Chapter 13

Ethan couldn't vent at Josephine anymore.

And he didn't have time to. He had a half-unconscious father on the stoop and nowhere to sleep.

When he thought about where to sleep, a name came to him.

He pulled out his phone.

It picked up fast. Before Vivienne could even say hello, he was already issuing instructions.

"Mom, Dad and I are coming over. Clean up, get two guest rooms ready, I want the one with the good light. If your place is too small, Dad can room with you, that's fine."

He said it like it was obvious.

Vivienne's smile froze.

She'd been working for decades. She had a 401(k) and a small Social Security income.

She did not have her own apartment.

Keeping her face and body and life the way she liked had cost her serious money. Keeping the I-can-pick-up-and-go-to-Paris-anytime version of herself had cost her even more.

Her salary had plateaued long ago. She'd quit more than one job when employers refused her time off.

At sixty-plus, she was renting a one-bedroom walk-up in Park Slope to save money.

That was partly why she'd wanted to claim Ethan in the first place — she needed a retirement plan.

What she had not anticipated was Ethan beating her to the punch and moving in on her.

Her voice strained toward cheerful. "Ethan, sweetie, of course you can come stay."

"Just — my place isn't as big as yours. You might not be comfortable."

It was a soft no. A very soft no.

Ethan had been through too much in twenty-four hours to pick up nuance.

"Mom, you have no idea how vicious Josephine is. She actually sold the brownstone. We're homeless."

"I confronted her. She said the house came from her family and she could do whatever she wanted with it. Did she not spend the last forty years on Dad's money? The nerve on her — "

He went on. Vivienne kept listening, gritting her teeth.

She was building up to her polite refusal when Richard took the phone.

"Vivienne. Let us stay while I find a place. I'll move us out fast."

Richard knew exactly where Vivienne stood financially. He knew she wouldn't agree unless he cleared the path.

Sure enough — as soon as he said I'll find a place — she agreed.