“Of course not!” Emily snapped. “My hair’s blond.”
“So is mine.”
“No, yours is gray. Just like this hairball.”
Whoa. Savannah and I both winced.
“Emily—” I muttered.
Ms. Evans’s eyes narrowed as she pushed her dog back, slipped out of her bedroom doorway, shut the door so the dog couldn’t get out, then grabbed the hairball from Emily. I could hear the older woman’s teeth grinding as she threw the hairball into the trash can under the sink then slammed the cabinet door closed. “There. Happy?”
Emily’s chin rose several inches as her arms crossed over her chest. “Actually, now that you asked, could we please try not to leave our dirty cups on the countertop with used coffee bags and spoons inside them when the trash can and the dishwasher are right there?”
“Emily,” I said, this time letting my growling tone do the warning. Emily was way out of line, no matter how frustrating the situation was for her.
Savannah stopped scrubbing and seemed to be focused on taking slow, deep breaths. Probably to replace the pee smell in her nose with the freshly applied bleach, though to me the cleaner solution smelled equally as bad.
“Sure,” Ms. Evans said. “And could we also try not to leave our used milk cups on the countertop with an empty cracker wrapper inside it when, as you pointed out, the trash can and dishwasher are right there?”
Savannah’s eyes rounded as she stood up. “Mom—”
“No problem,” Emily said. “Oh, and by the way, could you possibly start cleaning up after your dog instead of making your daughter do it for you all the time? She’s not your freaking Cinderella, you know.”
“Emily, I don’t mind—” Savannah tried to say.
“Oh, stay out of it, doormat,” Emily said, her scowl darkening.
Savannah gasped.
“How dare you!” Ms. Evans said. “You ungrateful, spoiled brat. You come into my home and think it’s okay to insult my daughter? Who do you think you are?”
“The only person around here who’s bothering to speak up for Savannah. Because obviously she’s too scared to do it herself.” Emily threw an arm out wide in Savannah’s direction without looking at her.
“I don’t know how you used to do things with your mother, but if my daughter has a problem with anything I do, she knows she can tell me about it.”
“Really? Are you sure about that? Because what if she says something you don’t like? Aren’t you going to just run off and sulk for months?”
It was like watching a cross between a political debate and a tennis tournament.
“Wow, hello, Dr. Phil,” Ms. Evans said. “I didn’t know we had a licensed therapist in the house. And here I thought we were only having to put up with the Coleman princess of hypocrisy.”
“Hypoc—” Emily started to say.
“That’s right,” Ms. Evans said. “You have the nerve to stand there criticizing everything I do, in my own home, I might add. But you can’t even be bothered to remember to switch the wet clothes over to the dryer sometime this century!”
“Excuse me?” Emily said, dragging out the first word.
I looked at Savannah in confusion. What are they talking about?
Savannah’s horrified gaze darted my way then went back to ping-ponging between her mother and my sister. Emily offered to do the laundry, but she has a bad habit of forgetting to move the wet clothes over to the dryer.
Which would explain the sour smell I’d picked up from Ms. Evans earlier. I’d thought it was her dog.
Why don’t our clothes smell? I asked Savannah.
Her lips rolled in to press against each other. Because I’ve been washing them for us so Emily wouldn’t have a chance to let them sour.
Huh. Then again, it was pretty amazing that Emily had even offered to do laundry in the first place. At home, we’d had a housekeeper to do our laundry for us a couple of times a week.
I blew out a long breath and scrubbed a hand over my face. “Look, ladies, maybe we’re all just getting a little stir-crazy around here. Emily, why don’t we get a cabin for you—”
“Because they’re all already booked up for the summer,” Emily snapped, still glaring at Ms. Evans. “And quit trying to change the subject, Tristan.”
Ms. Evans shook her head. “That’s right, Tristan. Better do as the deposed queen says or she’ll cut off your head! Oh, wait, that’s right, she can’t now that the Clann’s probably kicked her out.”
