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“You shouldn’t have anyway. Please stay out of it. I’m able to take care of myself.”
Her mother moved into the kitchen. “I’ll get you a plate of food. Would you like a milkshake with it?”
Hadley couldn’t help but laugh. Her mother always made her a chocolate milkshake when she was upset or felt pressure as a kid. “I’m not sure that will go with steak and potato salad,” she said.
“How about one for dessert?” her mother asked. “Then you can tell us how your cake business is going. I know you’ve got a cake to make soon.”
She knew this was their way of ending the conversation. They did this often and she wasn’t sure why she wasn’t able to end it on her terms, but it was best to let it go for now.
“I do have one to make and am excited. I’ve gotten a few more calls for children’s parties. Those cakes are easy to make. Duke is great about working my schedule around the delivery of the cake too. Luckily I can make the cakes the night before and keep them in the fridge and then decorate the day of.”
“You don’t need to burn yourself out,” her father said.
“I’m not. I’m enjoying everything right now. I really am. Just like I’m going to enjoy my dinner,” she said when her mother put the plate in front of her.
Her parents went back to talking about the news that was on and giving her peace. It was better than nothing, she supposed.
20
Best Out Of Them
“Another wedding,” Kelsey said to him the following Saturday. They were in Boston for the day for Hailey Bond’s wedding to Rex Knight.
If Duke thought it was odd she wasn’t having it at The Retreat that her family owned and one of the most beautiful wedding venues on the Northeast, he kept that to himself.
He supposed it made sense it was in Boston where Hailey had lived her whole life and had her firm. She had a lot of clients that would be in attendance, the same with Rex and his investment firm.
Both Rex and Hailey had satellite offices on the island, but he knew it would be harder to get more people to the island for the wedding, on the ferry, and staying the night, than to Boston when most of his family had homes in both locations anyway.
He and Kelsey didn’t, but their parents' home was where they’d both stay tonight.
“Yep,” he said. “And another Saturday I’m not working.”
“Get over it,” Kelsey said. “You don’t need to work seven days a week.”
“I don’t,” he argued. “I take Wednesdays off.”
“Wow. One day,” Kelsey said.
They were waiting for their parents to leave for the church. He and Kelsey were riding together, but they’d leave the same time.
“Are you two fighting again?” his mother asked.
“No. We don’t fight,” Kelsey said. “We bicker. I was telling Duke he should take more than one day off a week.”
“Your brother knows what he is doing. I’m sure he might work fewer hours than you in a week.”
He grinned over that. “I’m not so sure.”
“You cook fewer hours than I sit at a desk,” Kelsey said. “But we know running the business, well, now two businesses, is what is taking up more time.”
“That’s right,” he said. “There is more to it, as you know. I’m thrilled someone else is dealing with the marketing now.”
“You’re welcome for the suggestion months ago,” Kelsey said. “It’s showing in your profits too.”
He knew that. He didn’t need his sister to tell him when he could see how busy it was.
“You think you know it all,” he said.
