And totally and utterly done with this nonsense.

“Why are you in my place?”

“Your place? Seems to me this is Mom’s place.”

Not so much, but nothing she needed to share with Nancy. “Huh. You spend an awful lot of time thinking about this apartment. You might need some help with that. So again, why are you in my place?” She hung her bag up and noted her sister had rummaged through things. “Also, this isn’t a garage sale, don’t rifle through my stuff. If you want to borrow something, ask.”

“Why are you such a bitch?”

“This isn’t going to be your day to act like this with me. Just be warned. Now, back to the question. Why. Are. You. Here?”

Nancy started to reply and then apparently thought better of it. Her mouth flattened and she took a moment before speaking. “I need five hundred dollars.”

Oh surprise.

“I just had to give up a full-time job to move back here to help Mom. Even if I had a spare five hundred dollars, you still owe me twenty-five hundred dollars from last summer. You are aware of those things called jobs right? I know you’re unfamiliar with the concept, but that’s how people earn money so they’re not constantly asking people for loans they never pay back anyway.”

“Things always come so easy for you. You come here and live off Mom, and you can’t lend me five hundred dollars?”

“No. I can’t. Even if I had it to spare, which I don’t. Now, get out.”

“I’ve been telling Dad you’re selfish. He agrees.”

“Oh does he? Well who better to make moral pronouncements than a man who dumped his long-time wife for an empty-headed pair of fake br**sts on legs.”

“He’s your father! She didn’t understand him. You don’t know what it was like.”

“Oh for God’s sake! Neither do you. If he’s so great, why aren’t you at his house asking for five hundred bucks?” She looked her sister up and down. “Yeah, thought so. Now get out and don’t come back in here unless you’re invited. Like it or not, this is my place. I’ve got a rental agreement as it happens.” She’d done it to protect her mother, but this was an added bonus.

“You think you’re so much better than everyone else because you came back to this shithole of a town to help with Chris. But I see right through you. Your life in Macon not what you wanted? Decide to come home and see if you can’t get Nathan again? It’s not that hard to convince Nathan to have a little fun.”

No. There was a lot she’d believe of Nathan, but messing around with Nancy wasn’t one of those things.

Lily opened the door. “Get out, Nancy. I’m not kidding. I don’t have to take any of your crap. I didn’t when we were kids and I don’t now. I don’t have to answer to you about any of this.” If Nancy had had a purse, Lily would have been worried her sister helped herself to whatever she took a liking to. But she didn’t and Lily would lock her door from now on.

“You think you’re better than me. Went off to Atlanta and got yerself a diploma. It don’t make you special. Some of us had to make our way a lot earlier. They paid for your fancy school so you could come back here and curl your lip and judge me. You got everything handed to you. And you’re too selfish to help out your flesh and blood. I bet you’ve given those Murphys money. But not me.”

Unbelievable! Something just broke and all her anger, all the things she’d bitten back over the years began to bubble up.

But as usual, Nancy didn’t listen to anything Lily said and the warning she’d given when she walked in had gone right over her head.

“I think you like it when you get to feel superior over other folks. You’re slumming here on purpose. Why else? Mom’s useless and Chris is going to be a loser. You pretend to be the good daughter but where is all your love for your own father? You can’t stand it that he loves me best. That’s why you like the Murphys. They’re low-rent trash and you love that, don’t you?”

“You are a selfish, hateful bitch. I’ve never in my life met anyone more petty and vicious than you are.” Lily had to shove her hands in her pockets before she fisted one and punched her sister in the nose.

“Fuck you, Lily. I’m your sister and you can’t even help me? Who’s the selfish one?” Nancy’s chin jutted out.

“For years I’ve taken your crap. I’ve loaned you so much money it’s not even funny. I’ve let you stay in my house, borrow my car. You’ve never once even said thank you! I’m done. You hear me, Nancy? I am done taking any shit from you. Leave me alone or we can go to it. But you’ll lose because you don’t even care. You don’t even care what you’re arguing with me about. You just want to argue for the sake of it. Because you’re lonely and bored.”

Her sister’s face hardened. “I’m lonely? You have no life at all. Shouldn’t you be married by now? With a passel of kids that you can lord over everyone? But you can’t because no one loves you. You got no man and you got no friends. So you come back here and take care of Chris and take credit.”

“What happened to you, Nancy? What happened when we were kids to make you this way? If this is what being Dad’s favorite gets you, I’m grateful he loves you best. Or that you think he does. Because deep down you know he loves himself and his pecker. You’re a distant choice after other women and his own business. Maybe that’s why you like to screw married men.”