Behind Closed Doors. Debbi Rawlins

but surprised, she was no longer in a hurry to go. “And?”

      “I told her to wake up, that she’s wasting her time. He’s eighteen and still a junior in high school. She doesn’t need a loser like him. He’s never gonna be able to buy her something nice or take her anywhere. I told her straight up. I said, baby girl, you can do so much better than that clown.”

      Her mouth hanging open, Beth stared at her sister. The woman was completely clueless. Even after all the heart-to-heart talks they’d had in the past two months.

      Candace took the tomato juice out of the fridge and fixed herself a Bloody Mary. After taking a sip, she glanced at Beth. “You want one before you go?”

      Instead of answering, she saved her energy to keep from exploding. “Liberty is a bright girl. She doesn’t need a man buying her things or—” Beth’s control slipped a notch. “Or paying her rent.”

      With a chilly glare, Candace picked up her drink, leaving everything else on the counter, and walked to the door while reaching into her pocket.

      “Look, I’m sorry.” Beth briefly closed her eyes. “I’m not here to judge you, I’m not...but come on, this is about Liberty. You don’t want to see her go down the same road as—”

      “Me?” Candace paused to look at her and shrugged. “Go ahead and say it.”

      “I mostly blame Mom, not you. She was a horrible influence on both of us.” Beth had to be careful to keep her voice neutral. No one appreciated condescension, and she wanted to provide motivation, not ammunition for another fight. “The example you set for Liberty matters.”

      “Oh, for God’s sake, Bethany, kinda late for that, don’t you think?”

      “No. No, I don’t.”

      “Well, that’s your job, isn’t it, Little Miss Perfect? Being the shining example for your niece,” Candace said, and slammed out the screen door.

      Holding on to her temper by her fingernails, Beth followed her to the stoop. “Look, you called me, remember?”

      Candace lit her cigarette and drew in deeply. “You heard from her recently?”

      “Who?”

      “Mom.”

      Beth shook her head. Candace’s mercurial moods alone drove her crazy. “I haven’t talked to her in two years. She could’ve changed her number or moved for all I know.”

      “I’m pretty sure she’s still living with Bobby in Vegas,” Candace said, absently staring off toward the Belt Mountains where most of the aspens had turned golden. The only decent thing about the house and flat tract of land was the view.

      “Can we get back to Liberty? I think Spike is the one getting her into trouble.”

      “As long as he’s not chasing off other boys who are interested in her, I’m not going to interfere.”

      Watching her gulp down half her drink, Beth sighed. Once again, it wasn’t the time to have a worthwhile discussion. But then it never was with Candace. Beth glanced at the clock. She had to get to town and be at the boardinghouse before her workers arrived.

      Thinking about them reminded her of the lumber order, which led her to Nathan. Yesterday he’d been a shining beacon of hope that life in Blackfoot Falls might be looking up. That had lasted for an hour. After he figured out she was related to the little graffiti artist who’d defaced his water sheds, he’d probably never want to see Beth again.

      Not bothering to say anything to her sister, Beth left through the living room, grabbing her phone and wallet off the teak end table. The garage-sale purchase was the nicest piece of furniture in the house and even made the green plaid couch look better. As far as the brown corduroy recliner went, Beth saw no hope for it. Maybe she’d get lucky again at another garage sale.

      She climbed into her truck just as her phone buzzed. She smiled when she saw it was a text from Fritz. He sent the same one every week, asking if she’d had enough and was ready to return to work. Her former boss had never said, but she had a feeling he hadn’t expected her to last this long. He’d been good to her, grooming her to be a savvy, confident woman, and she owed him. It was time to make him understand he should hire another assistant.

      Wondering where he was, her fingers hovered over the keypad. He could be in Paris or Hong Kong or New York. It didn’t matter since he’d just texted. She wouldn’t be disturbing him. Allowing herself a brief wistful memory of autumn in Paris, she stared at the sad three-bedroom house that was in desperate need of a new roof. She really had to move out. It wasn’t that she needed pretty things. Arguing with Candace and getting nowhere was sucking the soul out of her. Still, she was committed to staying in Blackfoot Falls. Liberty needed her and, to some degree, so did Candace.