Dad walked in dressed in uniform. Great. Good timing. Now I had to contend with both of them. He took one look at me and Mom then said, "What's wrong?"
"Kate's going to the Merriweather house to see that boy."
"He's not a boy!" I shouted. "And I'm also going to visit Jane. She is my friend, remember."
"I've just spoken to Bob Barrett," Dad said, dropping his keys on the hall table. He hadn't raised his voice, hadn't spoken in any tone other than his normal, casual one. "He told me he saw you talking to Ben Parker in his store."
"So? Last time I checked, there was no law in talking to guys in hardware stores."
Dad's fingers stilled on the hall table. His lips turned bloodless, a sign his patience was wearing thin. Well, damn it, so was mine. "Bob said you two looked...like a couple," he said.
I threw my hands in the air. "What is this, the Inquisition? Fine. I'll tell you what you want to know. I slept with Ben. There. Happy now?"
Mom gasped. Dad just glared at me. I'd expected to see disappointment in his face, but there was only a flash of anger. Dad rarely became angry. I waited for him to say something, but it was like waiting for a volcano to explode. You never knew when it would happen or how bad the damage would be. The wait was excruciating.
His nostrils flared. He thrust his hands on his hips. "He made me a promise," he said through clenched jaw.
"He promised not to hurt me, and he didn't. In fact, I was the one who came on to him. So what do you think of that?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
"You think it's ridiculous that a girl can come on to a guy?"
"I don't think you could do that."
It took me a moment to recover. I wasn't sure how to take it at first. Should I be relieved or worried? "Dad, I'm not the good girl you think I am."
"Did he talk you into it?"
Mom gasped. "Or did he...?"
"No! For fuck's sake," I muttered.
Mom gasped again and Dad said, "Mind your language around your mother. We'll have none of that talk in this house. If you were younger, I'd wash your mouth out with soap."
"Well I'm not younger," I spat. Rage boiled inside me. I'd had enough. Enough accusations.
Enough living up to their ideal of me. It wasn't fair on me and it certainly wasn't fair on Ben. "I'm twenty-one. I shouldn't even be here! I should be having a vacation with friends on the beach. I was invited, you know, but stupid me said I had to go home to Winter and my parents. And this is the thanks I get! Lectures and accusations. Ben is a good guy. He made a promise to you that he wouldn't hurt me, and he kept that promise."
"Not as far as I'm concerned," Dad growled.
I shook my head. Mystifying. They were stuck in this backwater, and the world had moved on around them. They didn't get it and no amount of shouting would make them. "Then that's your problem. I'm going to visit him, and you can't stop me."
"Go to your room!" Dad pointed toward my door. "And stay there until you've thought about your behavior and are ready to apologize."
"I'm not twelve anymore! You can't keep me here against my will." I held up my hands in surrender. I was over this conversation and over them. "I hate this place. And sometimes...sometimes I hate you both too."
He stared at me in stunned silence. I'd never spoken to my parents like that. Never disobeyed a direct order and never ever told them I hated them. Maybe it was too harsh, but right then, I did hate their stifling attitude. It was burying me alive.
"Kate," Mom pleaded, tears in her eyes.
My heart softened a little, and I blew out a long breath. "Don't." If I gave in now, if I took back what I'd said, they'd never take me seriously. They needed to learn that I wasn't a child anymore.
I didn't go to my room and pack anything, I just left, grabbing my handbag on the way out.
I walked into town and bought some meat at the butchers and groceries from the little supermarket then begged Mr. Phillips the store manager to drive me to the Merriweather house. I would have walked, but I had
"Kate's going to the Merriweather house to see that boy."
"He's not a boy!" I shouted. "And I'm also going to visit Jane. She is my friend, remember."
"I've just spoken to Bob Barrett," Dad said, dropping his keys on the hall table. He hadn't raised his voice, hadn't spoken in any tone other than his normal, casual one. "He told me he saw you talking to Ben Parker in his store."
"So? Last time I checked, there was no law in talking to guys in hardware stores."
Dad's fingers stilled on the hall table. His lips turned bloodless, a sign his patience was wearing thin. Well, damn it, so was mine. "Bob said you two looked...like a couple," he said.
I threw my hands in the air. "What is this, the Inquisition? Fine. I'll tell you what you want to know. I slept with Ben. There. Happy now?"
Mom gasped. Dad just glared at me. I'd expected to see disappointment in his face, but there was only a flash of anger. Dad rarely became angry. I waited for him to say something, but it was like waiting for a volcano to explode. You never knew when it would happen or how bad the damage would be. The wait was excruciating.
His nostrils flared. He thrust his hands on his hips. "He made me a promise," he said through clenched jaw.
"He promised not to hurt me, and he didn't. In fact, I was the one who came on to him. So what do you think of that?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
"You think it's ridiculous that a girl can come on to a guy?"
"I don't think you could do that."
It took me a moment to recover. I wasn't sure how to take it at first. Should I be relieved or worried? "Dad, I'm not the good girl you think I am."
"Did he talk you into it?"
Mom gasped. "Or did he...?"
"No! For fuck's sake," I muttered.
Mom gasped again and Dad said, "Mind your language around your mother. We'll have none of that talk in this house. If you were younger, I'd wash your mouth out with soap."
"Well I'm not younger," I spat. Rage boiled inside me. I'd had enough. Enough accusations.
Enough living up to their ideal of me. It wasn't fair on me and it certainly wasn't fair on Ben. "I'm twenty-one. I shouldn't even be here! I should be having a vacation with friends on the beach. I was invited, you know, but stupid me said I had to go home to Winter and my parents. And this is the thanks I get! Lectures and accusations. Ben is a good guy. He made a promise to you that he wouldn't hurt me, and he kept that promise."
"Not as far as I'm concerned," Dad growled.
I shook my head. Mystifying. They were stuck in this backwater, and the world had moved on around them. They didn't get it and no amount of shouting would make them. "Then that's your problem. I'm going to visit him, and you can't stop me."
"Go to your room!" Dad pointed toward my door. "And stay there until you've thought about your behavior and are ready to apologize."
"I'm not twelve anymore! You can't keep me here against my will." I held up my hands in surrender. I was over this conversation and over them. "I hate this place. And sometimes...sometimes I hate you both too."
He stared at me in stunned silence. I'd never spoken to my parents like that. Never disobeyed a direct order and never ever told them I hated them. Maybe it was too harsh, but right then, I did hate their stifling attitude. It was burying me alive.
"Kate," Mom pleaded, tears in her eyes.
My heart softened a little, and I blew out a long breath. "Don't." If I gave in now, if I took back what I'd said, they'd never take me seriously. They needed to learn that I wasn't a child anymore.
I didn't go to my room and pack anything, I just left, grabbing my handbag on the way out.
I walked into town and bought some meat at the butchers and groceries from the little supermarket then begged Mr. Phillips the store manager to drive me to the Merriweather house. I would have walked, but I had
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