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“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” My mom would have been proud my manners were on point.
“You two are a bit early, so dinner is still cooking.”
Her father went to the refrigerator and opened the door. “I said the same. Can’t remember the last time Addison was prompt. Managed to show up late for my birthday party.”
Addy’s shoulders sagged, and I had to fight the urge to scoop her up and drag her out of here. Had she grown up this way? With passive-aggressive comments lobbed at her constantly?
“Well, no surprise she was late. The champagne bottles broke, remember?” her mother provided.
Gritting her teeth, Addison turned to give me some detail. “I’d gone to the liquor store, and on my way out to the parking lot, the box’s bottom gave out and, boom, ten bottles broke at my feet.”
“Were you okay?” I asked, thinking that could easily have sent her to the hospital.
“My foot got bruised, and of course, I smelled like booze from the splash. Anyhow, I had to go back and buy more bottles, then swing home to clean up, which caused me to be late.”
“If it wasn’t for bad luck, she’d have no luck at all,” her mother tsked.
What the actual fuck? Yet as soon as I felt a retort on my tongue, I had to swallow it down. I’d made plenty of my own criticisms of Addy’s mishaps. Never again. I would no longer mock in the slightest her bad luck.
“What brings you to town? Are you in between jobs again?” Her father took out a water pitcher and poured out four glasses.
“No. I’m working at the security company as the office manager, and it’s going really well,” Addison supplied. “Leo started the company two years ago, and it’s doubled in size over the last year. He employs dozens of veterans.”
“Addy has been a tremendous asset as the office manager,” I added wanting so badly for her parents to get some sense of how valuable she was.
They seemed unimpressed. “And Malorie is still working at a spa?” They seemed equally judgy about her cousin’s choice of career.
“Yes, she sure is.”
The rest of dinner was more of the same, a mix of passive-aggressive comments and criticisms. Small little digs that, when accumulated, made for a huge dent in their daughter’s self-esteem. And this was only one night. What would an entire lifetime be like?
Addy was quiet when we climbed into my truck at the end of the painful evening. She looked as though her parents had stolen all of her joy.
Meanwhile, I had to ask, “What did your mom want to speak to you about alone?” Addy’s mother had awkwardly asked her to come into the other room as we were clearing plates. I had the distinct feeling the private conversation had been about me.
“She wanted to, you know, find out how things were going.”
“Don’t lie. Not to me, Addy. You won’t hurt my feelings if you tell me the truth.”
She heaved a sigh. “She asked if I was quite done punishing them.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. Putting the truck in drive, I guessed, “So I’m the ultimate rebellious move, huh?” By now, I was anxious to get back to Vegas.
“Evidently. But my parents are critical, so don’t take it personally.”
“Your parents are assholes.” Shit, I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t speak ill of your parents. I don’t give a crap what they think about me, but I hated the way they chipped away at you, one little passive-aggressive comment at a time.”
She heaved a sigh. “My parents weren’t always assholes. They were strict while I was growing up, but there used to be hope I’d become successful, so they weren’t as cold. Ever since I moved to Vegas, they’ve been brutal. At every turn they remind me about my disasters, big and small. It’s like they’re hoping I’ll see the hot mess my life has become and admit I was wrong to set off on my own.”
“When did this idea of you only having bad luck start?”
She shared the story of the family missing their flight to Hawaii when she was a little girl. The heartbreak in her voice had me gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles were white.
“I could give you a hundred more examples of shitty luck,” Addy continued. “As my mom said, if it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have none at all.”
“That’s bullshit.” Who the hell said those words to their kid?
She scoffed. “You’ve witnessed my bad luck, Leo. It’s a living, breathing thing.”
