Page 149 of Where We Stay

“How far behind are you?”

“Far enough that the bank has started foreclosure proceedings.” She looks away from me. “Thirty thousand would bring the mortgage current and cover the fees.”

I step back, trying to process that. “So, you came home because you’re about to lose your house.”

“That’s part of why I came back,” she admits.

“And the other part?”

Courtney’s eyes meet mine. “Aspen.”

I scoff. “Convenient.”

“I know how it looks.”

“It looks like your life fell apart, so you came back to the people you abandoned and asked them to fix it.”

Courtney flinches. “I didn’t ask you to fix anything.”

“You asked my dad.”

“I was desperate,” she says, her voice dropping.

“You should’ve told me.”

“Would it have changed anything?” she asks.

“It would’ve changed the fact that I had to hear it from Blair.”

Something shifts across her face at Blair’s name.

Courtney gives a humorless laugh. “Of course she told you.”

“Don’t,” I warn.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your face did.”

She folds her arms and looks away. “I’m not going to fight with you about Blair.”

“Good,” I say. “Because there’s nothing to fight about.”

Her eyes return to mine.

I let that sit between us.

“Losing the house made me realize how badly I’ve fucked up my life,” Courtney says after a moment. “Not just financially. All of it.”

“Hitting rock bottom doesn’t automatically make you a mother again.”

“I know.” Her voice softens. “But it made me stop running long enough to realize what I left behind.”

I study her face, searching for any sign that this is another performance.

“I meant what I said at the lookout,” I tell her. “If Aspen wants to see you, I’ll give you the chance to show up for her. Slowly, with me there.”

Courtney nods. “Okay.”