Chapter 2

Sammy walked through the door with a carton of eggs she had grabbed on sale at the grocery store.

She hadn't even looked at the coffee table before she launched in. "Why are you home so early? Did the company finally go under? I've been telling you that place was a dead end, but you never listen.

"Look at the woman next door. She cleans houses and still brings in more than you do. Twelve hundred a month? What does that even cover?"

David's face flushed with embarrassment. "Mom, stop."

Sammy shot him a look. "You always take her side. What, are we made of money? We can't afford to let her coast like this.

"Caleb's got tutoring to pay for, and we still have the mortgage. She barely brings home anything. She might as well stay home and save on gas."

The more Sammy went on, the worse David looked.

He glanced over at me without thinking.

I smiled and nodded. "You're absolutely right, Sammy. That's why I quit."

Sammy's mouth snapped shut.

She blinked, then looked down at the resignation letter sitting on the coffee table. Once she read it, her confusion turned to shock. "You actually quit?"

I was laughing inside, but I kept my face perfectly calm.

"Yeah. You've been saying for months that the company was a dead end, and that I wasn't making enough to justify the commute. So I figured you were right and put in my notice."

Sammy stared at me in disbelief. "But Caleb's tutoring bill is due next month."

I put on my best innocent face. "So? You just said it yourself. I wasn't even making enough to cover gas. Now I'm saving on gas, so isn't that better?"

Sammy sat there for a long moment, struggling, before she finally forced out a response. "I was just venting!"

I nodded. "Sammy, don't worry. I won't be causing you any more trouble from now on.

"You were right. A woman's place is at home, taking care of her husband and kids. I just wish I'd figured it out sooner. I even went to the office today and signed my resignation. My supervisor must've thought I'd lost my mind."

I watched Sammy's face as I spoke. The color drained from her cheeks, and her lips trembled, but no words came out.

She had only ever wanted to tear me down and keep me small in this house. She never actually wanted us to lose a paycheck.

Before, she had taken advantage of my easygoing nature, knowing I would never push back, no matter how much she berated me.

But now that I had actually quit, she scrambled to undo the damage.

She said, "But the whole household depends on David alone. That's so much pressure on him. Even if you wanted to switch jobs, you should've at least lined something up first."

David jumped in right away. "She's right. That was way too impulsive. You should've found something new before you walked out."

They both looked at me expectantly, waiting for the guilt to kick in, waiting for me to promise I'd start job hunting first thing in the morning.

I played dumb and turned to Sammy instead. "It'll be fine. I'm sure David can provide for all of us.

"You always say how you raised three kids on your own back in the day, and David's dad only brought home a few hundred a month. David makes twenty-five hundred now. He's doing way better than his father ever did."

Sammy's face froze. Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.

David's jaw tightened.

I didn't bother with either of them and headed back to the bedroom.

At dinner, they were still holding out hope and kept bringing up work again. "So when are you planning to start looking for a job?"

I speared a piece of salad with my fork and took my time chewing. "I'm not. Sammy was right. A woman belongs at home. From now on, I'll just cook and clean. And think about it. No commute, no takeout. That's money saved right there."

David's fork froze midair. He frowned at me. "You're really not going back to work?"

"Nope." I set my fork down and gave him my sweetest smile. "You're the one who's always telling me to be more like those women who know how to keep a home. Well, that's exactly what I'm doing."

Sammy panicked. "But didn't you say you were gonna start selling stuff online?"

"Changed my mind." I shook my head. "Sammy, you said it yourself. Those people are all scammers. I'm not about to fall for that."

She had nothing to say to that, because she really had said it.

That was back when Melissa lost seven thousand on an online business.

Sammy had mocked the poor woman in front of the whole family for three straight days, and even swore she'd kill herself if I ever tried the same thing.

I threw her own words right back at her, and all she could do was stare.

David wasn't ready to give up. "You could pick up some freelance work from home. I've seen those work-from-home gigs online. Customer service, stuff like that."

I looked at him. "Didn't you say all that stuff was a scam? When Caleb wanted to buy gaming gear online, you told him the internet was full of scammers."

David opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His face turned bright red.

I stood up, grabbed my empty plate, and headed for the kitchen. "I'm done. You two take your time."

Neither of them said another word. They kept their heads down and picked at their food.

But I could tell they were banking on this blowing over. They probably figured I was throwing a tantrum and would go crawling back to work in a couple of days.

And in my last life, that was exactly what I did. Every time they tore me down, I showed up to work the next morning as if nothing had happened.

The next morning, Sammy was already pacing around the living room at the crack of dawn.

She sighed, "Oh, the grocery store has eggs on sale today. Too bad we can't afford to stock up."

David heard her and nudged me. "Did you hear that? Mom says eggs are on sale."

I swatted his hand away and rolled over. I didn't have a job to get to anymore, so I could sleep as long as I wanted.

On his way out, David threw one last line over his shoulder. "We're living on my paycheck alone now. Figure it out."

I grunted and went right back to sleep.