« And I was wrong to get angry at Aunt Jessica afterward. »
Lily looked between us.
« Are you still mad? »
I shook my head.
« I’m not mad at you. »
Amanda swallowed.
« And I’m going to make things right. »
Lily seemed relieved, although she still looked embarrassed.
« Can I go play now? »
« Of course, » Amanda said.
Before leaving, Lily wrapped her arms around me.
« I’m sorry about your car. »
I hugged her tightly.
« Thank you, sweetheart. »
When she disappeared into the living room, Amanda sank into a chair.
For a while, nobody said anything.
Then she picked up our mother’s note again.
« I’d forgotten about this, » she admitted.
Dad sat opposite her.
« I know. »
Amanda traced the edge of the paper.
« I remember Mom crying when she saw the jewelry box. I thought she’d hate my present. »
« She loved that you wanted to make me happy, » Dad said. « She just wanted you to understand that you couldn’t decide what to do with someone else’s belongings. »
Amanda looked toward the living room.
« And I told Lily basically the opposite. »
Amanda wiped her eyes.
« I was so focused on making sure nobody blamed her that I didn’t notice she was frightened. »
I sat beside her.
« You didn’t have to blame Lily. I never wanted that. »
« I know that now. »
She turned toward me.
« I’m sorry, Jessica. For not paying attention when Lily asked me, and for pretending I had nothing to do with what happened. »
I waited.
« And I’m sorry I said you hated her, » she continued. « That was cruel. I knew how much you loved her, and I said it anyway. »
« Why? »
Amanda looked ashamed.
« Because I was embarrassed. You’re my little sister, and I couldn’t stand admitting I’d made such a stupid mistake in front of you. »
I shook my head.
« You don’t have to be perfect because you’re older than me. »
She gave a sad smile.
« I’ve spent so long acting like I know everything. »
« Well, you definitely don’t. »
She laughed weakly.
Neither did I, of course, but I’d never expected her to admit it.
Amanda reached for the estimate.
« I’ll cover the cleaning. All of it. »
« You don’t have to pay more than the actual cost, » I said.
« I know. We’ll get the car inspected first. But I gave Lily permission, even if I didn’t understand what I was agreeing to. I should pay for making it right. »
