“All of it.”
I stared at her.
“All five thousand?”
“She needed help after the car accident,” Mom explained quickly. “She said the repairs were expensive.”
“You gave her your entire emergency fund?”
“Not exactly.”
Mom twisted the towel in her hands.
“Lauren sent me the payment information. She asked me to pay the repair bills directly because she said it would be easier.”
Somehow, that made me feel even worse.
“When did this happen?”
“Months ago.”
“When was she supposed to pay you back?”
“By summer.”
It was almost November.
I pulled out my phone.
Mom immediately looked nervous.
“Rachel, please don’t start a fight.”
“I’m not starting anything.”
I found Lauren’s number and called.
She picked up on the third ring, sounding cheerful.
“Rach! Hey.”
I skipped the small talk.
“When are you paying my mother back?”
There was a pause.
Then Lauren laughed.
Actually laughed.
“Yeah, I borrowed the money.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
She sighed.
“I clearly needed it more than she did.”
I glanced at Mom.
She was pretending to wipe the counter even though it was already spotless.
“That was her emergency savings, Lauren. Her refrigerator just died.”
Lauren gave another little laugh.
“Why does your mom even need five thousand dollars sitting around? She’s retired. What is she going to spend it on?”
I closed my eyes for a moment.
That response told me more than any apology ever could.
For years after my divorce, I had struggled to trust my own judgment.
My ex had made me question almost every instinct I had.
But listening to Lauren, I felt no uncertainty.
I knew exactly what kind of person I was dealing with.
Still, I didn’t want to confront her over the phone.
I wanted her sitting across from me.
And I wanted Kyle there too.
“You know what?” I said.
“What?”
“Come to dinner tomorrow night.”
She sounded surprised.
“Really?”
“Family dinner. Seven o’clock.”
Her tone instantly brightened.
“Sure.” “Wear something nice.”
She agreed before she could stop to question why I had suddenly turned so friendly.
After we ended the call, I kept staring at Lauren’s name on my phone.
Then another thought struck me.
Five thousand dollars.
That exact amount had surfaced before.
Six months ago.
