“Hey, hey.” Margot settled her hands on Olivia’s waist. “No one’s putting up with anything, Liv. I know Annie and Brendon. Trust me, they would hate the idea that you’re more worried about their reaction to you stressing than what’s actually stressing you. I promise.”
Olivia took a step back, then one more, too far away for Margot to reach. Margot’s hands fell to her sides.
“There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep tonight,” Olivia said.
“It’s early. Your dad could still call you.”
“But—”
“You want to talk to him in person, I know.” Margot sighed and slipped her fingers under her lenses, rubbing her eyes. “But you can’t just pick up and go to Enumclaw right now.”
“It’s not even an hour away. If I leave now, I could make it there before eight. I can talk to Dad and figure out what the hell is going on and why the house is for sale.”
If I leave now. Leave. A pit formed in Margot’s stomach, the word tripping a trigger in her brain. Olivia wanted to leave. Leave and come back . . . right?
“Look, I know you’re concerned, but . . . the rehearsal is tomorrow. The wedding is on Saturday.”
Olivia was already moving across the room, gathering up a sock from the foot of the bed and her leggings from the floor. She plopped down on the edge of the bed and slipped a foot into her pants. “Trust me, Mar, I am well aware of when the wedding is. I’m the wedding planner, remember?” She shot Margot a tight smile. “It’ll be fine. I’ll drive down tonight, talk to Dad, spend the night, and leave tomorrow morning. The rehearsal isn’t until one, the rehearsal dinner not until later that evening. Setup starts at three. I’ll make it back in time. Heck, there’s a decent chance I’ll beat you all back to town, depending on what time I hit the road.”
Margot worried the inside of her cheek, weighing out a gentler way to say what needed to be said that wouldn’t piss Olivia off. “Liv, don’t you think you should maybe . . . sit on this for a second? Think it through. Call your dad again, text him. See if he calls you tonight, talk it out on the phone, and if you’re still worried, we can drive down on Sunday. Together.”
“And if he doesn’t call?” Olivia smoothed the stretchy spandex leggings up over her knees, standing to tug them the rest of the way on. She set her hands on her hips and frowned. “He’s heading up to Forks tomorrow. He said he might not have coverage, and he’s not always going to have his phone on him. Plus, like you said, the rehearsal is tomorrow, and me driving down tonight isn’t going to be a problem. I’m going to make it back in time.”
“It’s not a question of whether you’ll make it back or not, although anything can happen. It’s more a matter of you dropping everything to go check on your dad when just yesterday he told you he was fine and promised he’d tell you otherwise. He told you not to worry. He told you to have a good time and he made me promise to make sure you do.”
Olivia stared out the window, lips pursed. “He also conveniently left out the part about the house being on the market. I can’t exactly hang much on that conversation, can I?”
Margot buried her face in her hands and groaned. “You’re overreacting, Liv.”
Shit. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she wished she could take them back. Press rewind or hoover them up, make them disappear. She peeked between her spread fingers.
Olivia turned her head slowly, eyes widening and lips parting. “Gee, thanks, Margot. Are you going to tell me I’m acting crazy next?”
“No, I’m just—God, you’re always thinking about what everyone else needs, but what about what you need?” Margot dropped her hands, letting them hang limp at her sides. “I know you love your dad, but it’s his job to take care of you, not the other way around.” Olivia opened her mouth, but Margot wasn’t finished. “I know you care about him, but there’s a difference between caring about someone and taking care of them, and right now you’re mixing them up.”
Olivia crossed her arms. Everything from the set of her jaw to the way she was standing perfectly still, her back ramrod straight, screamed defensive. “Really? Tell me—how, in your expert opinion, am I confusing the two? Because the last time I checked, you aren’t in my head, Margot.”
“I never claimed to be an expert. I’m speaking as someone who cares about you.” She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation in her underwear. “In an ideal situation, would your dad have told you before he listed the house? Totally. But he didn’t, and that’s his prerogative. Maybe he had a good reason for not telling you. Maybe, Liv . . . maybe he doesn’t think it’s your business. Is it something you need to talk about? Okay, sure. But is it something you need to talk about right now? Maybe you make it to Enumclaw tonight and back in time for the rehearsal tomorrow, but where does it stop? Where do you draw a line? If Brad calls and he needs help finding a garage door opener, are you going to hop in your car and drive to Enumclaw to help him find it?”