Diamonds Are Forever. Michelle Madow

One of Perry’s bandmates, Noel, had posted a picture of the five of them backstage, and while they would never see it because they had so many fans, Savannah liked the picture. She couldn’t wait to see them live when they played Vegas this summer. In the meantime, Perry would text her when the show was over to tell her how it went. Although she’d come to learn that One Connection shows always went well. With seats that scalped for thousands of dollars, it was to be expected.

      Eventually, the limo exited the freeway. Courtney was biting her nails—something she did only when she was really nervous—and Savannah tossed her phone into her bag. She wanted to say something to make Courtney feel better, but what? The guilt over her secret rose up in her throat once again, so Savannah stayed quiet, looking out the window and playing with the ends of her hair.

      Peyton paused her music and took out her earbuds. “Are you guys ready?” she asked, looking mainly at Courtney.

      “No.” Courtney stopped chewing her nails and lowered her hands to her lap. “I have no idea what to say to them. I wouldn’t even be visiting this weekend if Grandma hadn’t sent us that email about how Aunt Sophie wanted us to come, and that this might be one of our last chances to see her before...”

      She let the sentence hang, not needing to clarify what she meant. Aunt Sophie had stopped chemo at the start of the New Year, since it wasn’t working. The three of them didn’t know Aunt Sophie that well—she’d moved in with Grandma right before they’d come to Vegas, and prior to then they’d only seen her a handful of times when she’d visited during the holidays—but how could they refuse to come to Napa with Grandma holding Aunt Sophie’s illness over their heads?

      “Maybe it won’t hurt to listen to them?” Savannah twisted her bracelets. “We can’t stay mad at them forever.”

      “But I can’t forgive them, either,” Courtney said. “They lied to us. For our entire lives. I can’t just get past that.”

      “You don’t have to ‘get past it.’” Peyton blew a bubble with her gum and sucked the air back in. “I sure as hell won’t.”

      “I don’t know.” Savannah bit her lip. “Will you really never forgive Grandma? You’re her favorite.”

      “No, I’m not.” Courtney rested her head in her hand and sighed.

      “I just keep worrying that Mom will relapse,” Savannah said. “If she does, and it’s because we haven’t forgiven her...it’ll be our fault.”

      “It’s not our fault,” Peyton said sharply. “Besides, Grandma would have said something if Mom were drinking again. But it seems like quitting her job, moving to the country, and doing yoga every day was cure enough. Oh, and us moving out so she didn’t have to take care of us anymore. I’m sure that had something to do with it.”

      Savannah flinched. “I don’t think that’s it. I mean, the other stuff must have helped. But she misses us—I know it.”

      “How?” Courtney asked. “None of us have talked to her since Thanksgiving.”

      Savannah’s heart stopped. “Right,” she said, her sisters’ gazes searing into her as she grasped for an excuse. “But before then, when we talked to her on Skype, I could tell she missed us. And when we saw her the day before Thanksgiving, she was really happy to see us. She tried cooking for us and everything.”

      “She did try,” Courtney said, her forehead creased. “But being back in that house after what happened there, and seeing Mom and Grandma again...it’ll be so strange. I don’t think I’ll ever look at them the same way. I’m just so grateful that the two of you have stood by me through all of this. Thank you.”

      “Of course,” Peyton asked as the limo passed through the gates of Grandma’s neighborhood. “We’re all three in this together.”

      Savannah’s stomach dropped. What would her sisters do if they knew about her secret phone calls with Mom and Grandma?

      Hopefully they would never find out.

      “You’re going to have to say something to them, ’cause here they are.” Peyton motioned to the house, where Grandma and Mom had stepped out to wait for them—Grandma smoothing out her dress, Mom wringing her hands.

      The initial greeting went well. Courtney managed to be pleasant, as if she hadn’t been giving Mom and Grandma the silent treatment since Thanksgiving. Peyton was a little sullen, but then again, when wasn’t Peyton pouting over something?

      “Thank you for not shutting me out these past few weeks, like your sisters did,” Mom whispered to Savannah while hugging her. “I appreciate it more than you know.”

      Savannah’s heart jumped, and she checked to see if Courtney and Peyton had heard. But they were already on their way inside the house, and they didn’t seem to have caught Mom’s slip-up.

      “Of course,” she said, pulling away. “But you know Courtney and Peyton don’t know I’ve been talking to you, right? So please don’t say anything about it again? I don’t want them to get mad at me.”

      “They shouldn’t make that decision for you,” she said. “But if you don’t want me to mention it again, I won’t.”

      “Thanks.” Savannah smiled, glad that Mom still looked healthy. Her skin was clear, she no longer had circles under her eyes, and she’d kept off the weight she’d lost since rehab. Maybe Peyton was right, and Mom was better off living away from them?

      As much as it hurt to think about, it might be true.

      They went inside, and Grandma was the only one to be found in the living room,

      “Your bags are in the guest room, and your sisters are down there getting settled in,” she said. “Aunt Sophie’s taking a nap, and her room’s right above yours, so be quiet when you unpack, okay?”

      “All right.” Savannah wanted to stay with Mom and Grandma, but she also wanted to see how her sisters were doing. And she didn’t want her sisters to think she was taking Mom and Grandma’s side. “I’ll be back up soon.”

      She headed down the steps and into the big bedroom that she and her sisters shared when they visited Grandma. She loved having her own room in the penthouse at the Diamond, but sometimes it got so quiet. She liked coming here and sharing the room with her sisters. This bedroom was about three times bigger than the one they’d crammed into in their dilapidated apartment in Fairfield, but it reminded her of old times.

      Peyton was unpacking her stuff, but Courtney was nowhere to be found.

      “Where’s Courtney?” Savannah asked. “Is she okay?”

      “I don’t think so.” Peyton shook her head. “She didn’t say anything when we got down here—she just went straight to the bathroom. She looked like she did after finding her and Britney’s baby book. Really pissed off.”

      “Crap,” Savannah said, glancing at the bathroom. “I guess seeing Grandma and Mom didn’t go as well as she made it seem.”

      “You guessed right.” Courtney stomped inside, slammed the door and glared at Savannah. “What was that about with Mom?”

      Savannah opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Had Courtney overheard what Mom had said? If she had...then Savannah was screwed.

      She decided to act clueless. “What was what about?” she asked, sinking onto her bed and glancing at Peyton for help.

      “I don’t know what’s going on.” Peyton threw her hands up and took a step away from Courtney. “Did I miss something?”

      Savannah’s chest tightened, her eyes darting back and forth between her sisters. Courtney needed to stop glaring at her like she was the worst person ever—like she hated her.

      She swallowed and looked down at the carpet. “Is this about the hug Mom gave me when we got