Page 13 of By The Book
“Not exactly.”
Uh-huh. “You know—”
“It’s hard to run while wearing a sling,” he said. “And it’s nearing the end of the time required to wear it. Now can I ask you a question?”
“You rescued me from death by sinking sand, so sure. Ask away.”
“What’s the deal with you and the garage apartment? I mean, I’d think staying in the house would be the norm when a kid comes home to visit her parents.”
“Oh, that. Yeah, you’d think.” She inhaled and exhaled in a rush, wishing the salty breeze would carry away her frustration. She’d known dealing with her dad wouldn’t be easy, but she’d hoped it wouldn’t be as strained as it was.
“If it’s too personal, you don’t have to answer.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m sure you noticed the tension between me and my dad.”
“Some.”
“Yeah…well, my dad and I haven’t gotten along in a lot of years because he didn’t want me to marry Tommy’s father. When I did, well, that was that. In his words, he washed his hands of me.”
“Ouch. Tough to hear but you can’t believe things said in anger.”
“Maybe,” she mused. “But then,” she said, giving the words a dramatic flair she didn’t feel, “I had Tommy and we brought him to meet his grandparents for the first time. I thought we’d be in the house, too. In my old room, where I was today. Instead my poor Mom met us at the car with tears in her eyes and told Scott to take our bags up to the garage. In anticipation of our visit, my dad had finished the upstairs of the garage. We’ve stayed there every trip since.”
It was an embarrassing story to tell because her father had literally finished the apartment to keep her and Scott from sleeping under the same roof as him. But the story was hers all the same.
“I see. Will your husband be joining you? Should I try to find another place to stay?”
A slow huff left her and she shifted her gaze to the water. “No. No, there’s no need for that. Scott was… He was KIA. Baghdad.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. Dad didn’t like Scott, although I don’t think he would’ve approved ofanyone at that stage of my life, but when I told them I was getting married at seventeen and that I was pregnant, Dad lost it. Did the wholeI forbid youthing. So, the eve of my eighteenth birthday, Scott helped me sneak out of my room, and we ran away to get married.”
“Wow. I bet that went over well with Tom.”
She turned toward the stairs leading over the dunes, and they silently fell into step beside each other. “About how you’d think, especially since we were banished to the apartment afterwards. I suppose it was a bit dramatic, but we knew we’d never get his permission, and we couldn’t wait. Didn’t want to wait, especially since Scott was already through basic and about to be stationed. To get military housing, we had to be married so…”
“What happened then? After you snuck out and got married, I mean?”
A smile formed and she couldn’t stop it. “We went on a week-long camping honeymoon in a state park since it was all we could afford. Yes, I am that woman who spent her honeymoon in a tent. But once the week was over, we went home to face my parents.”
Her laugh belied the drama of the time. All she had to do was close her eyes and she could see the fury on her father’s face. And the disappointment. “Yeah. There was a lot of yelling, then silence. And it’s been tense ever since.”
“That’s a long time to hold a grudge, especially if you stayed together. Was it something specific Tom didn’t like about your husband?”
“You mean other than getting his seventeen-year-old daughter pregnant?”
“I imagine most fathers would feel that way.”
Maybe. But her pregnancy wasn’t the worst of her father’s upset. No, according to Tom Blanchette, Scott had no common sense.
Thirteen years later, she now understood why her father had felt that way at least from a financial standpoint. Still, one thing she knew not to do over the years was to ever say anything derogatory about Scott to her parents. Ever.
But somehow it seemed her dad had known the entire time. “I should get back. Enjoy your walk.”
“Actually I’m headed that way myself. Do you mind if I walk with you?”
“Oh, uh, no. That’s fine.”
