A Book of Dust and Breath

Chapter Eighteen

Lily sat at the kitchen table, hands pressed to the wood on either side of her phone.

She could face any opponent in the ring. She'd managed to brave the untold dangers of small-town America. Even the creepy house was, if not exactly comfortable, not quite as scary as it had been. But the phone was a monster. She stared at it, a wary animal peering at a potential hunter.

They're going to hate me.

They're your parents, they're not going to hate you.

They've been planning my wedding for twenty years. They're going to be pissed.

Not pissed. Sad. Hurt. Betrayed.

Angry would be infinitely easier to deal with.

The longer you wait, the worse it's going to be.

Groaning, she snatched the thing off the table and dialed as fast as she could.

"Hey there, stranger!" Her father was as chipper and enthusiastic as ever.

"It hasn't been that long, Dad."

"You're right. I mean, the earth was created four billion years ago so, in the great scheme of things..."

"Dad," she groaned. Her stomach clenched around a ball of molten lead.

"How are you, baby girl?"

"Well, not a baby anymore."

"I'll never believe it."

Unexpected tears pricked at her eyes. She blinked them away, clearing her throat. "I miss you guys," she admitted. It was true. Life with her parents had been safe and comfortable and fun. Life now was still fun, but safe and comfortable seemed to have flown north for the summer.

"We miss you, too. More than you'll ever know. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Good. Great, actually. Fantastic!" She dropped her head into her palm. Good Lord, Lils! Stop babbling. "I have a lot to tell you," she went on. "Will you put mom on the speaker so I don't have to say everything twice?"

A familiar commotion that warmed her heart and soothed her nerves commenced in the background. Her father called to her mother. A feminine voice in the distance answered. He said something else she couldn't quite make out. Another impossibly tiny response. More shuffling. His office door creaked, a sound as familiar as her own voice. Then her mother spoke near the phone.

"Lily! I've missed you, angel-flower!"

The old nickname on her mother's lips was as good as an embrace.

"I've missed you too, mom."

"So, what's all the big news, my girl?" Her father asked. "Last we heard you were a world champion and heading off to Michigan."

Lily swallowed the lump in her throat. Start with the easy stuff. "Well, I bought a school," she said. "It's here in Michigan. In a little town called Blissfield."

"That's amazing, Pumpkin! We're so proud of you," her father exclaimed.

"We have to come see it," her mother added. "Are you having a grand opening?"

"Wait, there's more," Lily blurted out.

A brief pause told her that she'd caught them off guard but, as usual, they recovered quickly. "What is it?" her father asked.

"I..." She choked on her words, cleared her throat, tried again. "I got married." She pushed her chair back and paced the length of the kitchen, her quick steps matching the speed of the words tumbling from her lips. "I married a man in Las Vegas and that's why I'm in Blissfield now. Because I'm married and this is where he lives." She clamped her mouth shut and skidded to a halt in front of the garage door. She'd said it three times in five seconds. No need to say any more.