Page 73 of The Weekend Crashers
Cole gives a small laugh. “It never seemed wrong to me. I’m sorry you haven’t met anyone since Mom. Maybe you forget what it feels like to fall in love.”
That stings. Aidan feels a flash of defensiveness. But then, Cole might be right. Regardless of all that, he’s still not happy with the way this all unfolded.
“I’m troubled you think I’d judge you over your relationship. I might not always agree with your choices, Cole, but I want you to feel you can talk to me.”
Cole looks skeptical. “And what would you have told me if I said I was in love with a married woman?”
He’s never heard Cole use the wordloveabout a girlfriend.
“Well,” he says carefully, “I would have told you that I just don’t want you to get hurt. I know we can’t always control who we have feelings for. But some choices are less likely than others to lead to a good outcome.”
“No one knows what’s going to lead to a good outcome,” Cole says. “Look at you. You did everything right. I can’t imagine finally finding the right person, marrying them, and then losing them.”
Aidan feels stricken. The last thing he wants is for his son to feel sorry for him.
“Yes, it was difficult. But Cole, that has nothing to do with my concern for your relationship choices. Any parent would feel the same way.”
Cole shakes his head. “Dad, I get it. Hell, I’d want to play it safe after all that too. But that’s not my approach. I’m willing to get hurt. To me, with Kalli, the upside is worth it. I don’t expect you to agree or understand, and I’m sorry if it upsets you. So I’ll respect your choices if you can respect mine.”
“I’m not playing it safe,” Aidan says. He’s reeling. It’s likesomeone just held up a mirror to his face, he looked into it, and the reflection is not his own. He doesn’t like the feeling. Not one bit. And he’s going to do something about it.
Maggie is walking through the lobby so fast Piper needs to trot to keep up with her. They pass Lexi and Dove on their way to the Purl, a workshop that at this point Piper and Maggie will miss.
“You two coming?” Lexi calls out.
Maggie doesn’t slow down, leaving Piper no time to answer. She just gives a half wave, half thumbs-up, and keeps walking a step or two behind Maggie.
Piper really wishes her mother would back off.
“This doesn’t need to involve you,” she says.
“That would be a lot more convincing if your manager hadn’t crashed our weekend,” Maggie says.
“Ex-manager.”
“Not according to Gretchen,” Maggie says. Piper follows her around the corner into the wide stone hallway leading to Bucks Tavern.
“So now you’re on her side?”
That stops Maggie right in her tracks. She turns to look at Piper.
“Since when are theresides? I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I’m not going to let you throw away this opportunity.”
“It’s not your choice!” she says, louder than she intended. The words just burst out before she could modulate her voice. And the effort to contain them leaves her shaking.
Maggie looks hurt and shocked as if Piper smacked her across the face. Worse, she says nothing. They just stand there looking at each other for what feels like an eternity. Piper can’t take it anymore and continues walking without her.
“So you’re quitting?” Maggie says from behind her. “Just like that? I have to say, Piper, that’s extremely disappointing.”
Piper turns around, her heart pounding. “Well, I knew that was coming.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Maggie crosses her arms, her expression stony. Piper can’t remember the last time she had an argument with her mother, and she’d do anything to hit the pause button, to save both of them from the painful and unfamiliar experience of being in conflict. But she can’t. There’s only one thing to do, and it’s something she should have done when she first met Gretchen, and that’s be honest with her mother—and herself.
“It means, from the moment I told you about meeting Gretchen, I knew on some level I’d end up disappointing you. Because I never wanted that job. I did it for you.”
“Don’t put this on me! You’re the one who doesn’t even appreciate the opportunities you have in front of you.”
“Idoappreciate opportunities in front of me. I’m simply not choosing the oneyouwould choose. And you have to learn to deal with that instead of trying to control my life.”
