Chapter Eight
Catherine
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I WALKED INTO THE RESTAURANT , a little irritated to discover it was very upscale. I should have known she would choose a place like this. I wasn’t going to complain too much. She had agreed to meet me, and that was nothing short of a miracle. I ignored the looks I got from the other patrons. Yes, I was seriously underdressed, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t like I would ever see any of these people again. Unless they bought an old house they needed me to restore.
It didn’t take long for me to spot Regina. She was dressed to kill with full hair and makeup as usual. She was inspecting her manicure, and judging by the look on her face, she didn’t like it. Or maybe that was just her face. It was hard to say. I pulled my shoulders back, put my chin up, and started through the restaurant. She looked up at me with that same pompous expression I had come to expect from her.
I sat across from Regina. The tension between us was palpable. We were sizing each other up. I knew that this conversation was going to be difficult, but I was determined to lay it all out on the table. She wanted to intimidate me, and deep down, she did a little. But she was just a woman.
“Regina, thank you for agreeing to meet me,” I said.
“I figured I should have a conversation with the woman screwing my husband.”
“Ex-husband,” I corrected.
“For now.” She smiled. “I think you underestimate the power of love.”
“Not at all,” I said. “I believe in it.”
“What do you want?” She sighed like she was bored. “I’ve got things to do.”
“I need to talk to you about Timothy and Paisley,” I began, my voice steady despite the nerves that churned in my stomach. “I love Timothy, and I want to be with him. I don’t care about his money or his social status. I just want him to be happy, and right now, he’s not. Neither is Paisley.”
Regina’s expression remained impassive, but I could see the flicker of anger in her eyes. “Paisley is my daughter,” she interjected sharply, her voice tinged with possessiveness. “You might have fooled the man, but you’re not going to fool my daughter. I know your type.”
I nodded understandingly, acknowledging her maternal instincts even if they weren’t exactly coming from the right place. It was very clear she was jealous and mad at me. Mad at Timothy for not giving in to her. “I know she’s your daughter, Regina,” I replied gently. “But Timothy loves her too, and he wants to be a part of her life. He’s offered to allow you to take over Paisley’s trust fund and pay for her lifestyle and college if she can come stay with him more often. I truly believe you love your daughter and you want what’s best for her.”
Bullshit .
Regina loved Regina, but I could talk the talk and say whatever was necessary. I had to grit my teeth and stroke her ego.
Regina’s eyes narrowed at my words, her expression guarded. “Timothy has no right to interfere in our lives,” she retorted, her tone defensive. “He’s my ex-husband, as you just reminded me. I don’t even know why I’m listening to the slut sleeping with my husband. You don’t know anything about me or my daughter.”
I sighed, feeling a sense of frustration building within me. I had to take her insults. “Regina, Paisley needs her father,” I insisted, my voice pleading. “And Timothy needs his daughter. Please, just consider what’s best for Paisley.”
For a moment, the restaurant fell silent, and all that could be heard was the clinking of cutlery as the table next to us was prepared for the next customers. Regina just sat there, staring at me, her eyes hard and cold, but I noticed a glimmer of something beneath the surface. Was it doubt? Fear? Or perhaps it was simply surprise that I had the gall to confront her.
“You’re out of your depth, sweetheart,” she finally replied, her voice low and chilling. There was no warmth in her smile, no compassion or understanding in her gaze. “You can’t possibly think that Timothy has any real rights here. He’s not her father. He didn’t adopt her. He was the man I married. She is nothing to him.”
“That’s not true,” I replied, holding my own against her. “She’s everything to him. He gave you everything you wanted. He’s given you a lot of money. Why not just do the right thing? It’s not like you’re going to miss her. She’s at boarding school. A school she hates. It’s making her miserable. I know you love your daughter. Why not let her come back to the States? She’s struggling over there.”
Regina sat back in her chair, a stiff and icy figure against the warm ambiance of the restaurant. The corners of her mouth curled into a cruel smile as she studied me with hard eyes. “Do you really think that I would let my own daughter be raised by you?” she spat the words out like venom, her disdain for me evident in her tone.
I swallowed hard. Things were going sideways. The last thing I wanted to do was push Regina into doing something worse. But I was not going to back down now. This was for Paisley and Timothy, and I would not let Regina’s poisonous words deter me.
“I’m not asking you to let me raise her,” I said, matching her intensity. “I’m asking you to let Timothy be a father to his daughter. He has every right to be in her life, and she needs him.”
“And why would I trust you?” she sneered, leaning forward so our faces were inches apart. “You, who seduced my husband, are telling me what’s best for my child?”
