Page 41 of Perfectly Grumpy

Of all people, he should know that this reunion was already going to be hard enough for us. I braced myself for a week of bittersweet memories and dodging my ex-boyfriend. But this? Being blindsided by a girlfriend I didn’t even know existed?

Dad looks over at Patty with a happiness in his look I haven’t seen in ages. “Patty and I met at the gym. I wanted her to meet the family.”

“How long have you been dating?” I ask, trying to keep my curiosity under control.

He looks at Patty as if he can’t remember. “I don’t know—two weeks officially?” Patty nods in agreement.

I shake my head slowly in disbelief. “Two weeks? And she’s meeting the family?” The same family that’s gathering to honor Mom’s memory for the first time since we lost her.

She doesn’t look anything like my mom. In fact, she looks younger than Mom. Notyoung-young, but definitely someone who spends a lot of time with a decent esthetician and a personal trainer. Her blonde hair is surprisingly natural looking, and she wears just enough makeup to highlight her high cheekbones and blue eyes. Under different circumstances, I might even like her. But right now, all I can see is someone taking up the space where Mom should be.

This whole situation makes me feel conflicted. Dad’s been walking through life like a ghost for ten months. Of course, he’d be drawn to someone vibrant and warm who makes him feel young again.

But couldn’t he have warned me first?

“I think I need some air—excuse me.” I wheel around before the tears building behind my lids can spill over.

I barely register Olivia calling after me as I speed-walk my rolling bag through the house and escape to the back patio where I can stare at the woods and pull myself together. I promised Mom I would come to the reunion, and now I won’t even last a day. Some daughter I am.

I hear the door open behind me. “Hey, Lauren,” Dad says. “Mind if I join you?”

I turn around to make sure Patty isn’t with him. “Sure,” I say quietly, before staring at the woods again.

He sinks into the patio chair next to me and, for a moment, we sit in silence.

“I should’ve told you about Patty before now,” he says quietly, not asking if that’s why I’m upset. He already knows.

I exhale. “Then why didn’t you? It’s not Olivia’s job to update me on your personal life,” I say, trying to keep my tone gentle despite the hurt. “That should have come from you.”

“I know,” he says quietly. “I just thought you might not be open to the idea of me dating yet, since it hasn’t even been a year.”

I twist Mom’s ring around my finger—a deep goldenrod topaz, her favorite ring after her wedding set. “I just wish I’d had some warning.”

“Can you at least try to get to know her?” he asks. “Patty’s been the first thing to make me happy in a very long time.”

The guilt twists inside me. I want Dad to be happy. But does it have to be so soon? With someone so different from Mom?

The door opens behind us. “Patty,” he says, so clearly delighted by her that it hurts. “Are you ready to find your room?”

Patty nods, and Dad squeezes my shoulder before going. “Don’t worry, I’ll still have time for you.”

“Sure,” I muster, even though I already know. He’s already disappearing into his new life, and I haven’t even figured out how to live in this one without Mom.

I watch them go, before finding Olivia at the registration table again. “Why didn’t you tell me Dad had a girlfriend?”

For a second, she looks genuinely guilty. “I wanted to, Lauren. I really did. But you were already on the fence about coming because of Bart. If I told you about Patty…”

“So you thought blindsiding me was better?” My voice rises despite my attempt to keep it steady.

“No, of course not.” Olivia sets down her clipboard. “But I was caught between Dad asking me not to say anything because he wanted to tell you himself, and knowing you’d need time to process it.” She sighs. “He kept saying he’d call you, and then he didn’t. And only yesterday did I find out he was bringing her.”

I cross my arms. “And you couldn’t have given me a heads-up anyway? A simple text: ‘Hey, Dad’s bringing someone.’”

“Lauren, you’re not the only one struggling with this.” She runs a hand through her hair. “But it’s been ten months, andDad has been—well, you’ve seen him. He’s been a shell of himself.”

“So the solution is some random woman from the gym? It hasn’t even been a year, Liv.”

“I’m not saying it’s ideal timing, but we can’t expect him to hold a candle for Mom forever.”

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