“You judge everything.”
June almost said his name.
Stopped.
He continued.
“You act like because you work hard, nobody else does.”
“I have never said that.”
“You don’t have to.”
June recognized the sentence.
The same logic Claire used.
Unspoken debts.
Imagined accusations.
“You resent our house.”
“No.”
“You resent the wedding.”
“No.”
“You resent Claire.”
June thought carefully.
“I resent how she treats me.”
“That’s different?”
“Yes.”
He exhaled sharply.
“Mom, she’s under pressure.”
June looked toward the stairwell door.
Housekeepers moved somewhere beyond it.
Carts squeaked.
A vacuum started.
“Ethan, I need to ask you something.”
“What?”
“If I stopped paying for things, what would be left between us?”
Silence.
A longer one this time.
“That’s a horrible thing to ask.”
“Maybe.”
“Of course we’d still have a relationship.”
“Then prove it.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m not paying the florist.”
“Mom—”
“Or the rehearsal dinner.”
“Wait.”
