laugh. “Thanks. I’m sorry I called to complain.”
“Hey, what are friends for?”
15
I drive to my dad’s to check on him. When I arrive, he is in the lounge playing bingo with a group of elderly guys.
“Hi, Dad,” I say.
“Scarlett. What a pleasant surprise.”
I nearly begin to cry when I see him. His skin looks so gray, and though his lips are smiling, I can see the pain behind his eyes.
“Last time I visited, you were sleeping,” I say.
“Yes, the nurse told me. Want to join us?”
“No. I have a lunch appointment. I just wanted to stop by to see if there was anything I could get for you.”
“Nah. I’m fine,” my dad says. “How’s the house?”
“It’s great,” I say.
“Did you put up any Christmas lights yet?”
“No.” I feel guilty.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s always next year. You know, now that I think of it, maybe you can get me something.”
“Yes?”
“You know the portrait you painted of your mother?”
“Yes.”
“I miss seeing that. Would you bring that to me?”
I smile. “Yes, of course.”
I leave the assisted living facility, and Michael texted me his mom’s address on my way over. He mentions nothing of kissing me. I decide to ignore it and head to Diane’s house ready for a battle. I end up in front of some seriously towering gates. It’s like Maleficent castle, only modernized.
“Hi, this is Scarlett here to see Mrs. Manning,” I say into the intercom. The gates slowly open and I drive up what feels like a mile-long driveway and park my car in the courtyard. This family is wealthy, holy Moses. A man dressed in a suit comes out and greets me.
“I’m Rory. Mrs. Manning has been expecting you. It’s a pleasure to have you here. May I escort you inside?”
I nod, because I might get lost if I take on this castle myself. I follow Rory up the stairs, through a long, wide hallway and we enter a bedroom the size of a tennis court. Diane is resting in bed with tubes attached to her. She looks weaker than she did the first time I saw her. Cancer is a horrible disease.
“Come here and sit down, girl,” she says.
I do as I’m told right away. I don’t want to get on her bad side, which now that I think about it, I think I already am. “How are you today Mrs. Manning?” I manage to say.
“Oh, I’ve been better. But let’s not waste time and talk about me. I need to see who my son has chosen to marry.” She peers over her thin-rimmed glasses and scowls.
I smile, but it’s hard to pretend everything is fine when my heart is thumping like a rabbit’s leg.
“So I assume Michael has told you all there is to know about our family and the situation you’re getting yourself into?” Diane says.
“Well, he’s told me a lot about the family, but maybe not so much the situation I’m getting into,” I say. Is there more?
“I too was once wide-eyed and naïve like you.” Diane leans back into her white down pillow. “But now, I ‘ve been through so much that I really would rather not stay in this world too much longer.”
“I’m sorry to hear,” I say. I decide just to listen, because I want to know every minute detail of this man and his family that I’m marrying, even if it is for only a few short weeks.
“Michael’s ex-fiancé was a horrid girl. I hated her from the moment I saw her. That selfish, little brat. Oh, she was lovely to look at, but she wasn’t any good for my son.”
“Why not?” I ask. I wasn’t expecting this.
“She had a dark past. I dug it up, mind you.”
Was this her way of telling me that she was going to stalk me too? I felt relieved, because I was a step ahead of her.
“She claimed she was a good Christian girl, but when I dug a little further, I found out that she had worked as a waitress at Hooters.”
I swallow. Is that so bad?
Diane’s eyes go intense. “Do you understand what I’m telling you young lady?”
“Yes, well I can promise you that I never worked at
“Hey, what are friends for?”
15
I drive to my dad’s to check on him. When I arrive, he is in the lounge playing bingo with a group of elderly guys.
“Hi, Dad,” I say.
“Scarlett. What a pleasant surprise.”
I nearly begin to cry when I see him. His skin looks so gray, and though his lips are smiling, I can see the pain behind his eyes.
“Last time I visited, you were sleeping,” I say.
“Yes, the nurse told me. Want to join us?”
“No. I have a lunch appointment. I just wanted to stop by to see if there was anything I could get for you.”
“Nah. I’m fine,” my dad says. “How’s the house?”
“It’s great,” I say.
“Did you put up any Christmas lights yet?”
“No.” I feel guilty.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s always next year. You know, now that I think of it, maybe you can get me something.”
“Yes?”
“You know the portrait you painted of your mother?”
“Yes.”
“I miss seeing that. Would you bring that to me?”
I smile. “Yes, of course.”
I leave the assisted living facility, and Michael texted me his mom’s address on my way over. He mentions nothing of kissing me. I decide to ignore it and head to Diane’s house ready for a battle. I end up in front of some seriously towering gates. It’s like Maleficent castle, only modernized.
“Hi, this is Scarlett here to see Mrs. Manning,” I say into the intercom. The gates slowly open and I drive up what feels like a mile-long driveway and park my car in the courtyard. This family is wealthy, holy Moses. A man dressed in a suit comes out and greets me.
“I’m Rory. Mrs. Manning has been expecting you. It’s a pleasure to have you here. May I escort you inside?”
I nod, because I might get lost if I take on this castle myself. I follow Rory up the stairs, through a long, wide hallway and we enter a bedroom the size of a tennis court. Diane is resting in bed with tubes attached to her. She looks weaker than she did the first time I saw her. Cancer is a horrible disease.
“Come here and sit down, girl,” she says.
I do as I’m told right away. I don’t want to get on her bad side, which now that I think about it, I think I already am. “How are you today Mrs. Manning?” I manage to say.
“Oh, I’ve been better. But let’s not waste time and talk about me. I need to see who my son has chosen to marry.” She peers over her thin-rimmed glasses and scowls.
I smile, but it’s hard to pretend everything is fine when my heart is thumping like a rabbit’s leg.
“So I assume Michael has told you all there is to know about our family and the situation you’re getting yourself into?” Diane says.
“Well, he’s told me a lot about the family, but maybe not so much the situation I’m getting into,” I say. Is there more?
“I too was once wide-eyed and naïve like you.” Diane leans back into her white down pillow. “But now, I ‘ve been through so much that I really would rather not stay in this world too much longer.”
“I’m sorry to hear,” I say. I decide just to listen, because I want to know every minute detail of this man and his family that I’m marrying, even if it is for only a few short weeks.
“Michael’s ex-fiancé was a horrid girl. I hated her from the moment I saw her. That selfish, little brat. Oh, she was lovely to look at, but she wasn’t any good for my son.”
“Why not?” I ask. I wasn’t expecting this.
“She had a dark past. I dug it up, mind you.”
Was this her way of telling me that she was going to stalk me too? I felt relieved, because I was a step ahead of her.
“She claimed she was a good Christian girl, but when I dug a little further, I found out that she had worked as a waitress at Hooters.”
I swallow. Is that so bad?
Diane’s eyes go intense. “Do you understand what I’m telling you young lady?”
“Yes, well I can promise you that I never worked at
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