Chapter 18 #2
‘We’re not leaving without you.’ My dad pushes past me into the house. ‘Fiona, come look at this place. It’s in shambles.’
My mom comes into the house.
‘We’re renovating it,’ I say, trying to explain the mess. It’s pretty bad. The furniture is covered with sheets to keep the dust off, tools and supplies are scattered everywhere, and there are empty boxes on the floor that we haven’t broken down yet.
‘You can’t just barge into my house,’ Brody says, getting angry.
‘Let me handle this,’ I whisper to him.
‘How can you live this way?’ my mom asks, stepping over a box of tile. ‘It’s filthy! And a complete mess.’
I hurry over to her. ‘Brody and I are fixing up the house so he can sell it. It’ll look great when it’s done. ’
My dad glares at Brody. ‘How much are you paying her for doing all this work for you?’
‘He’s not paying me,’ I say, going up to my dad. ‘I wanted to do it. I practically begged him to let me help.’
‘Get your things!’ my dad yells. ‘We’re leaving! We’re getting you out of this hellhole and back home where you belong!’
‘She’s not leaving,’ Brody says, coming up beside me. ‘She doesn’t want to.’
‘Stay out of this,’ my dad snaps. ‘This is a family matter.’
‘Dad, I’m not going home with you. I like it here. I like what I’m doing. I haven’t had this much fun since .?.?. I don’t know when.’
‘You’re having fun living in a run-down house in the middle of fucking nowhere?’
‘Yes.’ I take a breath to calm my shaky voice. It’s shaky because I’m so afraid to stand up to my parents. Other than calling off my wedding, this is the only time I haven’t done what they wanted me to. ‘I want to stay. I’m not going back with you. I’m an adult. I don’t have to listen to you.’
My dad looks at my mom, then back at me. ‘If that’s what you want, to be treated like an adult, then you can contribute money to the lawsuit. We’re being sued because you chose not to marry Cam. As an adult, you should help pay for the damages caused by your behavior.’
‘Oh, Drew, you’re being ridiculous,’ my mom says. ‘Kate’s not paying for that.’
‘Why not?’ my dad says. ‘She’s the reason we’re being sued. Why shouldn’t she have to pay?’
‘I don’t have that kind of money,’ I say .
‘I’m sure you have some money saved up after living rent-free at Cam’s place for almost two years. You can use that money to contribute to what we’ll owe Cam’s parents if they win the lawsuit, which I’m sure they will, given the connections they have in the courts.’
Maybe he’s right. Maybe I should be the one paying for the lawsuit since I caused it.
I don’t have enough to pay for all of it, but I could pay for some.
Like my dad said, I saved up a lot of money not paying rent.
I’m surprised Cam isn’t asking me to pay him back for living there.
I could totally see him sending me a bill for that.
‘Oh, and you should also be paying for this.’ My dad hands me a piece of paper. It’s a bill for the tow truck that took Cam’s car.
I hold it up. ‘This is $1200. How could it cost that much?’
‘They had to drive here from the city and tow it back there. That’s a lot of miles.’
My mom walks up to my dad. ‘Honey, this seems a tad extreme, don’t you think? Kate’s just starting out. We can’t take everything she has.’
‘She has a job,’ my dad says. ‘She can earn it back. Unless .?.?.’
‘Unless what?’ I ask, eyeing my dad. He’s got an idea brewing in his head. I can tell by the crease forming between his eyes.
‘Unless you pack up your things and come home with us. If you do, your mother and I will cover the lawsuit, but you’ll still need to pay the towing bill. We’re not letting you off the hook completely. ’
‘You’re saying if I go back with you, I won’t owe you anything for the lawsuit?’
‘That’s correct. So what’s it going to be?’
I look over at Brody, then back at my parents. ‘I need a minute.’
‘Hurry up. We’ve got a two-hour drive back.’
‘Brody, can I talk to you?’ I ask him.
‘Yeah. Let’s go in my room.’
