Chapter 18: About My Little Sister Ordering Takeout and Making Her Big Brother Foot the Bill
Twilight had completely swallowed Hancock Park; only the warm amber glow of the chandelier remained, casting soft pools of light across the hardwood floors.
Judith's icy, decisive words still seemed to echo in the air, yet Sean asked no more questions. Since his sister had made her choice, he would respect it.
"You really have grown up."
Sean's voice was low and steady, breaking the brief silence. He leaned back against the broad, plush brown leather sofa, hands resting casually on the armrests.
"Then do what you need to do—but remember, if anything comes up, you tell me immediately."
Sean tilted his head, his gaze sharp yet protective as he looked at Judith.
"As for Jenny's custody, I've already asked my lawyer buddy to start drafting the paperwork. As for the property settlement..."
He paused for a beat before adding,
"I can ask Evelyn to help us find a good divorce attorney."
It wasn't that Sean lacked connections to good lawyers or money;
it was simply that Evelyn Harper, as a Malibu real estate agent, heard more divorce gossip than TMZ and was bound to know attorneys who specialized in asset division cases.
Leave specialist work to specialists.
When parents are retired in Arizona, the older brother steps up.
Catching his sister and niece when they stumbled—this was what a big brother was supposed to do, a responsibility he took seriously.
The moment Sean finished speaking, he felt a sudden tightness around his midsection.
Judith practically lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his waist with long-suppressed emotion, burying her face deep in his soft cotton Dodgers T-shirt.
Immediately, Sean felt a warm, wet sensation on his abdomen—tears silently soaking through the fabric.
Those earlier sarcastic jokes hadn't broken her composure; instead, these simple words of trust and support completely shattered the dam Judith had struggled to maintain.
The pain, betrayal, and overwhelming relief she'd bottled up for so long poured out in silent waves, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
Sean's body tensed for a second, then relaxed completely.
He offered no platitudes; he simply lifted a broad palm and, with almost awkward gentleness, patted her shaking back again and again.
Jenny, who'd been playing with her Little Pony toys on the rug, startled at her mother's sobs. She dropped her figurines at once and came pitter-pattering over on short little legs.
Her small face was full of worry, blue-green eyes darting from her uncle to her mother buried against his chest.
Copying Sean, she stretched out a tiny hand and carefully patted Judith's arm, coaxing in her sweet voice,
"Mommy! Mommy! Don't cry, Jenny's here, right here..."
Watching his sister curled in his arms, so broken from a failed marriage, Sean felt a complex mixture of emotions.
He suddenly decided he was remarkably "forgiving."
Back in college, he hadn't realized until the breakup that his girlfriend's inseparable "best friend" was actually her girlfriend.
Turned out the "bestie" she kept mentioning was really her romantic partner.
Afterward, he'd had several honest, thorough, and progressively blunt "conversations" with that girlfriend.
In the end, he let it all go and even "genuinely" wished the couple well.
Why cry over one bad relationship—there were plenty of fish in the sea.
Judith's sobs gradually quieted into broken hiccups.
Just then, Jenny rose on tiptoe and solemnly offered two Kleenex tissues to her mother, her little face serious:
"Mommy, here."
Red-eyed, Judith lifted her head, took the tissues and dabbed at the tear-tracks and running mascara.
Sean glanced at the three obvious dark wet splotches on his Dodgers T-shirt and deliberately lightened the mood:
"Jenny, I don't think your mommy needs those tissues."
He pointed at the "abstract art" on his shirt:
"She's already wiped all her tears and snot onto my favorite shirt."
The words worked like magic, breaking through Judith's emotional fog immediately.
She burst into laughter mid-sob, voice still thick, and swatted Sean's solid bicep in mock outrage.
The blows felt like butterfly wings; life finally flickered back into her puffy eyes.
Just then, the clear chime of the Ring doorbell cut through the fragile warmth that had returned to the living room.
Judith sniffed, rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, and stated matter-of-factly,
"That'll be the Domino's pizza and KFC delivery I ordered—go get it."
Sean's expression froze as though he'd just been told the Dodgers were relocating to Portland.
He shot upright, eyes bulging in disbelief, looking as if aliens had landed on the manicured front lawn.
"Hold on—what?!"
His voice jumped an octave, thick with theatrical outrage:
"I waived your rent! I waived your utilities! I even pay you twenty-five hundred dollars monthly allowance—plus a hundred bucks spending money for Jenny!"
With each item he listed, he raised a finger, tone growing increasingly dramatic:
"My only request is that someone cooks me a home-cooked meal when I come home from risking my life..."
He pointed toward the gourmet kitchen, then jabbed a finger at the front door.
"And now you tell me you ordered takeout—and want me, who just bankrolled your entire existence, to answer the door and pay the delivery guy?! Judith Harper, does your conscience not hurt at all?!"
Jenny stepped forward at the perfect moment and softly told the fuming Sean,
"Uncle, I'm the one who wanted fried chicken and pizza."
At her gentle words, the theatrical anger deflated like a punctured balloon.
He looked down at the little girl gazing up with cautious please-don't-be-mad eyes, and every absurd complaint melted into a helpless, fond sigh.
He brushed a calloused thumb across Jenny's plump rosy cheek.
"Oh? So our little foodie Jenny placed the order?"
He drew out the syllable, shot a knowing grin at the visibly relieved Judith, then refocused on Jenny:
"All right, if it's what Jenny wants..."
He paused deliberately, watching the anticipation blaze brighter in the child's eyes, then declared in exaggerated, official tones,
"Then Uncle has absolutely no choice but to forgive your mommy!"
Sean was absolutely shameless—switching positions instantly. He played favorites like a professional.
"Actually, even without the cute niece card, I could still give you a taste of Mike Tyson-level punishment," he tossed over his shoulder as he headed for the entrance.
Watching him go, Jenny pressed close to Judith and whispered conspiratorially,
"Mommy, remember to cook next time! Uncle's super smart—he can't be tricked."
The little angel had just saved her mother—no wonder Sean absolutely adored her.
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