Page 105 of Just One of the Groomsmen
“I know money is important to you, but it’s not everything to me.”
“That’s easy to say until you don’t have any. Until you’re struggling for every penny and running out of money halfway through the month, and the stress eats at you day and night. And what about if you and Addison get serious? The houseboat might seem charming now, but it’ll get old fast.”
His chest tightened, his unmet goals pressing in to remind him yet again he hadn’t come close to meeting them yet.
To gaining the financial security he’d craved since he and his family had to live without it—the same security he’d sworn to havebeforejumping into a relationship. “Addie doesn’t care about that stuff.”
Dad laughed, a mirthless laugh with a sharp edge of cynicism and cruelty. “Oh, son. All women care about that. Her tastes might be simpler, and yeah, that’ll work in your favor in your current situation, but she wants stability just as much as the next girl.”
“You don’t know her.”
He’s wrong,Tucker’s brain screamed. Not about wanting stability, because who didn’t, but she would understand that it’d take some time, and they’d find ways to make it work when and if it reached that point.
“Your mom once told me she didn’t need anything besides me, and look how that turned out. Now she’s living in that big ol’ house with another guy, bragging to her friends about how rich and important he is.”
Flash whimpered like he hated Dad’s words as much as Tucker did.
Tucker untied his leash and sat him in the seat Addie had abandoned. He showed how well he was going to behave by licking Addie’s leftover puddle of ketchup.
“How’s that any different than you wanting to brag that you have a son who works at a big law firm and rakes in the money?You’rethe one who constantly brings up how much money I make, not Addie, and not anyone else in this town.”
“I’m not doing it to brag. Like I said, I know what it’s like to try to make it on a meager salary. What it’s like to wonder how to feed and clothe your family, and I know exactly what it feels like when that shelter you’ve worked so hard for gets ripped right from over your heads.” Dad placed his forearms on the table and shifted forward. “I’m trying to give you a reality check, son. This town tends to make people all shiny-eyed with its laid-back charm, but when those nice people don’t get paid, they turn mean as the next guy.”
“I’ve seen the next guy,” Tucker said. “I’ve gotten him out of charges he deserved, and no thanks to doing that again. These people need me. I might never make a lot of money, but I can support myself.”
“Right.Yourself.Not a wife, not a family.”
“I’m well aware of what I need to accomplish before I can think about those things.”
How many times had he reminded himself? A down payment on a house and $40,000 in a 401K—so his future wife and kids would never have to worry about their home being taken away—and the plan was to have that accomplished by the time he was thirty.
He’d let those goals disappear in the happy haze of moving here, and spending time with Addie pushed them even further back in his mind.
He and Addie had barely started dating, so he tried to tell himself there was no reason to freak out over how short he fell just yet. Maybe his goals would need to be adjusted, and it might take a year or two, but he could still find a way to be a good provider.
“I’ve made my choice of where I want to live,” he said, “and I choose here with my friends and people who need someone who’ll stand up for their rights without price-gouging them while doing it.”
Dad held up his hands like he was surrendering. “I didn’t come to fight. I came to speak my piece and because I was driving through. Good thing, too, because where would I stay? The couch in the houseboat?”
“There’re a dozen people who’d offer you a place to stay, I guarantee it.”
“So they could gossip about how I can’t afford a room at the inn and add that to the list of reasons why your mom left me? At least they’d get that part right. But I’d rather not end up as fodder to discuss over coffee.”
“And a few of them might add that it’s a shame I got fired from my law firm, in spite of the fact that I didn’t, and even though it doesn’t keep them from coming to me for legal advice. The grapevine is part of small-town life, but the beauty is, I don’t care what they say. You should try it.”
“Yeah, but Addison, you care what she says. What she thinks. You want her to have the best, right?”
Of course he cared, and of course he did. That was like asking if ice cream was delicious.
“I have a feeling you and I would disagree what’s best for her,” Tucker said.
“Probably. But it wouldn’t kill you to learn from my mistakes so you won’t have such a hard go of it. Your mom and I foolishly believed love would fill in the gaps, but it doesn’t work like that. Stress wears on everyone, and money’s one of the biggest stressors there is, not to mention one of the top reasons couples fight.”
Dad pushed his chair out but didn’t stand. Genuine concern flickered through his features, and that was what dug at Tucker, even as he told himself, yet again, that Dad was wrong. It didn’t have to be that way.
“Addison’s a great girl, and I hope you two work it out, I truly do. It’ll just be a lot easier to do if you’re not constantly fighting about money.”
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