She swallowed and said, “Shit, I feel bad for basically telling you to go for it at the wedding.”
“Don’t. I would have done it anyway. I was sure she’d felt the same.” These cookies were good. Maybe I’d get the recipe off Mom.
“So was I!” Sarah said, disappointed. “You should have seen the way she looked at you. I thought it was obvious.”
I threw an arm around her shoulders for a brief hug. “We both did.”
“You’re here!” Mom’s first move when she entered the kitchen was to pull the tin away from Sarah and me. “And you’ll ruin lunch if you keep eating these.”
“Hi, Mom.” Her hug was comforting.
Dad was a few steps behind her. “Jackson, this is a surprise. I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“It was a spur of the moment decision.”
He brought me in for a hug. “I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Actually, I have something I need to talk to you about, too.”
I followed him into the small back room he’d turned into an office, although he used it more for reading. As such, the space was cluttered with books and journals on every surface, a moat of words surrounding the two worn armchairs that sat by the window.
Dad settled into one, and I followed suit, already planning how I would propose this to him. I could guess how this conversation would go, knowing dad, and my best approach would be not to allow him to derail me.
“I got some good news today,” I said, pleased when Dad indicated to go on. “So, you’ll remember that when I signed on for the show originally, it was a long shot. None of us had any sort of fan base, and no one knew how popular the show would be, so I took what they offered, which wasn’t much, but more than I had been getting at that point.”
He nodded. “I remember.”
“And I think I’ve told you before that as the show has gotten bigger, they’ve refused to change our contracts, even though they’re making a lot of money off of us right now.”
He nodded again.
“Well, we finally managed to secure an increase, and I wanted to use the money to help you and Mom—”
“No.”
“Dad,” I started, but he didn’t let me continue.
“No, Jackson. It doesn’t matter how you were planning on finishing that sentence because there’s no way your mother and I will accept your money.”
I pushed forward in the chair, sitting on the edge, determined to convince him. “Look, I know how much you guys struggled with money when Sarah and I were growing up, and that doesn’t even come close to what you had to do to support me through my career. And you’re both still working. I want you and Mom to be able to retire. Enjoy some time together. And now I’m in the position to look after you for a change—”
“Jackson. I said no.” I went to protest, and he cut me off with a gesture. “It’s not your decision when we stop working. We’ll do that when we’re good and ready. And you can forget the idea that you owe us anything. Yes, we worked hard to keep a roof over our heads and to help you when you first started out in LA, but we’re your parents. That’s what we do. The whole point was to make sure you and your sister could plan for your futures. Your own families.”
It was clear that there was no room for further discussion, and I accepted it only because I had half expected it before I’d said anything. Dad’s convictions were the foundations on which I’d built my own, so I couldn’t blame him for not taking my money.
Still, I had hoped. There were always other ways. Christmas. Birthdays. Mom.
I’d work it out.
Now that he’d closed the door on my offer, Dad changed tact. “You know, I was hoping the reason you’d come over, beyond wanting to see us, of course, was to talk about your plans with Audrey.”
Resigned, I sank back into the chair. “That would be difficult. We’ve, uh, split up.”
The only response he provided was an astute raised brow, which he always employed when he was disappointed and wanted you to explain yourself.
He would have made a great actor.
“It’s probably for the best. My job comes with certain expectations that aren’t exactly fair on whoever I date. Audrey …” How did I want to put this? “She’ll be better off with someone whose life isn’t complicated with press and publicity.”
