Her room smells as sweet as always, and everything is still in its place. It looks as though she got ready this morning and left, expecting to return after a day at her studio. There is certainly no evidence that she’s moved out. I lean against the doorway for a moment and shake my head. I know she’s probably mad about the article. The old Cora would have gone off the rails about it, but now she knows how we feel about her…well, I hope that’ll make the difference. Alden would never say something like that about her. She must know he wouldn’t. This isn’t something she needs to face alone. This is something we can deal with together.
As I jog down the stairs, I glance around at the house that has been our home for so long. Our family history is here, all the good and the bad. And it’s been mostly good. We’ve been as happy as we could be without Mom in our lives. Everything has always come easy.
As I pass a family photo – just Dad and us boys in height order – I think about what he said. He did what he had to do to provide for us. Would I rather it hadn’t involved ruthless business practices that caused the collapse of Cora’s father’s company? Of course, I would. But do I think my dad is a terrible person for being shrewd when he was under so much pressure?
It’s just not that cut and dried.
He could certainly have a better attitude about it now. Maybe that’s what’s grating at me so much. The fact that he just can’t admit that what he did has had a negative impact on someone else’s family. Like a stone dropped into a lake, all our decisions create ripples in the lives of others.
I don’t want to create negative ripples, but the work I do probably does. It’s impossible to labor within the system and not. My job helps rich company owners find ways to pay less tax and make more profit. Danny’s helps huge fashion brands sell more clothes and contributes to people feeling bad about themselves. Tobias and River aren’t working yet so their consciences are clear, I suppose. And maybe Alden too. I can’t imagine what negative impact Alden’s art has. Maybe when he heats the metal, he releases greenhouse gasses. I don’t know. None of us is an island.
All I mean is that I can’t judge my father too harshly, even as I understand and empathize with Cora’s anger and pain.
The phone rings again as I reach the bottom step.
“Naomi?”
“She’s at Maggie’s,” Naomi says. “I didn’t speak to her, but Maggie said that Alden’s quote in the article and Kyle’s presence at your house has upset Cora. She doesn’t want to come back.”
“Kyle? Kyle wasn’t here.”
“He was. When Cora came back to talk to you guys about the article, he was there. She left before he saw her. She was frightened.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, shaking my head.
“I don’t know what to say.” Naomi clears her throat. “Cora has trust issues the size of the Grand Canyon. And you guys are stumbling into them and proving her right. Is she right?”
“NO!” I blurt. “Of course, she isn’t right. We love her.”
“You do?” Naomi says, and I swear I can hear a smile in her voice. “Then you need to make all of this right, Mark. Seriously. My friend deserves better.”
“I know. Naomi. And thanks for letting me know. I’ll talk with my brothers and work out what to do next. All you need to know is that we’ll do right by her.”
“Good luck,” she says before hanging up.
I take a seat on the bottom step, pulling up a photograph on my phone that we took one night when we were all hanging out in the den. Cora’s in the center of the couch, flanked by Tobias and River on one side, and me, Alden, and Danny on the other. She has her arms around us and the broadest smile on her pretty face. We all look ridiculously happy, and it makes my throat feel thick and achy.
We can get back to that, I think. We have to get back to that.
We have a lot to do to get there, though.
I don’t know what Kyle was doing here – if indeed he was here – but I need to find out.
We need to prove that we’re trustworthy and put her first.
We need to show her we love her, and we’ll fight for her.
And now we need to find a new place to live before Dad sells the house from under us.
26
ALDEN
“You said what to the press?” Tobias says, taking a step forward and balling his fists.
River reads from his phone. “Alden Carlton says of his relationship with Cora Horton, ‘Sex and Art are like two sides of the same coin. Cora and I both take inspiration from our polyamorous relationship in form and emotion.’”