but I’ll still love you.”

Heather grinned. “Even if I’m pregnant?”

Sophie’s mouth dropped open. “Dear God, tell me you’re kidding.”

Heather laughed. “I’m kidding. I haven’t had sex in forever. I’m terrified to get involved with a guy. What if something happens and I’m trapped here? I don’t want that.”

“What do you want?”

“College. A future.” There was more, but those were the most important elements.

“That’s not going to happen here.”

Sophie’s tone was casual, but Heather got the message—she was being tested. Were her plans real or just a lot of cheap Amber-talk?

Heather put down her fork. “I know. A while back Elliot talked to me about different colleges that have good marketing departments. That’s what I want to study. I applied to a couple of different places. I’ve been looking into financial aid.” She rolled her eyes. “USC, if you can believe it. As if I’d get in there. Plus, it’s so expensive. But he insisted. I’m thinking Boise State.”

She paused, bracing herself for disapproval or laughter or a giant foot to come down and squash her dreams.

Sophie only sipped her wine. “Why Boise State?”

“It’s a day’s drive away. I’m close but not so close I can come back anytime. The school is great and the town is really growing. Plus, it’s not super-expensive. I’d work for a year to get my residency established and then start taking classes.”