Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(33)

  Heather stared at the balance on the cable bill and told herself not to panic. It was always the same amount but this month it was nearly a hundred dollars higher. She checked the previous balance and saw that her payment had posted like it always did, so what had happened? There hadn’t been any notice of a rate hike—besides, they wouldn’t raise it by that much, would they?

She clicked the button for more details and went through the bill, page by page. On page three she saw where the extra charges had come from. Annoyance morphed into anger as she grabbed her laptop and walked into the living room.

It was early evening and her mother sat where she always did, on the sofa, in front of the TV. There was an open magazine on her lap, although her attention was on the reality TV show playing on the screen. Because it wasn’t as if Amber ever did anything in the evening. Not paying bills or laundry or cleaning or anything. No, she relaxed from her hard day. That was what she said. She needed to relax. Who cared that her daughter was working full-time at CK and weekends at the wineries and babysitting three or four evenings a week? Nope, Amber didn’t worry about that at all.

“Mom, I need to talk to you,” Heather said as she muted the television.

Her mother glared at her. “I was watching that. What can’t wait until the commercials?”

Heather sat across from her. “I just got the cable bill.”

Her mother looked blank. “So?”

“It’s a hundred dollars more than usual. A hundred dollars, all in pay-per-view movies. How many did you watch?”

Her mother shifted in her seat. “It wasn’t me.”

“Of course it was you. I didn’t do it. I’m working all the time.”

“Well, what did you expect? I was on disability. I was injured. I had to do something.” Tears filled her eyes. “I was in so much pain. I can’t believe you begrudge me some small comfort.”

“Mom, we have four hundred channels on our TV. We have all the premium ones because you insist that we have them. You couldn’t find movies to watch there? It’s a hundred dollars. I don’t have an extra hundred dollars. First the car and now this? I can’t do it.”

“You’re bringing up the car? Because you want me to walk everywhere? You want me to suffer, don’t you? You like it when I’m in pain and trapped in this house with nothing.”

Heather remembered when she’d been nearly eight and her mother had met a man. George had been funny and sweet and an all-around good guy. More important to her, he’d been excited about being a stepdad. He’d wanted to do things with her like take her horseback riding and once they went fishing. George didn’t talk much, but he’d been a warm and comforting presence in their lives.

But it hadn’t lasted. As soon as Amber had gotten married, she’d quit her job. She’d stayed home doing who knew what. George had been working and Heather had been at school. Amber hadn’t taken care of the house or cooked meals. From the fights Heather had overheard, he’d complained that he hadn’t married her to take care of her while she did nothing. She’d said he was unreasonable and mean. The relationship had spiraled downhill from there and a year after their wedding, George was gone.

Heather thought of him now and hoped he was happy, wherever he was. Amber had only complained about him after he’d left, but Heather had missed him. Now she looked at her mother and knew nothing had changed. Her mother would never take responsibility for anything because she believed she was owed everything. That wasn’t news. The problem was Heather couldn’t help believing she had to take care of her. That without her, Amber wouldn’t make it.

The frustration of that trap and the knowledge that she had no idea how to break free made her less cautious than usual.

“There is an entire ocean between wanting you to suffer and asking that you respect the fact that I pay for everything in this house. All of it falls on me. I’m twenty, Mom, and I’ve been supporting us since I was sixteen years old.”

She realized it didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to win the fight. “I don’t have the money,” she said wearily. “I don’t have any savings. Not anymore.”

“You keep throwing that in my face.”

“Then why didn’t you contribute any? What about your thousand dollars, that you still have, by the way.”

“Fine,” Amber snapped, walking over to her purse and pulling out her wallet. “You want my money? Take it.” She threw two twenty dollar bills on the floor. “Maybe we should start keeping track of the food I eat. I had butter on my toast this morning, Heather. Did you want an extra quarter for that?”

“Mom, don’t be like this. It doesn’t help. I’m trying to explain I can’t do it all anymore.”

Her mother’s expression hardened. “Heather, you are welcome to leave anytime you’d like. Nothing is keeping you here.”

Heather looked at her and then at the front door. If only, she thought. Instead she said, “I wish that were true, Mom. You have no idea how much.”

  “Here’s the relevant information,” the nice lady at the shelter said. “The emergency vet number and the phone number to get to one of the technicians during regular business hours. Once the kittens are born, one of the techs will stop by to make sure everything is all right. You’ll be bringing the whole family in, as per the schedule. We have food and litter and a cat who has had several litters. So an experienced mom.”