Diane didn’t answer. She just smiled at the ground. “This girl. She’s always treated her mother-in-law like an outsider.”
Every face at that table changed. Like I hadn’t said we’d pay her back. Like I’d said we were cutting ties with the whole family.
“Mom.” Jake came back with the drinks, keeping his voice low. “Not today.”
Diane looked up at him. “Mom’s just stating facts. Nobody said anything bad about anybody.”
Jake opened his mouth. Then closed it. Around all these relatives, he never actually fights her.
I set my plate down on the table. It clicked, sharp. Nothing broke, but the whole yard went quiet.
“Diane.” My voice was shaking. “At two in the morning last night, you pulled the covers off me and Jake in our own bed. You called my hands dirty. You tried to take him out of that room with you. And today you’re standing here telling everyone how good you are to me? Then go ahead. Tell them. Tell them exactly how you were good to me last night.”
