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Dad chokes on a sip of wine and Margot’s eyes shoot up to the ceiling while she struggles to keep froht and expansive, with thick crea over a hand-carved cherry table The décor is way too nice for the kinds of conversations that go down in here when rand, and then looks at e her"

"What?" Her milky blue eyes widen innocently at him across the table "Have you looked at theed your diaper or wiped your butt, so I’ it looks like your--"

"Can you pass the bread?" Margot interrupts

Grams picks up the bread boith a shaky hand and passes it to my sister "Honestly" She shakes her head "Penises are the strangest-looking organ If being a lesbian had been an option in one that direction" She waves a hand "Not that I didn’t love cleaning up afterfor your father for fifty years"

"Oh boy," Margot mumbles

"Female bodies are so s and whatnot"

I laugh intoa delicate, withered finger atin the world"

I raise , but Mom lets out a tiny squeak "Anne," she says quietly, "Luke doesn’t"

The sentence hangs there and the silence bounces around between us

"Doesn’t what?" Graot tells irlfriend in years, but look at that se s ladies around, if you catch "

"She has a point," I say

"Luke Graham Sutter," Moe happening," Margot says, and then slides a stalk of asparagus between her teeth, biting down savagely I wince Chewing, she says, "Remember that text I sent you the other day? Luke has a crush on a girl"

Tio silent Jaws drop open and dust settles

"Jesus Christ," I groan, stabbing a bite of chicken

"Watch your lare atto push me out of this state?"

"Well, what do I have to lose?" she asks "You’re running out of willing sexual partners in Southern California Unless you just cycle through theet their na--"

I cut her off with a low "Margot"

"Luker?" Moirlfriend?"

"No," Margot answers for irl who refuses him, but he loooooves her"

"Are you twelve?" I ask

My sister winks at ain and the delicate hope in her voice uys," I say, putting down ree it isn’t healthy that you’re all so invested in raduated last summer"