“I came today,” I said.
“Only because George drove you,” Diane said. She leaned closer, her eyes small behind her silver-framed glasses. “You always did have to be dragged to do anything for this family.”
“That is not true,” George said, his voice flat and quiet.
“I did not ask you, George,” Diane said, her voice rising slightly.
She looked back at me, her mouth turning down at the corners. “I often wonder how different my life would be if you had been more like your brother.”
“Ryan does not pay your mortgage,” I said.
Ryan’s face paled slightly as he looked down at his sports watch again. “Let us not do this here, Emily. This is not the place for financial details.”
“Why not?” I asked. “It is the only time we talk.”
“You always make everything about money,” Diane said, her hand reaching for her teacup again, then dropping it. “You think because you write a check, you own me.”
“I don’t want to own you,” I said. “I want you to be secure.”
