I glance at Meg. She stands, scooting out her chair. “I’d better go help my uncle.”

I get up, too, grabbing some dishes to help clear the table. “Sure, Mom.”

Once everyone is out of the kitchen, she turns to me, leaning a hip against the countertop, smiling. “Meg is sweet.”

“Yeah.”

“She seems to have a good head on her shoulders.”

“I think so. She works for Maria and Dani. They said she’s been a godsend in the coffee shop.”

My mom turns to the sink and starts the faucet to wash the dishes. I grab a rag to dry, moving to stand at her shoulder. It feels very familiar and also weird. Familiar because this is where I always stood after dinner. Every night for years and years, beside my mom. But now it’s weird because when I turn my head to the side, I stand a whole head taller than she is. Tall enough to notice the first little starts of gray mixing with the dark brown waves at the crown of her head.

“She’s been good for James,” my mom says. “He dotes on her. It’s been healing for him, I think.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Speaking of healing,” she says, passing me a plate. I groan, and she turns off the faucet, facing me fully. “I don’t need you there. Brian thinks I do, but I don’t. Not for my sake. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” I know there’s more.

“But I do think you should go for you, Micah. You need to speak with your dad. Man to man.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You need to confront him about what he put you through.” Her words are eerily similar to Meg’s.

“What he put everyone through, you mean? It wasn’t only me, and I don’t feel like being the mouthpiece for the long list of people Dad fucked up.”

My mom flinches at my cuss, and I bite back another groan. “I’m sorry, Mom. I don’t mean to get angry. Especially with you. I’m just so tired of being the responsible one who turns the other cheek and takes it all like a man. Because that’s really what you’re asking me to do. You aren’t asking me to confront him. Not the way I want to. You’re asking me to walk in there, with all those people watching, and swallow my anger so I can stoically tell that asshole I forgive him for what he’s done to everyone I love. You’re asking me to be the better person.”