“As usual, Sadie, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Gillian Epstein and Noah used to be engaged.”

“Oh. Oh, dear. I didn’t think of that.” She blinked at me. She looked tired, I suddenly noticed. Of course she did, living with Dad, doing her part in his care.

“Also . . . I used to date Noah, remember? It’s awkward to have to schmooze with his ex. And it might be awkward for him, too, don’t you think? And, not to put too fine a point on it, awkward for me to be with both of them.”

“I just told you, Sadie, I forgot! I invited her because she’d mentioned how hard it was to meet a nice man, and I thought maybe your friend and she would hit it off.”

“My friend is gay. And thirty years older than Gillian.”

“Do you have to jump down my throat with a houseful of guests here? Hm? Do you? Noah’s been very kind to your father. And you, missy. Didn’t he fix your furnace?”

“Yes. But—”

“Gillian is handling the town’s anniversary, and who knows? Maybe Noah will realize he made a big mistake.”

I blinked. “I don’t think you should try to get them back together.”

“You have a boyfriend, Sadie. It’s not really your business, is it?”

Ouch. “I don’t. I mean . . . I just think it’s weird to try to fix up your daughter’s ex-boyfriend with his ex-fiancée.”

Caro popped her head in. “Need help, Barb? Hi, Sadie, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Caro. You look beautiful, as always.”

“I know, and thank you, angel. Barb, what can I do?”

“We’ll be eating in a few minutes, so if you could start herding everyone in here, that’d be great.”

Caro flashed her dimples at me and popped back out.

“So. You won’t try to push Gillian and Noah together,” I said, just to be clear.

“Whatever happens with them happens, Sadie. She does a lot of events in town and she knows everyone. Maybe she can help you find a job while you’re here, who knows? You could run errands for her.”

Nice. “I have a job,” I said.

“Is that right.”

“I paint.”

“Of course. Now, would you mind getting your father so we can eat?” She went back into the family room, all smiles for everyone but me.

It would be nice to like my mother as much as other people did. Then again, they didn’t get the side of her I did—the slightly irritated, impatient, better-things-to-do mother who already had a perfect daughter and couldn’t be bothered with me. She had a knack for peeing on everything I liked or did in ways both subtle and obvious and then wondered why I didn’t seek her out the way Juliet did. It was exhausting.