Maybe if she actually deserved respect, but I wasn't even gonna go there. The wedding was only one week away, set the Friday before Christmas. Rocking the boat now would be stupid.
Her treating Sarah like trash, though, I would not tolerate.
“Answer me. Macy told me you said awful things to her, and I want to know why. Are you just trying to get to her because you want to stop the wedding? You think if she hates you, she'll call it off – because what's worse than the mother-in-law from hell?”
She stared blankly into the cupboard as though searching for excuses in it.
“I did no such thing. You know your sister; she loves to exaggerate when she tells a story.”
Whatever. She'd never admit it even if I caught her in the act.
“Another thing: you were so against me marrying Sarah at first. Now you're acting all sweet and wanting to get involved with the plans. Strikes me as a bit disingenuous.”
“Yes, well. I suppose I've come to realize you'll not be calling the wedding off, so I may as well accept it – although you simply can't have the ceremony at that tiny chapel! Our whole family will be flying in from out of state.”
“We didn't want this to be a big affair. Sarah prefers to keep things quiet. She doesn't have a lot of relatives to invite.”
She shrugged. “That's too bad, but your marriage is a huge occasion for the Carringtons. We'll have more than two hundred people there, so I've booked the reception at the country club – ”
“Two hundred?”
She blabbed on about all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, friends of the family and a list of people I'd never met, all of whom she had to invite or they'd be offended. All I could think of was how much Sarah was going to flip out.
“Mom, listen to me.” It wasn't easy keeping my temper in check. “I have one more question. What's the deal between you and Hazel Masters?”
She stopped her prattling and looked at me like a frightened deer.
“W-what? Deal? There is no deal. Ah, look at the time. Weren't you meeting your father for dinner to discuss the wedding?”
“Cut the crap. I know Hazel was 'dating' grandpa Charles or whatever way back in the day – but he was married to Eleanor. He was cheating on grandma. That's why you got so pissy about Sarah, her granddaughter, marrying into our family.”
I'd never seen her face turn so red. It was pretty damn satisfying to finally have her figured out, I must admit.
“I'm sure that probably bothers you, but it happened a long time ago. There's no reason to treat Sarah poorly because of it, or Hazel, for that matter. She's an old woman now, so let it go.”
She fiddled with a teacup, tears welling in her eyes. Was she seriously about to cry? Over something like this?
“You don't understand anything, Asher,” she said quietly. “Things aren't so simple as just 'let it go.'”
“Then how about you explain it to me? Sarah's going to be my wife whether you like it or not. I deserve to know.”
My phone announced an angry text message from dad. Dinner reservations were at seven, fifteen minutes from now, and he was ticked I hadn't shown up yet. Why did I even bother to meet with him at all?
“You know, it's obvious Sarah's only marrying you for money.”
“Stop trying to change the subject – and no, she's not after my money.”
“How do you know that? She's got a failing store and her family is practically in poverty. To her, you surely look like an easy meal ticket.”
This was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I grabbed my coat and stormed out the door.
“I'm not done discussing what happened with Charles,” I said. “One way or another, you're going to tell me.”
“Some things are better left untold, son. Better for all of us.”
Those words echoed in my head over and over while I drove to O'Malley's country club. What did it mean? I thought I'd figured out the whole story, but apparently there was more to it, something much worse, that she was determined to keep hidden.
The drive to the club was a short one, and I found dad waiting for me in the lobby, impatiently checking his phone.
“I'm here.”
He looked relieved. “It's about time. You're a grown man, and still, you're late everywhere you go. How can you possibly run Slicker Image with this kind of attitude?”
“If something really mattered to me, I'd be there on time.”
“Are you saying this dinner doesn't matter to you?” He gave me a weird look. “Because it should. Come, our table is this way.”
Dad had told me it'd be just us guys eating tonight. He had some things to talk about, he'd said, and wouldn't say anymore about the matter unless I came. So, here I was.
Whatever he had to tell me better be important. Instead of this, I could have been curled up with Sarah on the couch, watching those home videos of when she was a little girl. That's what we did the other night, and already, I longed to have her in my arms again.
Yeah, that's right. I was hanging out with a woman and for once, didn't expect any sex for my trouble. And I seriously enjoyed myself.
Something was definitely wrong with me.
“I suggest you get your head out of the clouds,” dad said as he cut a path through the crowded dining room. “This isn't a leisure dinner. We're here to talk business.”
“Too bad. Here I thought you'd come to your senses about the wedding, and had called me here to