“They haven’t—”
“That you know about,” Ms. Evans said. “When’s the last time you were in contact with anyone in the Clann?” In the wake of Emily’s silence, she smiled smugly and nodded. “Uhhuh. That’s what I thought. You could have been kicked out of the Clann by now and not even know it.”
“They wouldn’t do that.”
“Why not? They kicked out your brother. Or do you think you’re too good to be cast out? News f lash. You’re not.”
“My mother only did what she thought was best for the Clann.”
“By being the biggest hypocrite of them all?”
“She wasn’t a hypocrite!” Emily said.
“She didn’t cast you out. Just like a typical Coleman. A hypocrite to the end, punishing the Clann’s rule breakers but only when it suits them.” Ms. Evans shook her head. “All my childhood life, all I ever heard was how wonderful the Colemans were, how fair they were, how hard they worked for the good of the Clann and to keep the peace, and how Sam Coleman was the most progressive leader the Clann had ever known. Mr. Vampires-Aren’t-Bad-Just-Misunderstood. So why did he marry your mother, who everyone knew was the biggest vamp hater of them all? And why was it okay to negotiate peace with the vamps, but it wasn’t okay for me to marry one or have a baby with one? And now look at you. The Coleman princess, knocked up with a vamp’s baby just like me. The perfect example of the biggest hypocritical family I’ve ever seen in the entire history of the Clann, and your mother still didn’t kick you out before she died.”
I stood up. This had gone way too far.
“You…” Emily’s hand rose in the air from her hip and drew back openhanded over her shoulder.
CHAPTER 16
I vamp blurred over to grab her wrist just in time, working hard not to bruise her as I held her back.
“Take it back!” Emily shrieked, fighting to get loose.
I glanced over my shoulder at Savannah, expecting her to step in and help out. Instead she just stood there staring with huge eyes, her hands shaking as she gripped the roll of paper towels in one hand and the plastic bleach bottle in the other.
Ms. Evans reached back into her room and grabbed her dog. “I’m going outside.”
I waited at least thirty seconds after the trailer door slammed before daring to release my sister. Then I vamp blurred back to the safety of the couch and braced myself for her wrath.
Emily surprised me, though, standing there silently for a moment, steaming behind the wall within her mind that hid all her thoughts.
Maybe getting pregnant and facing motherhood for the first time had matured her.
Then she huffed out a breath and crossed her arms over her chest. “Can you believe her?”
So much for the increased maturity.
Savannah’s face shut down as she turned away from us to dispose of the used paper towels.
“She’s unbelievable!” Emily continued. “Honestly, Savannah, I don’t know how you managed to turn out so sane after growing up with her.”
Savannah paused in the act of removing the trash bag from its metal container. Oh, like your mother was perfect? she thought but forced herself not to say out loud.
Hey, I thought before I could stop myself. Don’t bring my mother into this.
Savannah’s shoulders rose an inch. Sorry. But your sister really needs to stop talking about my mother right now, okay? I know Mom’s not perfect. But nobody’s mother is. And Mom has sacrificed everything just so we could invade her h
ome for months with no end in sight. The least your sister could do is show a little gratitude.
Outside the trailer, footsteps crunched up the asphalt road. A second later, Ms. Evans’s voice began to vent a stream of fury as she complained about Emily to Mr. Colbert.
Savannah sighed. Great, now she’s dragging Dad into this. She tied the garbage bag shut, stuffed the bottle of bleach into the sink cabinet, then put a new trash bag into the can.
“Would you stop that?” Emily snapped, turning from the pantry with a frown at Savannah. “Your mother’s dog made that mess. She should be the one to take it out.”
“Emily, let it go,” I said, watching how hard and straight Savannah’s back had become. “Sav doesn’t need you to fight her battles for her. If she has a problem with her mother, she can handle it herself.”
“I don’t have a problem with my mother,” Savannah said, her voice so low Emily could barely hear her.
