As Jill went inside, Reagan hugged herself a little tighter. Her cheeks still felt hot with embarrassment and she willed herself not to cry. She had never felt so small before. Jill wanted her to stick around so they could talk, but what was there to talk about? Her mother said disgusting things and Jill said absolutely nothing. Her lack of defense was telling and Reagan couldn’t stand to be in this house one more moment.

She was about to go back into the house when Gwen stepped outside, her eyes blazing. “What the fuck was that?”

“Let’s just forget about it. I just want to go home.”

“But Reagan, she shouldn’t—”

“Please. I need to get out of here.”

Gwen nodded in silence, but Reagan could still see the anger that threatened to bubble over. She knew Gwen would march up to Maureen and give her a piece of her mind if she’d let her. And while that would be entertaining to watch, Reagan needed to go home. She needed to be someplace comforting and not stifling like this house.

After helping Gwen unload supplies and paperwork at the office, Reagan trudged up the stairs to her apartment. The entire day had been draining, emotionally more than physically. She stripped off her clothes as she made her way to the bathroom for a shower. Turning on the water as hot as she could take it, she stood under the spray with her hands pressed against the wall and her head down.

Tears stung her eyes as she repeated Maureen’s words over and over. As she let herself process the past hour or so, she found her thoughts shifting slightly. She was upset, not for herself, but for Jill. Sure, the words had stung. No one ever wanted to hear someone say such derisive things about them. But to realize that Maureen was the type of person to say those things about someone close to her daughter was unimaginable. Reagan was also upset with herself. She just left Jill there to deal with Maureen alone. It probably hurt Jill even more to hear her mother talk about someone she cared about. And I ran off like an asshole. She admonished herself even more as she pictured Jill’s face when she came back to the kitchen and realized Reagan had left.

After toweling off, Reagan put on her softest pair of sweats and a long-sleeve T-shirt. She grabbed a beer and took a long swig. Closing her eyes, she felt the exhaustion of the day wash over her. She’d enjoy one beer and head to bed. Tomorrow she planned to do absolutely nothing, so she’d be refreshed and ready to tackle the planning of her dad’s benefit.