He stopped.
Something about that exchange snagged in my mind.
“What happened?” I asked.
“We were playing,” Wyatt whispered.
“Sam.”
Rachel stepped forward. “They’re kids, Candace.”
“Nick told them the ball stayed outside.”
Rachel sighed. “A ball hit the TV.”
Nick crouched beside the boys.
“Nobody’s angry with you. Just tell us what happened.”
Sam looked at his mother again.
“They’re kids, Candace.”
Rachel folded her arms.
“Can we not turn this into an interrogation?”
I walked closer to the screen.
The television was three days old after six months of saving.
And I didn’t even know if the protection would cover this.
“Rachel, we need to talk about the cost.”
“Can we not turn this into an interrogation?”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“The cost?”
“The repair. Or a replacement.”
She laughed.
“They’re children.”
“I’m not asking them to pay.”
“Well, I’m not paying either.”
“The repair. Or a replacement.”
I stared at her.
“Your kids kicked a ball into a $2,000 television.”
“Then maybe don’t put a $2,000 television in a room where children play.”
“Where exactly would you suggest I put it?”
“Somewhere safer. You spend all this money, then act shocked when normal life happens.”
I felt my face heat.
“Where exactly would you suggest I put it?”
“I’m asking you to help cover whatever this costs us.”
“Absolutely not. I’m not paying for your mistake.”
I looked at Nick.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
I’d seen that gesture before every sentence that ended with me being expected to move on.
“Can we deal with this tomorrow?” he asked.
“I’m not paying for your mistake.”
I turned toward him.
“Tomorrow?”
“Everybody’s upset.”
Rachel gave a small smile.
“Exactly.”
Nick continued, “We’ll figure it out when things are calmer.”
“Everybody’s upset.”
I nodded once.
“Sure.”
Rachel relaxed.
She thought “sure” meant what it always had.
Candace will swallow it. Candace will move on.
I walked into the kitchen to get gloves and a trash bag.
I nodded once.
My hands shook as I opened the cabinet.
I dropped the gloves.
“Great,” I muttered.
I bent to pick them up.
Then I heard Rachel speaking around the corner.
Her voice was low.
I dropped the gloves.
“Good job. I’ll buy you toys for that!”
I stopped.
“That’s exactly what you were supposed to do.”
My fingers froze around the glove box.
Wyatt whispered, “Can I get the dinosaur?”
“Good job. I’ll buy you toys for that!”
“I told you both I’d buy toys.”
“The big set?” Sam asked.
“Whatever you want, honey.”
My stomach turned.
Then Sam said, “But Aunt Candace looked sad.”
“Whatever you want, honey.”
Rachel sighed.
“She’ll get over it.”
I stopped breathing for a second.
“Are you sure?” Sam asked.
“If they had enough money to redo this whole house, they can buy another TV.”
Rachel had given the ball back and told two little kids to break something in my house.
“Are you sure?”
Then she planned to reward them.
But the ugliest part was still what she’d said:
She’ll get over it.
Because I always did.
I went back into the kitchen.
Nick walked in behind me.
She’ll get over it.
“You okay?”
I folded the dish towel in my hands. “Fine.”
He sighed. “Rachel says awful things when she’s embarrassed.”
He still had no clue what I’d heard.
“No.”
Nick frowned.
“No what?”
“You okay?”
“Nothing yet.”
I walked back toward the dining room.
Rachel was standing alone beside the table, exactly where I needed her.
“Rachel.”
She looked at me.
“What?”
“Rachel.”
“Did the boys decide to kick that ball themselves?”
Her eyes met mine.
“Of course they did.”
There was no hesitation, no discomfort, just a lie.
“You’re sure?”
“Why wouldn’t I be, Candace? They’re kids just trying to have fun in this museum of a house.”
“Of course they did.”
I nodded.
“Okay.”
She relaxed, which was the wrong move.
I found Nick.
“Kitchen. Now.”
He followed me.
I found Nick.
“What happened?”
“Your sister told Sam and Wyatt to break the TV.”
His face went blank.
“What?”
“I heard her promise them toys because they did what she asked.”
Nick pushed away from the counter.
