A few mornings later at The Planet, Kit is standing behind the counter, steam curling from the espresso machine as she slides a fresh mug of coffee to a regular customer.

Her smile falters the moment Michelle slips through the door, her dark hair pulled into a sleek ponytail, her blue blazer crisp over a tailored skirt. Michelle glides over to the bar and onto a barstool and opens a worn menu.

Kit’s grip tightens on the coffee pot as she glares at her sister’s ex-wife. Gently, she passes the pot to one of her waitresses, then walks to the other side of the bar.

Michelle looks up and smiles. “Oh. Morning, Kit.”

Kit’s lips stay flat. She glances at the menu, then back at Michelle’s too-bright eyes. “You’re certainly chipper for someone who’s headed to court tomorrow.”

Michelle shrugs, tracing a finger along the laminated menu’s edge. “Why stress? That’s what I have lawyers for.” She tilts her head, a smug curve to her mouth, then returns to studying the list of omelets and pancakes.

Kit’s gaze sharpens. “I don’t know what kind of special powers my baby sister has over women, or what skills she possesses to make them lose their damn minds when the relationship ends—”

Michelle arches a brow. “I’d be happy to give you a few sultry examples—”

Kit holds up her hand. “No, thank you.” Her dark eyes harden. “Michelle…why are you doing this? I get that it hurts to watch Bette move on with Tina, but why take it this far? You claim you love my sister—”

Michelle straightens her shoulders. “I do…very much so…”

Kit shrugs. “Then why the fuck are you doing this to her?”

Michelle points to herself. “I’m not doing anything to Bette…. I’m simply looking out for my son…”

Kit tips her head. “Your son? Are you implying Mickey isn’t Bette’s son, too?”

Michelle’s jaw tightens. “Of course not. I would never do that to her. Unlike the woman who she’s currently sleeping with in the house we once shared—” Her words snap like ice.

Kit rests her elbows on the bar and sighs as she looks at Michelle. “Michelle…if you decide to actually go through with this I surely hope you know what you’re doing because I know my sister and when she’s forced into a corner, she will fight and when she does, she doesn’t just fight to get out of the corner, she will fight to ensure she never gets pushed into that particular corner again. You need to listen to me; this is coming from the person who’s known her all her life…. if you do not end this foolishness, you’re gonna find yourself on my sister’s shitlist, and trust me, that’s not somewhere you wanna be. If you decide to go down this path, the Bette Porter you’ve known, even the version you dealt with during your divorce negotiation, will no longer exist for you, not if you continue this and actually make her walk into that courtroom tomorrow. I know you’re feeling good about yourself right now, but I can just about promise you that feeling will end if you continue with this bullshit. I’m asking you to please, for all involved, drop this….”