Chapter 3 - RACHEL CANCELED MORE THAN A SKI TRIP
Rachel took Noah home before the presents were opened.
She did not demand answers in front of him.
That was difficult.
Necessary.
Noah sat quietly in the back seat holding the superhero figure Rachel had pulled from the ruined cake.
“I’m sorry.”
Rachel looked in the mirror.
“For what?”
“The party got wrecked.”
“You didn’t wreck it.”
“Emma said I’m spoiled.”
Rachel pulled into their driveway.
“You know what spoiled means?”
He shrugged.
“Getting too much.”
Rachel turned off the engine.
“You getting medical care after breaking your arm was not getting too much.”
Noah looked at the figure in his lap.
“Aunt Ashley said you got money because I crashed.”
“When did she say that?”
Noah froze.
Rachel immediately regretted the sharpness in her voice.
“Hey. You’re not in trouble.”
“At Grandma’s.”
Rachel frowned.
Their mother, Carol Bennett, had died two years earlier.
Noah sometimes still called Carol’s old house Grandma’s, even though Ashley now lived there after buying out Rachel’s half of the inherited property.
“When were you at Aunt Ashley’s?”
“Last week.”
“Without me?”
“After school.”
Rachel stared at him.
Ashley had never mentioned picking Noah up.
“Who took you there?”
“Aunt Ashley.”
“Why?”
Noah shrugged.
“She said you were working.”
Rachel worked at a pediatric dental practice ten minutes from Noah’s school.
His after-school program had her number.
Nobody needed Ashley.
Rachel forced herself not to interrogate him.
That evening she checked her email.
There it was.
The after-school program had sent a pickup notification the previous Tuesday.
Authorized adult: Ashley Bennett.
Rachel had added Ashley years earlier.
She had forgotten.
At 8:13 p.m., Rachel opened the payment portal for Emma’s dance studio.
She canceled the recurring card.
Then the ski-club installment.
Then the summer dance intensive.
Total remaining commitment: $4,780.
Rachel had been paying because Ashley claimed her finances had collapsed after a divorce that had dragged on for two years.
Rachel never wanted Emma to lose activities because of adult problems.
That generosity had become expected.
At 8:46, Ashley called.
“You canceled everything.”
“Yes.”
“Emma is hysterical.”
“Noah cried over his cake while she laughed.”
“She’s nine.”
“And you’re thirty-seven.”
Ashley’s voice changed.
“You’re going to regret making this about money.”
Rachel went still.
“I didn’t.”
“You just did.”
“No. Emma did when she mentioned Noah’s accident.”
Silence.
Rachel continued.
“Why did you pick him up Tuesday?”
Ashley hung up.
Five minutes later, Rachel received another call.
Her father.
“Whatever fight you’re having with your sister, leave the kids out of it.”
Rachel closed her eyes.
Ashley had already started building her version.
May you like
This time Rachel was not going to race behind her correcting it.
She was going to find out what Ashley was afraid she might discover.
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