Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Dad nodded, then turned us both, keeping an arm around me, because Hugger was back with Big Petey.
“Nolan, this is Pete Waite, brother of mine, friend to Diana,” Hugger introduced.
Big Petey came forward, shook Dad’s hand then looked at me.
“You doin’ okay, sweetheart?” he asked.
I nodded (nonverbally lying).
“You ready?” Hugger asked me.
I nodded again (still nonverbally lying).
“Text your grandma, baby,” he murmured.
Shit.
I went back to my room and grabbed my phone.
I texted Gram on the return trip to the kitchen.
When I got there, I got a reply from Gram, Just getting your coffees and be right up!
The chipper bent to her text said Gram was doing what Gram did a lot for Mom. Trying to smooth things over.
I wondered if Gram had calmed Mom down and talked some sense into her.
I doubted Gram calmed Mom down or talked any sense into her.
“They’re coming up,” I announced.
Pete got himself some coffee, topped Dad up, Dad watched with unhidden interest as Pete moved around my kitchen with open familiarity, and fifteen minutes later, the knock came at the door.
Hugger went to open it.
I tensed.
He walked in first, but when Mom followed him, she stopped dead so Gram, holding a bag that probably had the Danishes, and paper coffee cups in each hand (because of course Mom didn’t help her carry the stuff up—how was I so blind for so long?) ran into her as she came in after.
“Oh, so I see this is going to be an ambush,” she accused, scowling at Dad.
“Margaret, I suggest you keep quiet and listen to what our daughter has to say,” Dad advised.
“The time you get to tell me what to do is long gone, Nolan,” Mom bit back.
Dad sighed.
Gram looked about ready to cry.
Then again, she was all love and goodness, wasn’t comfortable around confrontation, and she adored me and her daughter. Thus, this open enmity that would seem very sudden to her was undoubtedly killing her. She probably thought they were showing up to take me along on their day. And I could see Mom hadn’t explained while they were having lattes that she’d been getting some peevish communications from me.
It sucked huge I couldn’t help her with that, but at that moment, I couldn’t help her with it except to suggest, “Gram, maybe you might want to go out on the balcony for a little bit?”
“I think I’ll stay here, doll,” Gram replied uncertainly.
Mom ignored this exchange and pointed to Big Petey. “Who’s this man?”
“A friend of mine,” I stated.
She regarded Pete derisively and mumbled loudly, “Why am I not surprised?”
Patience, Diana, patience, I told myself.
“I don’t know, since you don’t know me at all, so how you could be surprised about anything about me is, in itself, surprising,” I said.
Mom homed in on me as I walked around the kitchen bar to the living room.
We were going to have a showdown?
Time to take my position.
“I can’t believe you just said that to me,” Mom whispered, full of hurt.
“What’s my favorite color?” I asked.
“I—” She cut herself off, and to save face about the fact she didn’t know, she demanded, “Is this going to be some kind of test?”
But…damn, that cut to the quick.
It was a test, and she failed.
My mother didn’t know my favorite color.
“What color is it?” I pushed.
“Blue, doll, it’s all over the place,” Gram chipped in fake perkily.
“Don’t help her, Shannon,” Dad said.
Before Mom or Gram could say anything, I did.
“Dad never told you to do anything, did he?” I asked. “At least, not successfully.”
“What are you—?” Mom began.
“Though, he tried, so that’s why you turned to Brendon,” I stated.
I watched the color drain from Mom’s face.
I’d believed Dad when he told me, but seeing that, I knew.
I knew.
“What?” Gram asked.
“So many questions,” I said. “The normal ones, like how could you cheat on your husband and the father of your child? And the unusual ones, like how could you have the audacity to tell everyone he was the one who cheated on you?”
Gram rounded Mom. “What’s Di talking about, Maggie?”
“I see he’s telling you lies,” Mom said.
Before I could reply, Dad did.
“You broke my heart.”
At the frank emotion in his voice, my stomach clenched so hard, I thought I’d hurl.
Gram’s eyes flew to Dad.
Mom’s face got color, and fast, but this time it was red.
Dad moved out of the kitchen and did it talking.
“I loved you so much. I was so immensely destroyed by what you did to me, I found a good woman after you and messed it up. Lost her too. But that was my doing.”
“Hardly after,” Mom said shakily, because the jig was up.
“Should we call Nicole?” Dad suggested. “See how her timeline matches up?”
“She’d lie too,” Mom snapped, finding her groove and sticking there.
“Margaret, what’s going on here?” Gram asked.
“Nothing, Mom. Nolan’s at his games again,” Mom stated.