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Shanda quickly sent him a text. HOW ABOUT NINE?
SURE. I’LL HAVE MY PHONE.
That wasn’t what she meant. I MEANT COME OVER. I’M SURE I WILL NEED A DISTRACTION AFTER THIS.
There was a brief delay in his response but finally he texted, I’LL BE THERE AT NINE.
Somehow knowing that she was going to see him tonight made everything better. It made absolutely no sense at all, but nothing about Kenneth did. As she got out of the car and headed to the house, she stopped dead in her tracks. I called him a distraction? What the hell was I thinking? That sounded so cheap and pathetic. Like a bar pick-up line.
One last text should clarify things. IT’LL BE A GREAT NIGHT TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN TEACH ME.
Then she slipped her phone back in her pocket and headed inside. She didn’t want DeeDee to panic and think she had changed her mind.
Once inside, the feel of the room changed quickly. Her mom said, “Okay, let’s hear it. I know when my girls have something they need to say but don’t want to.”
Shanda went over and sat on the other side of DeeDee. Larry was holding DeeDee’s hand, which seemed to be trembling. She wasn’t sure DeeDee was going to be able to go through with it. She looked at DeeDee and gave her the eye, as though asking if she should say it instead.
DeeDee shook her head and said, “Mom, Dad, Larry and I have something we want to tell you.”
“Are you pregnant?” her father asked gruffly.
“No,” she answered. “It’s about the wedding.”
“Did you change your mind?” he asked.
DeeDee looked at Larry, then back to her parents. “Kind of. We don’t want a wedding or reception.”
“And why the hell not?” her father barked.
“Because they’re already married dear,” her mom stated.
Both Shanda and DeeDee looked at her, mouths gaped wide open. DeeDee asked, “How…how did you know?”
She replied, “The same way I always knew what you two were trying to hide from me. This is an old house with rattling old windows. It doesn’t take much to hear what is being said on that porch.”
Shanda tried thinking of what else they’d discussed last Sunday. Kenneth. At least she didn’t have to worry about them bringing that up tonight. It was insignificant compared to DeeDee’s news.
She stood up and said, “Then I guess you don’t need me here any longer.”
Her father said, “Sit.” She did. “Just because your mother knew already, that doesn’t get either of you off the hook. You’re not children any longer, yet you’re sitting on the porch whispering like you are. At twenty-eight and thirty, I’d think you’d have told us the truth from the beginning.”
“Sorry Dad, I was wrong. I just didn’t want to disappoint you guys. I know how much Mom wants to plan a wedding,” DeeDee choked out. “And we can still have one if you really want, but I…we…couldn’t keep lying to you.”
“Good. Because it was making your mother sick.”
Shanda felt horrible and tried to help, which was a huge mistake. “She really was doing it for you guys.”
“Don’t you dare get me started on you,” he said.
“Me? Dad, Kenneth and I are barely dating. Trust me. Marriage isn’t in the cards,” she stated.
“I’m not talking about Kenneth. I’m talking about Home Blown. Why didn’t you tell me the shop was having difficulties? Were you going to wait until you lost the place?” he asked.
Shit. We talked about that too?She never was going to have another private conversation on the porch. “Dad, it’s not that bad. And besides, I’m getting help now.”
“That teenage girl Brianna isn’t help,” he said.
“No. A…friend of mine is giving me some business pointers. It won’t be long before Home Blown is the talk of the town,” she said, not believing it at all. The shop was going to fold and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She didn’t have what Kenneth said it took. The passion, drive, and need to make lots of money.