“I’m suggesting what’s best for Paisley,” I retorted firmly. I did not flinch under her gaze. Instead, I looked into her eyes with sincerity that was hard to deny. “Her well-being should be above any grudges and personal issues we have.”
Regina leaned back once more, sizing me up. I wasn’t going to take the bait and get into who loved Timothy more. This was about her daughter.
“Let me be clear, darling.” Regina’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Paisley is mine, and I will not have her corrupted by the likes of you. You don’t get a ready-made family. I’m the one that suffered through nine months of pregnancy and the horrors of labor to just let some floozy take my kid.”
Beneath her bravado, I sensed a familiar fear. The terror of losing control.
“Paisley isn’t an object to be owned. She’s a person with her own needs and desires. I have no intention of taking over or trying to be her mother. She’s a young woman on the verge of adulthood. She’s going to need all the love and support she can get.”
For a moment, Regina remained silent, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made me squirm uncomfortably. What was she going to do? She was going to lash out. She was going to get a restraining order against me and possibly Timothy. He was never going to forgive me. I was going to lose him.
She looked at her nails once again, a passive expression on her face. “Paisley has been a pain in the ass ever since I brought her back to Europe,” she confessed, her voice tinged with bitterness. “If you think you can handle a teenager, fine. She can come stay with you and Timothy as long as she wants. She can go to a grubby public school if that’ll make her happy. She can hang out with trash and go to a shitty school that will never open any doors for her.”
I was taken aback by Regina’s sudden change of heart, my mind reeling with disbelief. But before I could respond, she leaned forward, her eyes practically shooting daggers at me.
“You’ll never fit in to Timothy’s world, Catherine,” she declared, her tone cold and unforgiving. “You’re doing all of this work for nothing. He’s never going to let you into his world. You’re a piece of ass. You’re his country bumpkin, something to pass the time and poke when he’s in town. He’s going to install someone else in New York. You are nothing but a cheap piece of ass that satisfies some weird fantasy he has about fucking some blue-collar chick.”
I bristled at her words, my resolve hardening in the face of her scorn. She was lashing out. I could take her insults if it got Paisley back to Sleep Hollow. “I don’t need to fit in,” I retorted defiantly. “I only care about Timothy and Paisley. I don’t care what people think about me. I have enough confidence in who I am and what I believe. I know I’m not as refined as you and I couldn’t tell you Gucci from Prada. I don’t care. Honestly, I don’t think Timothy cares either. If he dumps me, then he dumps me. We’ll have to deal with that when it happens. I’m not worried about me. My only concern is for your daughter. I know this is the right thing to do.”
With that, I pushed back my chair and stood up, my heart pounding in my chest as I made my way out of the restaurant. As I stepped out into the bustling street, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Despite Regina’s warning, I knew that I was doing the right thing. I knew I didn’t fit in to Timothy’s world, but from what I had learned about Timothy, he didn’t fit in that world anymore either. I had to take the win where I could get it. I just hoped Regina was serious about letting Paisley come home.
When I met back up with Amber, she immediately noticed the change in my demeanor. “How did it go?” she asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
I smiled faintly, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “It went better than expected,” I replied, my voice tinged with relief. “Let’s head back home.”
“What does that mean?” she asked. “You’re not bleeding and I don’t see blood on you, so I assume it went better than the worst possible outcome, but what happened?”
I gave her a tired smile. “Regina’s letting Paisley come home. Not without a fight, of course, but she’s letting her come home.”
Amber’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed suspiciously. “Just like that? She just let go?”
I nodded, replaying the scene in the restaurant in my head. “She’s scared, Amber. She’s losing control, and she doesn’t know how to handle it. So she chose to let go.”
“Are you going to tell Timothy?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Part of me is worried Regina will change her mind. I don’t want to get his hopes up.”
“But you can’t keep this from him, Catherine,” Amber argued. “He has a right to know. Just in case Regina calls him screaming and yelling about you butting in.”
“I know, I know,” I replied, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “I’ll tell him. But I want to wait until we have a clearer plan. Until we’re sure this is not just another one of Regina’s tricks.”
She nodded understandingly. “I get it. Should we get lunch before we head back?”
“Sure.” I smiled and gestured to her bags. “Find anything good?”
“Yes, I did,” she laughed. “I love shopping here. I got the cutest dress for fall at a consignment store. Rich people’s castoffs are freaking awesome.”
I laughed along with her, appreciating the lightness in our conversation after my heavy meeting with Regina. “I’m glad you found something you liked. Let’s grab a bite to eat and then we can start the drive back.”
We ended up at a small café, ordering salads and cappuccinos. After we finished eating and chatting, we settled the bill and made our way back to the car.