Chapter 2

I took Andy back to my mother's house.

My mother looked at me, relieved. "So you two are finally getting divorced?"

"After all these years, you've finally made up your mind to leave."

She pulled Andy over to the couch and pressed a shortbread cookie into his hand.

"Eat slowly."

Then she went into the kitchen, came back with a mug of hot honey-lemon tea heavy on the ginger, and set it in front of me.

"Drink this first."

I drank it.

The ginger burned my throat, and my head cleared.

My mother sat down and lowered her voice. "You really don't want the house?"

"No."

"That's stupid." She smacked the table. "If you don't take it, who gets it for free?"

"Mom."

"Let me finish." She leaned in. "Whose names are on the deed?"

"Both of ours."

"Then half of it is yours. If you just give it up, people will laugh at you for being a fool."

I gripped the mug. "It makes my skin crawl."

"Skin crawls or not, you take it. If you won't take it, Andy will. He's a Carter. It's his by right."

I didn't say anything.

My mother went on. "What about the savings? Do you know how much he has?"

"No."

"Find out." She got up, dug through a drawer, and pulled out a business card. "Your Aunt Liu's son-in-law works at the bank. Go see him tomorrow."

I took it.

"One more thing." My mother sat back down. "Andy's school transfer."

"Okay."

"Don't put him in school around here. Your brother's wife has a mouth on her, she gossips all day. Transfer him somewhere farther."

"I looked into it. That elementary school on the South Side seems okay."

"Okay, my foot." My mother waved a hand. "Go to your cousin's. Her school district's good. I already called her."

"She'll agree to that?"

"She owes me." My mother said it flatly. "Andy can stay with her first. Get the divorce wrapped up, then we'll see."

Andy looked up. "I'm not leaving Mom."

My mother rubbed his head. "Nobody's making you. Your mom's moving there too."

Andy looked at me.

I nodded. "We'll live together."

"But we're going to rent our own place. My cousin doesn't owe me anything."

He lowered his head and went back to nibbling his cookie.

There was a noise at the door. My brother, Kevin Hayes, pushed his way in and stopped short when he saw me.

"Sis? What are you doing back here?"

My mother glared at him. "Your sister's getting divorced."

Kevin looked at me, then at Andy, and his face darkened.

"That son of a bitch Nathan Carter."

"Don't swear," my mother said. "Swearing doesn't help. Tomorrow you go to the bank with your sister."

"Fine." He sat down and thought for a second. "Sis, what if he plays dirty and won't hand anything over?"

"He wouldn't dare," my mother cut in. "Vanessa Price's belly is getting big. He's more desperate than anyone to get the paperwork done."

Kevin snorted. "That woman's no good either."

My mother waved him off. "Forget her. We're talking about your sister."

I put down the mug. "I'll have him send me the agreement tomorrow."

"Don't sign too fast," my mother warned. "Read it first, then bring it to me and I'll go over it with you. Don't just sign it on your own without saying anything."

"I know."

Andy finished his cookie and leaned against me, getting sleepy. My mother laid a blanket over his legs and lowered her voice.

"One more thing."

"Hm?"

"If he comes crawling back begging you not to divorce him, don't go soft."

I looked at Andy's sleeping face.

"I won't."

Nathan's call came in on my mother's phone.

She answered, said "mm" twice, and handed it to me.

"Talk."

"Tomorrow, nine o'clock, the county clerk's office."

"What about the agreement?"

"I'll bring it. We'll sign there."

"Send it to me first."

He paused. "Olivia, don't start anything."

"Send it."

I hung up.

Less than two minutes later, a file came through by text.

I forwarded it to my mother. She put on her reading glasses and went through it line by line.

"House goes to him, savings split in half, Andy goes to you, child support three thousand a month."

"Three thousand." My mother snorted. "Like tossing change to a beggar."

"It's enough."

"Enough for what? You really have no idea how much he makes in a year?" She handed the phone back. "Change it. Five thousand."

"He won't go for it."

"If he won't, bring up the house. Your name's on the deed. If this really ends up in court, he doesn't get the whole house."

The next day, Nathan got to the county clerk's office before I did.

Crisp suit, every hair combed into place, like he'd come to close a business deal.

Vanessa hadn't come.

He handed me the agreement. "Sign."

I picked up the pen. Beside me, my mother coughed.

"Child support, five thousand."

Nathan frowned. "It's already written in the agreement."

"Change it now."

"Olivia!"

"My name's still on the deed." I looked up at him. "If you don't change it, we go to court. You've got all the time in the world to drag it out. Can your girlfriend's belly wait that long?"

His face darkened. He pulled out his phone, changed the number, and had a new copy printed.

I signed.

He signed faster than I did.

On the way out, he stopped me.

"Where's Andy?"

"At school."

"Can I see him from now on?"

"If the child support comes on time, yes."

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

I turned and walked away.

My mother was waiting for me at the corner, holding a bag of groceries she'd just bought.

"About renting a place, I asked your cousin to look around."

"Okay."

"That old complex across from the South Side elementary school. Sixth floor, two bedrooms, eighteen hundred a month."

"Let's go see it."

The place was old and the paint was peeling, but the windows faced south and let the sun in. Andy's room was small, just big enough for a bed and a desk.

The landlord was an old lady. She saw how well-behaved Andy was and knocked a hundred off the rent.

"This is it." I took out the deposit.

My mother helped me clean, wiping the table down three times with a rag.

"I'll buy Andy a new backpack."

"No need. His old one still works."

"First day at a new school, he gets a new one." She wouldn't hear otherwise. "Leave it to me."

The night we moved in, Andy leaned on the windowsill and looked down.

"Mom, there's someone selling candy apples downstairs."

"We'll buy one tomorrow."

He climbed into bed, hugging the old bear he'd brought from home.

"Mom."

"Is Dad going to come?"

I turned off the light.

"No."

He didn't ask again.

He rolled over with the bear tucked against his chest, and his breathing slowly deepened.

I sat on the edge of the bed. My phone lit up.

A transfer from Nathan. Five thousand.

The memo line was blank.

I tapped accept.