Aria.“Leave the cake, Aria.”His voice came from the doorway behind me, low and even, the same voice that used to ask if I wanted a second slice at every birthday. Tonight it did not sound like that. Tonight it sounded like he had been waiting for the last guest to pull out of the driveway.I kept my hands on the plastic container anyway. Vanilla frosting stuck to my thumb. The black dress I had worn all night clung to my hips because I had been sweating since he sang happy birthday and looked at my mouth instead of the candles.“Mom is upstairs,” I said. “She took one of her pills. She will not hear anything.”“I know what she took.” He stepped into the kitchen. The under cabinet lights caught the white of his shirt, the rolled sleeves, the watch I used to stare at when I was little and he handed me envelopes of cash. “I poured her the water myself. Put the container down.”I set it on the marble. My fingers left a smear of frosting. He walked until he stood close enough that I smel
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