6. Sarah
Chapter 6
Sarah
I’m going to be late . It was the only thought running through my mind as I handed over the box full of pastries to Mrs. Gronemyer. She had to watch her grandchildren unexpectedly this afternoon, so she was running behind in picking up her order.
I should have just told her that she would need to pick it up tomorrow morning, but she sounded so frazzled over the phone and I didn’t want to make her feel worse. But that small act of grace was going to cost me big time because it was Sunday, which meant that I was going to be late for our first family dinner in years.
My mother was going to blow a gasket.
As soon as Mrs. Gronemyer was through the door, I threw my apron over my head, grabbed my purse, and ran for my car. Thankfully, it was Sunday and most people were home with their families preparing for the work week ahead so the roads were fairly empty.
When I finally pulled into my parents’ driveway, I glanced at the clock on my dashboard and noted the time was seventeen minutes past six.
“Gah!” I groaned to myself. When my mother said six o’clock sharp, she meant it. I didn’t even want to pull out my phone that was snug in my purse because I knew I probably had dozens of text messages from her.
I threw my car into park and jogged up the stone steps to their front door. While my parents had less property than the Baxley estate, their house was very similar in its grandeur. When I was younger, I never paid much attention to what having such a pillar of a home meant. How it was a representation of what my family would expect from me. That I would need to find my way of accomplishing enough to have my own grand home. Or that I would need to find a man who could provide it for me while I ran the household.
As I gripped the long door handle that had beautiful spirals on each end, I felt the weight of the door like it was the weight I’d been bearing on my shoulders for years. Before I stepped through the entryway, I took a deep breath in, smelling the delicious aroma of fresh herbs and spices mixed with the savory notes of meat. I let my shoulders fall and I told myself that tonight would be okay. I was an adult. No longer forced to fit into their box. My brother and I had every right to live our lives as we saw fit and they would just have to deal with it.
The pep talk gave me enough strength to make it down the long hallway to the final room on the left, across from the kitchen. The tall wooden French doors to the dining room were slightly ajar when I pushed them open to find my father at the head of the long mahogany table, my mother to his right, and Theo to his left. They all shifted their gazes toward me and the moment I met my mother’s brown eyes, I knew I was in deep trouble.
“It’s so nice of you to finally join us, Sarah.” Even when my mother was angry she never compromised her manners, but her tone was sharp, cutting through the tense air like a knife.
“Sorry,” I mumbled as I slid into the chair next to Theo. I knew that even if I told her about Mrs. Gronemyer being late my mother wouldn’t take it as an excuse, so I silently slid the napkin on my empty plate out from the ring and placed it on my lap.
My parents’ butler, Calvin, must have been listening through the kitchen door because the moment I was settled he came in with a serving plate of our main course. Steam rose from the roast, potatoes, and carrots. My mouth watered as I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since this morning. Not on purpose of course. There were just some days when the bakery became so busy I forgot to take a moment to feed myself.
Once the table was fully set with the meal and my dad said grace, we dug in. I was thankful for the initial silence as we all savored the delicious food their chef prepared.
But then the questions started and I could feel Theo tense beside me as our dad said, “I heard that Stephanie decided to delay college a year to help out at your bakery.”
My throat was dry as a bone as I tried to swallow the bite of roast I’d just taken. Not even five minutes in and the accusatory judgments had already begun.
“Yes. The first year she worked for me, she was trying to save money so she wouldn’t have to take out as many student loans. She mostly worked the register, but over the last six months she’s started to help me in the back and she’s been enjoying it. So she decided to stay with me another year to see if she’d rather work with me or for another bakery instead of pursuing college.”
Stephanie was my cousin on my father’s side from his sister. My Aunt Beatrice was similar to Theo and me in that she went against her parents’ wishes and fell in love with a mechanic. My grandparents were a lot harsher when it came to their expectations of their children, so when Aunt B got married, her parents withdrew her trust fund, leaving it all to my dad. Stephanie was offered a full ride to any university she wanted from my grandparents, but she turned it down knowing just how poorly they’d treated her mother. So, her only options were to compromise her morals and take their money or save up for college on her own.
I stole a glance at my mother who’d barely taken a bite of her food. She held the stem of her wine glass, letting it hover to the right of her face as she assessed me. I immediately looked away.
“It’s such a shame that my sister ruined any chances of being able to support her daughter financially. All so she could marry that man who spends more time turning a wrench under cars than he does at home.”
Here we go .
I’d only been around my Uncle James a handful of times growing up because my parents didn’t want Theo and me to be influenced by him. The few times I did get to spend time with him, I could see why they would be hesitant because he was everything they feared. He was raised by a single father after his mother passed away from cancer. He didn’t have a penny to his name when he met my aunt, but he exuded happiness more than anyone I’d ever seen. He was the kind of person who would stop on the side of the road just to smell the wildflowers.
Seeing that he was happy without all the money and everything that came along with it had always been exciting for me to witness. And maybe my parents were right to fear that his presence would leave an impact on me…because it had.
But I knew better than to disagree with my father. My only plan for tonight was to get through dinner unscathed with my dignity intact.
Unfortunately for me, Theo had other plans. “I don’t think it’s a shame. Aunt B and Uncle J have one of the best marriages I’ve ever seen. They love each other a lot and they’ve raised a daughter who has a good head on her shoulders. I’m sure she’ll be able to make her own way in the world.”
I lowered my chin and closed my eyes. God, Theo. Can you not poke the bear tonight? I wanted to ask him, but I kept my mouth shut as I slowly opened my eyes.
