“Does she know now?”
“Yes.”
“When did you tell her?”
“Christmas night.”
I turned.
“That must have gone well.”
He laughed once.
“It did not.”
I studied him.
“Why are you telling me?”
“Because I’m tired of letting you two hate each other over things I helped create.”
The sentence surprised me.
Michael continued.
“I let Jennifer be the bad guy a lot.”
I folded my arms.
“Yes.”
“I know.”
“No, I mean a lot.”
He nodded.
“When she didn’t want to come here, I said she had plans.”
I knew that.
“When we needed babysitting and she pushed me to ask you, I acted like it was mostly her idea.”
I had suspected that.
“And Christmas?”
His eyes dropped.
That was the one.
“I knew Thomas and Diana were hosting.”
“Yes.”
“I knew Jennifer didn’t want you there.”
I waited.
“But I also didn’t want you there.”
It landed differently than Jennifer’s insult.
Quieter.
Deeper.
“Why?”
Michael swallowed.
“Because I was embarrassed.”
“Of me?”
He shook his head.
“Of myself.”
