Page 67 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“I thought they wanted to meet us,” my mother said.

“He wants to intimidate you.”

“Intimidate us?” Carl asked.

“They’re not good people. It’s why…” he stopped but I nodded telling him to go on. “It’s why Glory and I started campaigning for my brother. They threatened you and Maisie and Dee if we didn’t comply.”

“Comply?” Carl raised an eyebrow.

“My guess is they’ll order you not to make a stink about the Parker family or Brock as president, and they’ll suggest you don’t admit to being Gloria’s people.”

That went over about as well as one might expect, but at least they understood what they were about to walk into.

Blake drove us to his parents’ home. Brock and Emily’s car already sat in the drive. I assumed Jupiter would be arriving soon.

Maggie opened the door and welcomed us all inside. She warmly expressed her happiness at meeting my family. And that was where the good vibes ended.

The moment the Parkers laid eyes on my mom… andCarl. Robert Parker’s eyes narrowed. “Who is this?”

I moved forward. “This is my mother and her partner, Carl.”

“Brock, Blake,” Robert said, turning to leave the dining room where Maggie had led us. We, of course, followed them out because I wasn’t about to stay in the room only Adair and Emily. Brock and Blake accompanied their father into another room, where the elder Parker slammed the door.

The front one opened with Jupiter asking, “What did I miss?” Her eyes scanned the rest of us, landing on my mother and Carl.“Oh.” She smiled, yes,smiled! “I know exactly what I missed.” Then she walked over to my mother and Carl, holding her hand out to shake. “I’m Jupiter, Blake’s sister.”

Both my mother and Carl shook her hand.

“Mother, you’re being rude to your guests,” Jupiter called into the dining room. And she did it smirking like a Cheshire cat. Oh, the little troublemaker knew exactly what she was doing.

As it turned out, we didn’t stay long. Blake stormed out of his father’s office, grabbed my hand, and kept walking toward over to my mother and Carl in an act of solidarity.

“Carl,” Robert said. “I need to speak with you.” He waited for Carl to join him but the man didn’t take one step.

“I know what you want. The public won’t know our connection to Gloria. The name Parker won’t leave our lips but you have to agree to leave us alone. We’ve got nothing to do with your son or his campaign. Agreed?”

“Well, at least the man is sensible,” Brock muttered.

“Agreed,” Robert replied. “You don’t exist for us and we don’t exist for you.”

We offered to take them out to a fancy dinner but Carl preferred our place. We stopped at a specialty food market on the way home because Carl fished as a hobby and in his words, ‘made a mean trout.’

As we sat around the firepit in the backyard, eating the delicious, pan-fried masterpiece, Carl put his fork down on his plate, cocking his head. That got my attention so I asked, “What’s up?”

“You really campaigned for that man for us?”

“We’re family,” I replied.

“It’s what families do,” Blake finished.

Carl nodded his head.

In the end, Robert’s summons went better than predicted.

It wasn’t much of a consolation, but I grabbed it with both hands and held on tightly.

Chapter Sixteen

Our guests stayed for Saturday, during which we drove them to Burlington for a day out. Jupiter joined us back at our place that evening, and they were leaving on Sunday. I could hardly believe when on Sunday morning, one of Robert Parker’s attorneys showed at the house with an envelope. Inside the envelope? A check and a contract. My mother and Carl could in no way acknowledge to knowing or being related to me, and thus, my husband for the duration of the campaign. They were never to speak to the press or mention the Parkers to anyone who might leak our relationship to the press.

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