It’s fresh in my head. Her calling me a predator, fireworks going off. My mom moving from Clover’s side as the scene unfolded.
“Beth,” I practically whisper.
I never thought I would see them both in the same room again.
A few weeks after the ordeal at the country club, Beth wrote me a letter. She left it for me in our mailbox. She said that after the dust settled, she got the whole story from Clover. Beth apologized for saying what she did, but she was still disappointed in me. She told me she loved me and she always would, even if we weren’t in each other’s lives in the same way anymore. That night, I went home and showed the letter to my mom. She read it silently and nodded to herself before giving it back to me. And that was the last time either of us acknowledged Beth or Clover to each other.
My mother mourned their exit from our lives in a way that was distinctly her. After a while, we settled into a new normal. She fell deeper into work. Traveled the country visiting as many Graves Coffee locations as she could. She began to look into expanding the brand.
Clover stands and hugs her mom.
“Hi, baby,” Beth whispers, and then she comes around the table to place a warm hand on my shoulder before we’re all sitting down, letting our soup go cold.
When it’s clear no one knows where to start, Beth breaks the silence. “Sydney came to see me at work today and said that you two had something to share with us.”
My eyes are on Clover. Her lip is nearly bleeding from how hard she’s biting down. “We’re married,” I say without looking away from her.
Something clatters at the other side of the table, but I don’t look away because the only reaction that concerns me is Clover’s. I pull her hand into my lap and she turns to our mothers and begins to explain.
To their credit, there are only a few interruptions. When she mentions the ceremony, I can see them both trying to mask their feelings about missing the wedding of their only children.
It’s my mother who speaks first. “This isn’t about the money. I’m not upset about that.” The fine lines around her eyes and mouth are heavy with worry. “Honey, you do know that I offered to cover your tuition at Calvin Prep?”
Clover nods.
“Of course, your mother refused,” Mom mutters.
“Syd, don’t start this right now,” Beth tells her in a clear, even voice. “She wasn’t happy there. And who would expect her to continue after what she went through?”
“I’m just saying,” Mom says, “it’s a good school, and I would never let my pride stand in the—”
“My pride!” Beth digs in. “None of what I did was in the name of—”
“Stop!” Clover shouts.
That startles them both into silence.
“Need I remind you that Bennett and I are both adults? Sydney”—Clover’s voice softens—“I’m sorry this put you in the position to be paying double housing this semester. I—I honestly didn’t even think about Bennett keeping the town house and what that would mean, so—”
“Clo, it’s fine,” I tell her. “What was she going to do with that money? Put it in an account and watch it grow instead of putting it toward something important like helping you stay in school?”
“He’s right,” my mother says softly.
“I wish you would have come to me,” Beth tells her.
“Mom.” Clover’s voice falters. “I—I love you, but there was nothing you could have done.”
Beth straightens her shoulders, her lip trembling for just a moment. “There are payment plans, Clover. Perhaps we could have gotten you a housing waiver so you could commute and—”
“With what car, Mom?” Clover gives her a soft smile. “This was the best solution.”
“Bullshit,” Mom scoffs, her eyes narrowing in on me. “You should have just asked me for the money. You know I wouldn’t have said no.”
I nod, because it’s true. Sydney Graves can hold a grudge as well as she can hold a board meeting, but she would never say no to something like this for Clover.
The truth I can’t say out loud—not in front of all of them at once—is that deep down Iwantedto marry Clover. I wanted to save the day. I wanted to be the solution.
“Speaking of money,” Beth says, “it goes without saying, that when all this is… resolved, Clover will not be taking a penny from either of you, but you, Bennett Andrew Graves, should know better than to elope without signing a prenup.”
