That Reckless Night

One generous shot later, she returned to her bed and climbed beneath the covers. Maybe tonight would be different. She wouldn’t dream of her sister or anyone in her family.

Maybe she would just drift into nothingness and her brain would stop jabbering long enough for a moment’s peace.

Maybe.

Not likely.

CHAPTER NINE

THE LOUD BUZZ of her cell phone rattling on her nightstand jarred her from a restless sleep. Miranda fumbled for the phone and answered in a sleepy mumble to hear her brother’s voice on the other line.

“I got your message. What’s up?”

Miranda sat up to rub the sleep from her eyes as she answered, “I can’t believe you actually called me back so soon. I half expected not to hear from you for another couple weeks.”

“You said it was important,” Trace reminded her. “So what’s going on?”

Miranda yawned as she slowly came awake. “The situation with Mom is getting out of control. I need your input. She won’t listen to me, and of course, Dad is no help. I hired an organizer to go out there and help her and she sent the woman away. And then she was mad at me for sending the woman to her home.”

“Of course she was mad. I wouldn’t want a stranger poking her nose into my business, either.”

Trace’s irritation rubbed Miranda the wrong way. He didn’t know what it was like to deal with their mother on an everyday basis. He’d conveniently skipped out on the family, same as Wade, the cowards. “Trace, the way she’s living is dangerous. She’s a hoarder,” she maintained with an edge to her voice.

“Come on, Miranda. I think you’re exaggerating. Mom likes to collect stuff but she’s not a hoarder.”

“No, that’s where you’re wrong. You haven’t been down here to see the house lately. It’s a nightmare. I don’t know how she walks through the house. It’s gotten so bad that Dad is practically living in his shop.”

“I’d be more concerned about Dad selling pot than I am about Mom liking to collect things.”

“If you visited more than once a year you’d know that Mom’s collecting is the bigger issue. I can’t do this by myself. You and Wade have put all the responsibility of our parents on my shoulders and it’s not fair. I need you to come home.”

“Nobody told you to stay in Homer.”

Great defense, Trace. Blame me for choosing to make a life here. “I have a job that I love. It’s not just about staying in Homer. This is my son’s home, too. I’m not about to tear Talen away from his heritage just because things don’t always go smoothly.”

“Is this all you want to talk about? I’m on a job and I only took a few minutes to make the call because you made it sound urgent.”

“It is urgent, damn it. Our mother is going to die in that house because it’s unsanitary and unsafe. I can’t let Talen visit anymore because I’m afraid he’ll be smothered by the towers of crap she has in her house. I’m sorry if you felt that was beneath your notice.”

The silence on the other end told Miranda she’d hit a nerve. Good. Trace lived close enough to at least check in on his parents every now and again instead of the annual obligatory visits he made. “Fine. After this job I’ll make some time to check things out. Stop getting so worked up about it. You should focus more on your own life than fixing those of other people.”

Miranda bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Get your shit together, Miranda.”

Someone had been flapping their jaws to her brother about her activities. God, she hated that. Living under a microscope was a pain in the ass. It was times like this when she wished she had moved away, too. “You’re one to talk,” she shot back. “I’m not the one hiding in the mountains because I can’t handle being around people.”

“Whatever you say, Miranda. I’ll be in touch.” There was a pause and then Trace added, “Give the kid a squeeze for me.”

The line went dead and Miranda knew that Trace had ended the call. She loved her brother but he drove her crazy with the same argument about her lifestyle. As if he had room to talk. It wasn’t as if he were the epitome of normal living. He wasn’t some bastion of emotional stability. And yet, even knowing this about her brother, he still managed to get under her skin when he made comments like that. “Damn hypocrite.” She tossed the phone to her nightstand and tried to get a few more minutes of sleep before her alarm went off and she had to get Talen ready for school.