“Are you serious? Your therapy involves getting free labor? You’re way smarter than I thought you were.”

“No, it’s not about free labor. Learning how to contribute, be part of a team, and appreciate the simplicity of starting and finishing a job is part of the process. I’m not exactly Mr. Miyagi, but there’s truth to what he taught—we learn how to deal with issues through practice.”

“Lord.” Neve shook her head. “You get paid a lot of money for a lot of bullshit. I should have stayed in school and graduated in counseling. We could have paired up and both sold this hooey to everyone.”

Olivia tamped down the anger at her sister’s winnowing her research and proven track record down to selling snake oil. “What I do, Neve, is not something fictional dreamed up to part rich people with their money. My program has had success helping certain types of people heal, unlearn destructive behavior, and thrive. The principles might seem atypical or unusual, but they work. So I don’t appreciate you belittling what I do and making it sound like something it’s not.”

“Jeez, don’t get your panties in a wad. What’s that old saying? If you have to defend something so hard, it’s partly true.”

“It’s not true. My methods work.”

Neve shrugged a shoulder. “So what about Miss Bitch Kitty out there? She seems to like Zeke, and I hear she’s the kind who likes lots of fun. You might want to lock that shit down, you know.”

Olivia had been thinking the same thing, but she wasn’t going to admit that to Neve. “While we’re waiting on the electrician to restore our power, let’s get Chase and make the upstairs habitable. We were in the process of tackling that when you arrived.”

Neve rose and glanced around again. “You sure you want to keep this place? It needs new furniture, carpet, and probably appliances. That’s a big expense when we can sell it and be done with the headache.”

“Sell me your half and your headache is over.”

Neve looked at her, her brown eyes calculating. “I don’t think so. Not yet. Perhaps I’ll consider selling if you do something for me. Like maybe listen to what Dad has to say about what happened with those girls.”

Neve might as well have thrown a bucket of water in Olivia’s face. “I’m not interested in anything he has to say.”

“Don’t you think our family has suffered enough? Those were false accusations. Both those girls had parents who were angry at Dad and trying to bring him down. It was a witch hunt. Do you really think Dad would do something so heinous?”