“And you didn’t want your friends to know you couldn’t afford the repairs.”

“Sarah, watch your tone,” Juliette warned.

“No,” Sarah said, her voice shaking. “I’m not doing this anymore.”

“I have spent three years trying to make sure your credit stayed clear so you could keep this house.”

“And you’ve been spending Annie’s money to do it.”

I watched them, my back pressed against the kitchen counter, feeling a strange detachment.

The air in the room was warm, the air conditioning struggling against the July heat.

A moth fluttered against the windowpane, attracted to the indoor light.

“How much is it exactly?” Sarah asked, looking at me.

“The total on the invoice is twenty-four thousand, eight hundred and sixty dollars,” I said.

“That includes the property damage, the unpaid catering, and the cost to settle Marcus’s car repair directly.”

Sarah turned back to Juliette.

“Pay her,” Sarah said.

Juliette let out a cold, sharp laugh. “I will do no such thing.”

“You will,” Sarah said, stepping closer to her mother.

“Because if you don’t, I am going to walk down that driveway right now.”