“This is complicated.” Her mom started fixing a plate. Marlee knew it was for her. “But we thought the two of you might be able to talk through some of the unpleasantness if we all got together. Everyone just needs to be open to the conversation. Set the anger aside.”
“I’m not angry.” Marlee took the offered plate, picked up a fork, and cut into the tender chicken with the side of it—all while standing. She refused to sit near Scotty. Yes, it seemed petty. Really, she didn’t want to have to smell his scent, relive their memories. Not yet, anyway. Would she get there? Yes. She’d get there. No doubt about it. However, that wasn’t today.
“You got married.” Scotty folded the napkin, creasing it between his middle and index finger. “It’s all over the Internet.”
“Scotty,” her dad said quietly. “We aren’t discussing that part yet.”
Marlee couldn’t get a good read on Scotty. He didn’t seem sad. She’d thought he might be a little sad, but he just seemed indifferent. Like it didn’t matter.
Like she didn’t matter, and that made her heart ache.
“Yes, I got married. And?” Marlee said with a strong dose of annoyance. Her inner attitude was apparently on the scene. Scotty never got doses of Marlee’s attitude. No one did, really. “You didn’t want to do it, so someone else did.”
Which wasn’t entirely the truth, but also not entirely a lie. It was what she and her besties called a try—part truth, part lie.
“You’re acting ridiculous.” Scotty moved with precision, setting his knife and fork beside his plate.
“Really, Scotty, you’re being very unhelpful.” Her mother gave Scotty a look that could boil ice water.
“I’m being ridiculous?” Marlee asked, ignoring her parents. “You called off our wedding with less than two days to go. Shouldn’t you be on our honeymoon?”
“I was just boarding the plane when my phone started ringing. We had to call in a special public relations team to handle the questions. You know better than anyone what kind of damage something like this can do to the organization. We could lose sponsors. A little heads-up would’ve been good.”
That’s what he was worried about? Losing his precious sponsors? “And you came back, because?”
“Leelee.” He looked at her like she was the one being utterly impossible. “You got married.” There was a touch of sadness in those words now.
The sadness jerked at the strings around her heart. She vowed to clip them when it came to Scotty. He had no business tugging on them anymore.
“Mom?” Marlee decided to go straight to the one ally she was sure to have. “I got married. It wasn’t planned. Sadie is handling the divorce. Is that why you and Dad shut off my credit cards?”
Her mom made a slightly strangled noise. “We worried you wouldn’t come home until we forced our hand.”
“I was coming straight over as soon as I got settled at the hotel.”
“Who is it?” Scotty asked. “Who’s the guy?”
Marlee pressed her eyes closed. “It’s really none of your business.”
“Who is he, Marlee?” her mom asked.
Now, her mother? Her mother would insist on an answer.
“His name is Eli. Eli Howard. Sadie’s brother,” Marlee said, attempting to make it sound totally normal.
“The caterer?” Scotty asked.
Marlee ignored him.
“You should stay here.” Her mom fussed with a plate she was fixing for Marlee’s dad. “The hotel will be so lonely. We think here is a better choice.”
“You married our caterer?” Scotty’s voice pitched higher.
“Scotty.” Her dad shook his head. “Stay here, Marlee.”
“Or at the house,” Scotty added. “You can stay with me at the house.”
“Someplace this Eli Howard doesn’t bother you.” Her dad took the plate and sat at the barstool across from Scotty. They were all comfortable in the kitchen. It’s where the family gathered unless the event was formal.