My father set his fork down on his plate, gearing up for a fight. “So, you think it’s a good thing that your cousin will have no monetary support for the future?” It was a calculated question.
“It wasn’t Aunt B’s decision to have her trust fund taken away. Grandma and Grandpa made that decision for her out of spite.”
Oh, shit . The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Theo wasn’t just searching for a fight, he was out for blood. I thought we were supposed to be a unified front tonight. Doing whatever it took to make it through with little damage. Clearly between our conversation the other day and today, he’d changed his mind.
“There are consequences for every action we take, Theodore. My sister knew the consequences of hers well before she decided to marry James. She was told on many occasions what marrying him would mean for her future and she did it anyway. Now, her daughter is paying the consequences.”
Theo’s lips parted with a retort, but I smacked the side of his leg under the table and he, thankfully, closed his mouth.
My dad’s eyes lingered on Theo for a few moments before he reached for his glass of wine, seemingly satisfied with Theo’s silence.
Just as I thought we were in the clear, my mother chimed in, “I just certainly hope you aren’t making the situation worse, Sarah.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I didn’t hide the edge in my voice.
“Well, it sounds like Stephanie was on the right path before spending last year working with you. I would hate for her to be led astray thinking she can make something of herself by working as a cashier in a bakery.”
I didn’t need a mirror to know my face was beet red with anger. This exact situation was what I’d tried to avoid my entire life. Prior to me foregoing college and deciding to give my dream a shot, I had done everything my parents asked of me. I got straight A’s in school. I stayed away from drugs and alcohol. Hell, I had even planned on saving myself for marriage until I quickly realized that I was almost thirty years old and had no real prospects. But they didn’t need to know that.
I did one thing outside of their requests and they’ve been punishing me for it for years.
I promised myself I wouldn’t engage in their antics. That I would keep my head down and just get through the night, but I couldn’t. Not when she was attacking the one thing that made me feel joyful and fulfilled.
“I’d hardly call working in a bakery being led astray, Mother.” She hated it when I called her mother. “She’s building a great skillset in public service and has started to take on more responsibilities in the kitchen. If baking is what she wants to do then she has every right to do it.”
Words were our swords and the dinner table was our battleground and just as my mother was about to take another swing at me, Theo jumped in to save me.
“Just like I decided to take a detour from becoming a lawyer and will start training at the Carnelle’s ranch on Monday.”
I held my mother’s stare up until the moment she shifted her attention to Theo. She looked at him like he was an alien. Like there was no possible way he could be the perfect son she’d always praised for doing the right thing. I wanted to scream at her. Tell her to stop shooting daggers at my brother when he’d already sacrificed so many of his years doing what she wanted, even if it meant being unhappy.
As though her disappointment in him was too much, she simply shook her head and took a long swig of her wine.
I wondered what she would say if I told her that was improper. But I decided to save myself the headache and kept my mouth shut.
“Yes, son. That’s quite the turn of events. I can’t say I’m happy with your decision, especially after all the money your mother and I paid for your education. And to end up at the Carnelle’s ranch of all places. I wish you would have at least chosen another place to train given the Carnelle name has been sullied.”
“I figured you and mom would want me back home and being at their ranch was the only option I had.”
“You could have stayed at law?—”
“Of course we’re happy to have you back home, honey. Obviously, we wish it would have been under different circumstances, but if this is what you have chosen to pursue then I am glad you will be close to us while doing it.” My mom shot my dad a look that said the conversation was over. I knew she didn’t approve of Theo’s decision to leave law school, but she’d always shown favor towards him. I tried not to think too much about it, simply chalking it up to him being her firstborn .
At least her intervention gave us a small respite so I could finish my food. My dad updated us on his medical practice and mom gave us details about the renovation she started on the back patio area and rose garden. By the time we were done with the apple pie Calvin brought out to us, I was well into my second glass of wine and ready for sleep.
I gave both my parents quick hugs before Theo and I made our way out front, feeling thankful the verbal assaults only lasted a short while and I’d made it through the night with my dignity still intact.
“Well, that could have gone a hell of a lot worse,” Theo’s breath misted in the cold autumn air.
“Yeah. Thanks for jumping in. I thought I was going to lose my shit when they started talking about Stephanie not having a viable path in baking and that owning a business before I was thirty was equivalent to throwing my entire life away because I’m not a doctor or lawyer.”
“I know they’ve always been on your case about that, but I want you to know that I couldn’t be a prouder brother. Not just for having your own successful business, but for going against the grain. There aren’t many people in this world who would have the balls to do that.”
“I’m still ball-less, but I appreciate the sentiment,” I laughed.
“Good point,” he chuckled.
“How’re the ribs?”
His hand moved over his ribcage. “They’re healing nicely. I can breathe a lot better, so that’s a plus.”
“Breathing is good,” I teased .
“Not sure how well they’ll hold up this week, but time doesn’t stop for no man.”
I cringed. “You are so lucky mom didn’t just hear that. She would swat you with a ruler for bad grammar.”
He flicked the tip of my nose and I swatted his hand away.
“Just promise me you’ll at least try to take it easy until you’re fully healed.”
“Promise.”
“Good. Well, I’m going to head home and get some rest. I have an early morning tomorrow.”
“Night sis.” He pulled me in for a side hug before we made our way to our cars.
With the windows down and the cool air whipping my hair around, I replayed Theo’s words in my mind. He was proud of me. Even though I didn’t have my parents’ support, having his was truly a gift.