Liora didn't want her mom to come down. She really didn't.
If Elodie joined them, there would be tension. Awkwardness. The kind of heavy silence that would settle over a table like fog, making it hard to breathe. Her mom and Aunt Sienna in the same room never ended well, and Liora had learned, even without anyone ever telling her directly, that it was just easier when they stayed apart.
Sienna smiled warmly at her, her voice encouraging her. "Go ahead, sweetheart."
Liora hesitated for just a moment longer, then turned and headed upstairs.
When she reached her mother's door, she pressed the doorbell and waited, shifting her weight from foot to foot.
Inside, Elodie had already started eating. She glanced at the monitor in the living room and saw her daughter standing outside.
She set d
