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Actually this morning, she’d beaten him waking up and then made a baked French toast casserole. It was so good that he’d told her that he wanted it on their next brunch menu.
Which was going to start in October and be once a month on the last Sunday of the month. He loved her idea. It just meant that she’d be working during it because she’d said she wanted to be there to see how it went.
When her phone rang, she got up to get it out of her purse and frowned.
“What’s going on?” he asked
She hesitated as if she wasn’t sure if she should answer. “It’s Eddie’s sister.”
“Are you going to answer it?”
“I don’t know. I guess I should.” She hit the button. “Hello.”
He heard screaming on the other line and saw Hadley pull the phone back from her ear. He got up to move closer to her, then heard, “It’s my money. I want it.”
“What are you talking about, Cheryl?” she asked. “I didn’t get anything from Eddie and I should have since I gave him almost twenty thousand dollars.”
His jaw dropped. That was the first he’d heard the amount. There was no way the guy’s living expenses were that much for that short period of time. He had to have been getting some money while he was out of work.
Duke tried not to ask too many questions, but it was information that came up in pieces.
There was more screaming and he finally said, “Hang up on her or give me the phone. There is no reason you need to take that shit.”
Hadley turned and looked at him, gave him a glare, and he almost stepped back. He was getting ready to take the phone from her when she finally disconnected the call.
“I don’t need you always fighting my battles,” she said.
“I wasn’t trying to.”
“Please,” she said with her hands on her hips. There was part of him that was thrilled she’d found the strength to finally not get walked all over in her life. The other part was now they were going to fight and he was annoyed she didn’t want his help. “That is all you ever do. I’ve heard it from Kelsey and your parents. You are all about being a savior to people. It comes off as mentoring in your work. But in your personal life I’m trying to figure out what the heck it is.”
He didn’t like being called out on this. “I love you. I don’t like seeing you upset.”
“Fine. I’ll accept that answer, but this isn’t the first time you’ve done it. I’ve spilled a lot of my guts to you over the past few months and yet I don’t hear much from you.”
“There isn’t much to say. I work all the time.”
“That’s right,” she said. “I think that is the problem. You are always working and then feel guilty that you might not be able to give attention to someone else in your life. Your way to make up for it is to take care of them.”
“There isn’t anything wrong with that,” he argued.
“So I’m right?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I never thought much of it. I’ve dated and you know it. But I never have the time they want or need. Maybe I’ve never wanted to put in as much, and with you, that is what I’m trying to do.”
She took a deep breath and let it out. “That might be one of the more honest things you’ve said to me.”
He wanted to snarl. “I’m always honest with you.”
“You are. But you only tell me so much. I don’t feel like I get enough out of you considering what I give you.”
“What do you want me to say? That I’ve messed up a lot over the years? I have. I’ve put my career and restaurant and reputation first more than I should. I’ve missed out on family gatherings and celebrations and told myself I can’t do that anymore.”
“All these weddings in the past few years with your cousins. Have you missed any of them?”
“No,” he said. “But I missed bachelor parties or other things. I miss holidays at times if the restaurant is open too. My family is okay with it. They understand. I try to be there for some of it but never get to fully relax completely and enjoy it.”
“No one is saying you can’t. Those are your decisions to make. It sounds to me like Duke’s is running like a well-oiled machine. I’m trying to get Southside there.”