“Oh, please. Why wouldn’t you?” Emily said, throwing her empty hands up in the air in frustration. “She shows that dog more love than she does her own daughter! It’s ridiculous, the way she talks to it like it’s her baby. And have you seen how she lets it lick her face? It licks its own butt!”
Okay, that was gross. But still, Emily needed to stop talking right now. Couldn’t she see how upset Savannah was? It didn’t take a mind reader to notice how quiet and still Savannah had become.
“And the way she leaves her dirty dishes on the counter all the time is just lazy,” Emily continued, oblivious to her audience’s reaction. “And then she has the nerve to complain about how I do the laundry? I wash her clothes, too, even when she can’t be bothered to pick them up off her bedroom f loor and stick them in the hamper. Even though the hamper is right outside her bedroom door!”
Lazy? Savannah thought. My mother’s one of the hardestworking women I know! She turned toward Emily, her eyes blazing green.
“Emily,” I said. “Shut up.”
Emily turned her scowl on me. “What? I’m only saying the truth.”
“Savannah doesn’t want to hear it,” I said, pointedly f licking a glance at Savannah, who was staring at Emily as if considering which body part to rip off her first.
Emily rolled her eyes. “Right. Because she’s perfectly fine being the group doormat. Well, I’m not okay with it, and—” The irises of Savannah’s eyes turned white.
I jumped to my feet, not bothering to move human slow. “Emily, shut. Up. Just go away. Right now. Go away.”
Gasping, Emily took a half step back out of pure instinct. Then her eyes narrowed. “Oh, so now you think you can scare me with your vamp speed, little brother? Well, I’ve got news for you—”
“Emily! Shut up or so help me God I will throw you into that bedroom myself!” I shouted.
“Fine!” Emily shouted back. “Side with the doormat and her mother and her demon dog!” She stomped past Savannah and me through the kitchen and to the bunk room, sliding its door shut behind her so hard it bounced open again in its track and she had to slap it closed again. The springs on her futon-style couch bed squeaked in protest as she f lopped down on the mattress and burst into tears.
Holy hell on earth. I blew out a long breath. “You okay, Sav?”
She stood there shaking. Instinct told me I should hug her, rub her arms, do some kind of physical contact to help her shake off her emotions. But then I remembered how she’d chosen not to sit directly beside me on the couch earlier. With the way things were between us lately, she might not welcome any physical contact from me after all.
Finally she took a deep breath. “I’m fine.” But she said it through gritted teeth as she grabbed the full trash bag from the kitchen f loor and vamp blurred out through the trailer doorway.
I took a long, slow breath in then out. There was no way this argument had come out of nowhere. It must have been brewing for months. And if I’d come around the ladies more often than just to space out in the bunk room for a few hours a week after feeding, I probably would have sensed it and been able to prevent it.
Instead, I’d been trying to give Savannah space and time to think and hopefully miss me enough to change her mind about taking out Mr. Williams. And all I’d really done was left her to get caught between the two princesses of the RV park.
I stepped outside and looked around for her, finding her on the trail past the nearest metal trash barrel. Judging by the jut of her chin and the determined, steady pace of her walking, she looked ready to escape this park on foot if need be.
“Sav, wait up,” I called out to warn her of my approach as I caught up with her at a human pace for the benefit of any fellow campers who might be looking.
Her shoulders hitched up another inch. But she didn’t tell me to go away at least.
“I’m sorry about what Em said,” I muttered, shortening my stride to match Savannah’s as I shoved my hands into my pockets. “She was way out of line.”
“Yeah, she was.” She snapped her mouth shut, refusing to vent the hundred and one heated thoughts thrashing around inside her head. “So was Mom, though. They’re both being ridiculous.”
I don’t know how much more of it I can take! she thought, and I didn’t know if she was just thinking to herself or had meant for me to hear that part.
“I didn’t realize it was getting that bad.”
