Chapter 5 - Asher #2
“It looks good on a resume,” my mother added. “Opens up doors. That was why you guys learned.”
“Having a musician mother and a business owner father made our kids set for life.” My father took a sip of his wine and glanced at Hazel. “What did your parents do?”
Hazel swallowed slowly. “My mother had different jobs. We never meet our father.”
“Our?”
“I have a sister, Gabriella. She’s married to Westley.”
My mother nodded. “Oh, I’ve met your sister. She is sweet.”
“So, your folks never did anything big?” My father asked, his viper eyes still holding Hazel. I felt the air growing tense as Hazel swallowed.
Hazel slowly shook her head. “No…I guess not.”
My father grunted, and I ground my teeth together. I tightened my hand on my folk, trying hard to remain calm. Could we not have one nice meal without him trying to pick at someone?
The table fell into silence, and I could see that Hazel was fidgeting in her seat now. I cleared my throat. “So, Dad, how has work been?”
“Good. The business pretty much runs itself, so I don’t need to do anything but sign some papers here and there and call it a day. That’s what happens when you work hard. It pays off.”
“What do you do?” Hazel asked, her voice coming out in a whisper.
“I’m the CEO of a law firm in the city we used to work in. Been in our family for generations.” My father looked at me. “Was getting Asher set up to work there, but he didn’t like the idea.”
“I had no interest in the field.”
“Sometimes you do things that pay more than something you enjoy. You have to work hard to get where you want to be, you end up being a nobody.”
I rolled my tongue over my teeth and set my utensils down. “I think I do well for myself. I was renting this apartment before you guys took it over.”
My father couldn’t argue that. He never said he was proud of what I did, but I didn’t need him to. I worked in special ops and had long since given up on his approval. I did well for myself. I had money in the bank and could travel wherever I wanted.
He grunted, looking back at Hazel. “I hear you’re a witch. Do you use your powers to help yourself get further in life?”
Hazel froze, her eyes flickered to me before going back to my father. She shook her head. “I don’t have any magic.”
“Really?” My father’s voice hardened, shifting into irritation.
My mother cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. “How about I bring in the brownies that I baked?”
“That sounds lovely,” Hazel said.
“Actually, Dad and I can grab them. We can bring the ice cream with them.” I pulled myself up and waited for my father to get up. He didn’t move at first, but I narrowed my eyes at him.
He sighed and pulled himself up. We headed into the kitchen, and I blocked his way from getting back into the dining room. “I don’t know what your plan is here, Dad, but stop.”
My father frowned, shrugging. “What? I’m getting to know her.”
I crossed my arms. “No, you’re pointing out that she doesn’t have a huge career and acting as if it defines her.”
He scuffed. “It does. She hardly has a career. She’s clearly not motivated.”
“It doesn’t!” I snapped back. “You are not going to disrespect her like that. Just because she doesn’t have some fancy degree or a paper-pushing job doesn’t make her less of a person.”
He shook his head. “Why does it matter anyway? It’s not like she’s your real wife in the end. Your marriage is arranged.”
I moved closer to my father, feeling my anger getting the better of me. “I don’t care. You will not talk to her like she is less when you have no idea what she has gone through to get here. Money does not buy everything.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, but didn’t say anything. I grabbed the brownies and brought them into the dining room.
The rest of dinner was awkward. No one really spoke, besides Kyle going on and on about all the money it was going to make, how he was going to buy himself a nice ass condo and live the lavish life even though he’d been living off our father’s when he should have had a job years ago.
“Well, this has been lovely,” I said, pushing my plate away and pulling myself out of my chair. I would normally help my mother in the kitchen, but I was hanging on my last nerve.
“It was lovely to be here,” Hazel said, but I wasn’t sure she meant it.
I guided her to the shoes and jackets. My mother followed. “It was great that you could join us, Hazel. We should get coffee sometimes, or go out shopping. I would love to spend more time with you.”
“That would be lovely,” Hazel said, as I offered her a hand with her jacket.
“It was lovely to see you, Mom.” I kissed my mom on the cheek before I pulled the door open. Outside, the space fell quiet.
The drive home was silent, neither of us speaking. I wanted to break the silence, but the air felt tense. I knew that it was because of the dinner, but I wasn’t sure which part of it was bothering her.
Once home, we headed inside. She slipped her shoes off and tossed them aside. She turned to me, fury on her face. “How come you didn’t say anything?”
I froze, still trying to pull my boot free. “What?”
“Your father was cruel the entire dinner, and you didn’t even say anything. You just sat there and let him go on and on about how money would solve everything. That me not having a stable job or having magic somehow defined me!”
I frowned. “Because I know my father. It wouldn’t help. He is the way he is, and there is no changing that. Trust me.”
Her nostrils flared, and her lips pressed together tightly. “So, I’m just supposed to listen to him talk to me like I’m lesser?”
“He won’t do it again. And if it bothers you so much, you don’t have to go back.”
Her hands curled into fists. “You’re a coward. The fact you can’t stand up for me says a lot about you, Asher.” She turned and stormed off, and I wanted to go after her, but I didn’t. I didn’t know what I could say to make it better.