Jeffrey:
"Oh, and the kitchen. Throw out all those pots and dishes."
I looked at the disgust on their faces and nodded.
"Fine."
I walked into the spare room without another word, shut the door, and started packing.
The second the door closed, I heard Lucia outside:
"Ginny, your mother really has no sense at all. She's staying in our home. Paying a little for lodging is perfectly normal, isn't it?"
"Who's that long face for? Acting like we owe her something."
Virginia couldn't have cared less:
"Just ignore her, Mom. That's how she is."
*That's how she is.*
I'd thought my heart was already numb. Those four words proved it wasn't.
So this was what I was to my daughter.
This was the child I'd raised alone, pouring everything I had into her.
Then Jeffrey's voice dropped low:
"Ginny, were you actually going to bring your mom along to dinner?"
"Eating out, one extra person, that's a lot more money."
A beat of silence on the other side of the door.
Then Virginia's answer, barely above a whisper:
"Well, you have to at least go through the motions, right? Otherwise it looks bad."
"Besides, I know my mom. If she comes, she'll pay."
My hands froze on the clothes I was folding.