She glared at nothing ahead of us. “You wouldn’t believe how much complaining I have to listen to. And not just from Mom. Every time one of them’s not around, the other one takes the opportunity to vent to me. It is constant. I’ve tried mediating. I’ve tried to explain why they’re doing the stuff they’re doing. They’re both so used to living on their own and doing what they want.”
“And they’re both too stubborn to want to change their ways for someone else’s sake.”
“Exactly. And they’re both completely blind to how they’re so much alike!”
I tried not to smile. I could see the humor because I hadn’t had to live in the middle of it all for two months. “So what are we going to do about it?”
She looked at me then. “We? Uh-uh. You. You can talk to your sister and tell her to clean up her crappy attitude and stop criticizing every single thing my mother does wrong.”
“Oh, come on, Sav. That’s not fair and you know it. Your mother’s just as much to blame for this situation as Emily is. She was way out of line back there, talking about my family.”
“Really? Because I thought she was just pointing out the facts. Your father did claim to be all ‘equal opportunity’ for the vamps and yet still strangely chose to marry a vamp hater. Why is that, Tristan?”
I took a deep breath to push back the anger so I could answer her in a steady tone. “I don’t know. And to be honest, I don’t care because it doesn’t really matter now, does it? They’re both dead.”
She f linched and looked away. “Right. So I guess we’ll never get to find out why your mother kicked you out of the Clann but not your sister.”
“I can tell you why. Because Emily never told her who the baby’s father was.”
“Because no one can read her mind unless she lets them?” I nodded.
“That is so weird. How can she do that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s always had the best mental shield of anyone in the Clann. How do you think she always got away with so much crap without getting caught?” I’d told Savannah about several escapades my sister and I had gotten into as little kids.
She sighed and looked away. “Whatever. The point is—”
“The point is, they’re both in the wrong, and they could both act a lot better for the sake of the team.”
“The team?” Now a hint of a smile kicked up the corners of her mouth.
“Yeah. Well, you know, it’s like sports. We’re all in this together, right?” At her reluctant nod, I added, “So if we all want to keep from killing each other, then we all have to compromise for the sake of others.”
“Which neither
of them wants to do, if you couldn’t tell from that fight back there.”
“Right.” I sighed. “I’ll talk to Emily, and you talk to your mother. We’ll make them see that they’ve got to ease up on each other and stop focusing on every little thing the other does wrong.”
Savannah hummed a grouchy note deep in her breath. “Maybe you should talk to both of them.” At my pointed stare, she said, “You don’t understand. She’s my mother. I can’t just walk up to her and tell her what to do!”
“Not tell her what to do, but make suggestions.”
Silence.
“Sav, she’s your mother. She loves you. She’ll listen to you.”
“Or ground me for sassing her.”
I couldn’t stop a smile this time. “Ground you from what? Ever leaving the trailer?”
She smiled down at the gravel road beneath our feet.
“So you’ll talk to her?” I pushed a little. “Today?”
She chewed the inner corner of her mouth, vertical lines forming between her eyes.
“Sav…” I coaxed. “You need to talk to her. I can’t do it. I’m not her kid.”
“Maybe I can get Dad to talk to her.”
“Sav!” I said with a half laugh of disbelief. “You’re a vamp now. I don’t think she’s going to throw you over her knees and spank you.”
She looked at me with eyebrows raised. “Want to bet?”
I was starting to lose my patience. I took another deep breath. “Okay, out with it. What’s the real reason you don’t—”
“Because our relationship’s not like that anymore, okay? Used to be, I could talk to her. Now, it’s like there’s all this distance between us. She’s always so polite with me. It’s like being around a stranger. And…maybe Emily’s right about some stuff. Let’s face it, Mom doesn’t have to be here with us. She could just go get a new car and take off. The only reason she’s stuck around is probably to make sure I’m safe.”
“Have you talked to her about this?”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“You need to, or it’s going to keep bugging you.”
Her chin stuck out as she shook her head again. “I’ll be fine. Trust me, sometimes it’s way better to just keep your opinions and feelings and issues to yourself.”