“I want to tell you, about my dad. Someday,” Miriam said. “I just can’t, yet.” She needed to gather the courage to make that leap.

“Well, I can’t handle one more big emotional reveal today, so let’s table that and circle back to it. I love you, I’m glad you’re here, and I would like for you to help Noelle and I figure out how the fuck to dig ourselves out of this mess that Cass made.” Hannah smiled weakly. “Come on. We’re going to nap, and hydrate, and then we’ll come up with a plan.”

Miriam nodded and wondered if Hannah could come up with a plan that involved her never having to talk to Noelle again.

“Miri, is everything okay? Did your flight change?” Tara asked when she picked up the phone.

“Hey, so—” Miriam started.

“I need you to change at the airport—”

“Tara—” Miriam tried again, but Tara kept talking.

“I’m sending a car to take you to this restaurant, we’ve been asked to have dinner—”

“Tara,” Miriam interrupted more forcefully, “I’m not flying in tomorrow. I had to change my plans.”

“You had to?” Tara asked, suspiciously. “You promised that you’d be home the second shiva was over. That you couldn’t stand to spend more than a week with your mother.”

“Oh, my mom won’t be here. She never stays when there’s hard work to do. And I know I promised, I’m sorry. Something’s come up and I…”

Shit, how could she explain so Tara wouldn’t argue? If Miriam told her the whole story, Tara would come up with a hundred solutions, want to look at the will, and give a grand jury–worthy argument as to why Miriam should come home.

So she simply chose not to explain. It wasn’t her finest moment, but she told herself there would be time, later.

“I need to stay through Thanksgiving. After that, we should have everything wrapped up.”

“Thanksgiving?!” She could hear Tara’s panic starting to rise, her voice squeaking, then her deep breaths. “Okay. You’ve spent countless hours dealing with my terrible family, I can spare you for a while for you to deal with yours.” Miriam noticed that Tara didn’t offer, again, to help her deal with her family, but she was glad. She wasn’t ready to share this.

“Do you need anything? Can I send you some clothes? What are you doing about commissions?”

Tara pivoting to action was so comforting. They didn’t have to talk about their feelings. “You can send some clothes, that would help. I’m not in the middle of any commissions, because of the store opening.”

“What are you going to do about the store, Miri?” Tara sounded exasperated. She had a right to, since it was her money paying the lease on Miriam’s dream project, now on hold.