We are so pleased with the recent campaign with Taylor and look forward to future collaborations. We are onboarding a small French company and would love for you to consult on setting up the vibe for Stars Unlimited FRANCE. We would like it consistent with your most recent work. We will provide transportation cost and housing for the duration of your employment.

Please let us know if any of this sounds like it would work for you.

Sincerely,

John Bartson

Maybe the universe was offering me a way to wipe the slate clean. Get out of the country and give Taylor space. Give me space. From the pain. From the guilt.

28

TAYLOR

The next morning, Raven helped me put the bags on my hands and pre-opened all the body products in my bathroom before I took my shower.

I must have spent a half hour just standing under the hot water. Raven came knocking twice, checking on me because I was taking so long.

When I got out, she insisted on helping me do my hair. I didn’t have the strength to do anything other than let it drip dry, but Raven braided it into a style.

She picked out a soft sundress and shrug, along with leggings and slippers. When I came out of the bathroom after dressing, she was wearing something similar.

I had a pang of regret. My sister needed more of me. The condition of our house had kept me on edge. She deserved a more relaxed older sister. I went to her and gave her a hug.

She rubbed my back. “Dad and I can take care of Axel again. I think he’ll really like the way we cleaned up and Dad said we’re going to have to fence in the yard for Willa’s pug dogs. So Axel can run here with them. It’d be really funny to see them all play together.”

I smiled at the thought of the dressed-in-clothes pug screamers running after Axel like a pack of zombies. “I think I can arrange that.”

It was only fair to give her another go at Axel. A fence sounded like a big improvement on keeping him and his half-assed way of playing fetch from becoming an all day affair.

“Let’s go eat.” She pulled me behind her and was still very much in caretaker mode.

She made me toast and a scrambled egg.

“Where’d you learn to do all this cooking?” I sprinkled a touch of pepper onto my eggs.

“I have a class in school. They make us manage a budget, cook, pay taxes, and learn how to vote.” She sat across from me with a plate of her own.

“That sounds like a legitimately cool class.” I tasted the egg and it was great. “You can really do this, I’m so proud. Nice work. They never taught me any of this stuff when I came through school.”