We go down there and shut the door.
‘I don’t want to do this,’ I say, standing in front of Brody.
‘Then don’t. I can’t believe your parents are threatening you like this. Are they always this way?’
I nod. ‘They’re extremely controlling. That’s why I’m always doing what they want. But for the first time in my life, I’m doing what I want and now they’re trying to take it away.’
‘Don’t let them. Tell them to leave. Tell them you’re staying.’
‘If I do, they’ll take everything I have. All my savings. I’ll have to live with them until I save up enough money to get an apartment.’
‘I’ll give you back what you paid me. You can use that.’
‘No. Brody, you’ve already done enough for me. I told you I’d pay you to stay here and I’m not going back on my word.’ I take a breath. ‘I can’t believe they’re doing this. I could see them taking some of my money, but all of it? It’s not right.’
‘How much money are we talking about? A few thousand?’
‘More like 40.’
‘Forty thousand?’ Brody’s eyes get huge. ‘Holy shit, how’d you get that much money? ’
‘I make a lot and I didn’t have to pay rent. And I’m a financial planner. I know how to save and how to invest.’
‘Can your parents afford to pay for the lawsuit on their own?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then let them pay for it. Don’t let them take your money.’
‘You’re saying I should leave with them?’
‘No. Shit, I don’t know. I can’t tell you what to do. This is your decision.’
But it’s not one I should have to make. My parents are being bullies, making threats so I’ll do what they want. I can’t keep living this way. I can’t keep doing what they want, making myself miserable.
I walk to the door.
Brody races up to me. ‘Kate, what are you doing?’
‘I’ve made a decision.’
‘What did you decide?’
Instead of answering him, I go back to the living room. My parents are standing by the door.
‘Mom? Dad?’ I walk up to them. ‘You can go.’
‘We’ll be waiting in the car,’ my dad says.
‘No. Dad, I’m not going with you. You can take all my money. Leave me with nothing. I don’t care. I’m tired of you and Mom telling me what to do. I want my freedom.’
My dad scowls at me. ‘I didn’t raise you to be this way.’
‘Dad, that girl you thought you raised wasn’t me. It was the girl I thought you wanted me to be. But I’m not her. And I’m tired of pretending that I am.’
He looks at my mom. ‘I don’t know what the hell she’s talking about. ’
‘Let her be,’ my mom says. ‘She’ll realize her mistake once she’s had time to think it over.’
They leave without even saying goodbye.
I shut the door as tears steam down my face. ‘Why are they like this?’
Brody pulls me into his arms. ‘I don’t know. But I’m sorry.’
‘I can’t live with them. I’d rather be homeless.’
‘You can live here, in Haydon Falls. Rent’s a lot cheaper than Chicago.’
‘I don’t have a job here.’
He pulls away. ‘Go get ready. We’re going out.’
‘Out? Where?’
‘I’m taking you to dinner.’
‘We just had pizza.’
‘That’s not dinner. That was a snack. But if you don’t want dinner, you can order dessert. And then we’ll go to a bar, get a drink.’
I smile a little. ‘This kind of sounds like a date.’
He shrugs. ‘Maybe it is.’
‘You’re taking me on a date?’
‘Call it whatever you want. We just need to get out of here. We’ve been stuck in this house all week. We need to go have some fun.’
‘You haven’t had fun this week?’
‘We need a different kind of fun.’ He points to the hall. ‘Go. Get ready.’
‘I need to shower first. I’m covered in paint.’ I smile at Brody. ‘You’re a mess too. Would you maybe want to join me? It’d save time.’
Of course, his answer is yes. After we clean up, he takes me to a restaurant downtown, then we go to a dive bar that plays country music and has an area where people can dance.
Brody makes me line dance, which I’ve never done.
I’m terrible at it, but it keeps my mind off my parents and what happened tonight.
I’m going to be broke for not doing what my parents wanted. But it’s worth it to have my freedom. And another week with Brody.