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But at least Mom is an absolute rock star. She has always had our backs, no matter what path we chose.
From what I heard, it sounds like her dad has a smidge of compassion and humanity. Unlike her mom who lives and breathes for appearances and money.
I don’t understand how parents could be so callous and heartless. I have a very hard time believing her attitude comes from simply having money.
Her dad is the first to speak after Hadley informs them Brooklyn likely doesn’t want to see them.
“We’ll behave.”
“Forgive me if I don’t jump at the chance to believe you.”
“You can’t keep our granddaughter from us,” her mom snaps.
“I can and I will. I protect her from things and people who don’t bring joy to her life and until you can prove otherwise, you don’t have access to her.”
Pride swells in my chest hearing her stand up to her parents on her daughter’s behalf. She spoke earlier about how she lacked courage to leave the lifestyle she grew up with. But I don’t think it was a lack of courage at all. If anything, she chose the hard path.
“How did it come to this?” Her dad wonders quietly.
Hadley shrugs and looks as perplexed as I feel. “I don’t know, Dad. I guess when you and Mom decided to choose money over your own daughter? Maybe neither of you saw it that way because you were okay with your lifestyle.”
While her dad seems to be mulling over everything the three of them just talked about, her mom doesn’t seem to have opened her mind much.
“Your grandparents and I argued endlessly over this exact same thing,” Dorothy tells Robert. “They never wanted to listen or understand that I wanted something different out of life. Maybe it’s hard for you to see because you’re all so closed-minded but look around you for once. See that there’s a whole world out there. A world full of all different ways of life. Life is too damn short to live it unhappy. Your daughter, your own flesh and blood, wasunhappy. You refused to see that. If you don’t want to lose her and your only grandchild for good, I suggest you both pull the stick out of your asses and really listen to what she’s telling you.”
My brothers cough to hold back their laughter but my eyes stay focused on Hadley. While Dorothy was speaking, her smile grew bigger and bigger.
Robert’s mouth twitches. “Pull the stick out of our asses?”
Dorothy crosses her arms over her chest. “That’s right.”
His face sobers and he turns to Hadley. “I’m sorry we didn’t listen. I just worry.”
Worry? That’s such bullshit. If he worried about her he would have paid attention and realized she wasn’t like them and not forced her to be someone she’s not.
Hadley’s eyebrows rise and I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing I am.
“You don’t need to worry, Dad. I’m doing better than ever. I love working at the diner and the home Brooklyn and I have. I’m happy here. It’s where I belong.”
“You belong at home,” her mom argues.
“This is home,” Hadley argues right back.
I glance at Brock and he gives me a knowing look.
He knows Hadley has been the girl I put on a pedestal, right or wrong, for all these years. Everyone I met or dated, I compared to Hadley. I couldn’t get her out of my head no matter how hard I tried. Hadley and I clicked that snowy night in a New York hotel. One night. That’s all it took for her to become so embedded in my mind that I couldn’t move on from her.
And now she thinks of Red Oak as home, meaning she’s not going anywhere.
“But…”
“Celeste, I think she’s made herself clear. And given us a lot to think about.”
“This is ridiculous. I thought you knew better than this, Hadley, but you’re just as childish as you’ve ever been. You said you needed to leave Chicago to find yourself. Well, if this is you finding yourself, I think you need to keep looking.”
Celeste gives Robert a shrewd look, scoffs, and walks out the diner door. Hadley watches her leave with mouth agape and hurt in her eyes. I don’t blame her. Celeste is nasty.
Robert moves in, reaching out to Hadley. “Can I give you a hug?”
