Chapter 2

Nora and I sit on one couch in the living room, Tessa perches across from us.

Tessa sighs, all wistful. "It's so beautiful to see Nora get her happy ending. I'm so happy for her."

A pause. "I've just… never known what a real family feels like."

Ethan's face crumples.

"Mom. Tessa's Nora's best friend. And, I mean, she's had it rough. Couldn't we adopt her too?"

Tessa's eyes go huge. She yanks a folder from her backpack. "Mrs. Sinclair, I got into Yale. If you take me in, I swear I'll never embarrass this family."

She slides two report cards across the coffee table.

One says 1580 SAT. The other says 620.

She fumbles, pretending to hide the second one. "Oh—sorry, that one's not mine. Wrong paper, Ethan, don't look—"

Too late. Ethan already saw it.

"A 620?" He turns on Nora. "Nora Sinclair. This family has been Ivy League for four generations. It's bad enough you look like that—now I find out you can't even read? Tessa is running circles around you."

Nora fires right back. "Yeah, and if I dropped a bookworm like you in my neighborhood, you'd get your teeth kicked in and not even know why."

Tessa jumps up and grabs Ethan's arm. "Please don't argue because of me. It's my fault."

She turns those wet eyes on me—and freezes.

Because I'm not paying attention to any of it. I'm reading Nora's report card with a huge grin.

"Oh my God. My baby's a math genius. You got a 780 on the math section. That's your highest score!"

Nora mumbles, "Probably 'cause it's multiple choice."

I burst out laughing. "That just means my baby is lucky. Sweetheart, you're a Sinclair. You don't need to be a scholar. The trust fund I built for you could keep you in couture till you're ninety."

She isn't used to being praised. I can see it, even through the heavy makeup. She looks lost.

Tessa's breathing gets a little sharper.

I pin Ethan with a look. "Tessa has two parents. She's not a stray puppy we take home from the shelter."

Ethan drops his hand from her arm.

I turn to her, still smiling. "Tessa, thank you for bringing Nora home. I'll have the driver take you back whenever you're ready."

Her eyes fill instantly. She drops to her knees on the marble floor.

"Mrs. Sinclair—my dad is a drunk. He hits me every night. Please don't send me back there."

Ethan clenches his fists, torn.

She's sobbing and begging. "Nora had always been there for me. But now she has to leave...I just want a real family. Please."