“He’s a fucking asshole, Gwen.” As her dad shifted in his bed, she winced. “I don’t like him,” she said quietly.

“I know that.” Gwen’s shoulders slumped and she stared at the floor. “I don’t think I can do it all by myself. I hardly see Brett as it is aside from a quick breakfast every morning and my two nights off each week. I’m not blaming you at all. I know you need to be here for your dad and to help your mom. It’s the best thing for your family. I just…I need a little help too.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. She turned her head, trying to breathe through the tightness in her chest.

Gwen reached for her hand and squeezed. “There is absolutely nothing to be sorry about. Your focus needs to be here. I haven’t made up my mind on Myles, and I would never hire anyone without your full support. Just think about it, okay? If you have someone else in mind, let me know.”

“Okay.”

Gwen stood. “I should get going. Tell your dad I said hi when he wakes up.” She leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“I will.”

“We still meeting for drinks tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

“Okay, see you then.” She waved and left.

Reagan put her elbows on her knees again and held her head in her hands, her fingers clutching her hair every so often. She felt like she was being pulled in a thousand different directions. Knowing her best friend understood her current situation was one thing, accepting that understanding without feeling guilty was another.

“I can hear you thinking all the way over here.”

Reagan snapped her head up, hastily wiping away the tears that had run down her cheeks. “Jesus, Dad. Did you really need to scare me like that?”

He chuckled. “Sorry.” His eyes softened, and he waved her over. “She needs help, huh?”

“Shit. You heard all that? I thought you were out. We would’ve moved if I’d known otherwise.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad I heard what I did.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because then I can tell you to go back to work.”

“Dad, no. I’m not—”

He held up his hand. “Reagan, I appreciate you taking all this time off to help and to spend time with me, but I’m not the only one who needs you. And I’m not saying that to make you feel bad or to overwhelm you. It’s just the truth. You going back to work doesn’t mean you’re abandoning me.”

“But I need to be here for you and Mom. I can’t just leave her to do all of this alone.” She couldn’t hold back the sob that bubbled from her throat, and her dad squeezed her knee.