BooksBarbecue
Back When We Were Bright and Beautiful
Chapters (72)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. Part One
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. Part Two
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. Part Three
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. Epilogue
  68. Author’s Note
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. About the Author
  71. Also by Jillian Medoff
  72. About the Publisher

My phone dings with a text: #TimesUp #MeToo

I turn. Haggerty’s in the back. Seeing me, he waves.

53

TEN MINUTES LATER, MY BROTHERS AND I ARE IN THE CONFERENCE room. We’d shuffled back here, silently, like zombies, neither looking at nor speaking to one another. Unsure what was next, we sat down to await further instructions.

Our silence fills the room. I sit on one side of the long table. Billy and Nate are across from me on the other. The air is so heavy it crushes my neck and shoulders. I want to say something, I need to say something. But I’m struck dumb. Guys? Guys? Guys?

The minutes tick by.

Lawrence appears in the doorway. “You kids see Eleanor? We should find her.” Instead of doing this, he walks into the room. His movements are jerky and robotic, as if his limbs are controlled by a puppeteer. He sits down between my brothers. So, now all three men are aligned on one side of the table, and I’m alone on the other.

“Insane accusation,” Lawrence is muttering. “Absolutely insane. I have no idea what game Peter is playing. But I will find out. Obviously, nothing the girl said is true.” His eyes shift from Nate to Billy, Billy to Nate, begging for a response, a fuck you, Dad—anything but this deafening silence. “You know that, right? Come on, guys. Talk to me.” The only person Lawrence won’t look at is me.

My brothers focus on their phones. “Peter texted,” Billy tells Nate, speaking over Lawrence as if he’s invisible. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

My body is on fire, every joint aches. I’m paralyzed. Unable to move, even to shift in my seat. I’m separated from my brothers, separated from Lawrence, separated from myself. The more I detach, the easier this will get. Soon, I’ll be invisible too.

“Insane.” Lawrence’s voice is shrill, almost hysterical. “Did you know this, Billy? Did Peter tell you what he had planned? This is an insane legal strategy.”

Billy gets up from his chair, and looms over Lawrence like a nightmare come to life. He’s breathing hard, as if he just finished a long run, and chewing the meat of his inner cheek. He’s so pissed off I hear his jaw click.

“Shut up, Dad,” he says evenly. In response Lawrence makes a bleating noise that my brother perceives as laughter. “Something funny? What the fuck is funny here?”

Suddenly, Billy’s elbow shoots out. He rams his father’s face so hard Lawrence’s head snaps back. It happens so quickly it’s like a cartoon. Oddly, the casual violence doesn’t shock me as much as his words. “If you don’t shut your fucking mouth, I will destroy you.” Leaning in, Billy is shaking with white-hot fury. “Nothing would give me more pleasure.”