Chapter 26 Hudson
I give myself five minutes to brush my teeth, splash cold water on my face, and change clothes before I make my way up towards the main cabins to deal with my mother. Riddled with pent-up energy, I jog up the gravel path.
“You can’t just take over like this!” Meredith declares, fighting with my mother on the main lawn. Meredith’s voice is raw and raspy, her vocal cords having gone through the wringer this afternoon. But at least the swelling on her cheeks and eyes has subsided.
“Someone had to,” my mother replies, dismissive. “This entire event’s been one disaster after another. I might not get a say in who my son marries, but I’ll be damned if I don’t get a say in how he gets married.”
Across the lawn I spot a fleet of trucks in the parking lot, as men unload wooden tables and chairs underneath a giant clear-top tent that’s been erected in front of the pond. I knew Susan could be a steamroller, but this is a whole other level of takeover.
“I think we can both agree yesterday wasn’t the best,” Grant says, stepping protectively in front of his fiancée, “but this is still our wedding.”
My mother instantly turns sweet towards Grant, using her soothing voice. “I know that she convinced you that walking around barefoot and picnicking in the sunshine is romantic, but it’s not a suitable way for a son of mine to marry.”
“Good thing I’m not your son,” Grant corrects, his voice on the edge.
“I hate it when you say that,” Susan replies, grim-faced. “Now, if you two could go back to your room and peruse the clothing I had the planner organize for you, I’d be very grateful.”
She assesses the cream crochet dress Meredith is wearing with disgust.
“And choose something appropriate for dinner later.”
“You’re unbelievable,” Meredith says, storming off to her cabin. Grant hangs back for a moment, and I wait for him to fight back, to cause a scene, but he just shakes his head before following his fiancée into their cabin.
“Can you believe how ungrateful she is?” my mother says to George, who is scrolling on his phone. “I bring in couture and she still has something to complain about.”
My mother is dressed for an evening at the Ritz, in a sleek black dress, golden hair pulled back in a gold clip, and a string of pearls around her neck.
It’s standard attire at the fundraiser events and non-profit galas she attends.
Completely devoid of personality and only distinguishable by the price tag.
“Amelia,” Susan says, reaching to grab the attention of a dark-haired woman in a black jumpsuit, who I can only assume is the wedding planner. “Please tell the beauty team that Meredith’s heading back to her cabin. And to make sure they make her look dignified.”
Amelia’s chic bob stays pin-straight when she nods, checking something off on her clipboard.
“And now I’ll deal with you,” my mother says, turning her attention towards me. “Do you know you missed the rehearsal?”
“I’m sure I can walk a straight line without needing to practice,” I reply, forgetting that my mother does not care for snark.
“That’s not the point,” Susan snaps. “You left Katherine all alone!”
I open my mouth to respond but she hasn’t finished. “But let me guess, you were off playing in the park.”
She says park like it’s a dirty word, the catalyst of most of her and my father’s fights. I remember quite a few evenings where he’d come home from work and she’d accuse him of loving the park more than her.
“I made sure Katherine recovered from the bear spray incident before I left.”
My mother scoffs. “I’m not so sure about that, she could have been blinded.”
Of course her concern doesn’t extend to Meredith, who received the brunt of the spray.
“Honestly, Hudson, of all the people here, I thought you’d be the one to take this wedding seriously,” Susan continues, giving me a once-over. “I mean, you’re not even dressed properly.”
“I just got back.”
“I swear, sometimes you’re just like your father,” she huffs under her breath. After being divorced for almost two decades, she still holds him responsible for my disaffection towards her, not that she made much of an effort with our relationship.
“Did I hear my name?” Katherine asks sweetly, interlacing her arm with mine. Susan immediately brightens in her presence.
The dress she’s wearing is a deep maroon, falling just below her thighs, exposing tanned legs, artificially colored with the self-tanner that always stained my shower.
Her dark hair is swooped back at the nape of her neck, held in place with a silver hairpin Susan gifted her last year, and her lashes are dark, caked with mascara to distract from her red-rimmed eyes.
“Yes, dear. Just telling Hudson that it was completely unacceptable for him to leave you all alone this afternoon. We’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again, right?” she asks, her eyes falling to me.
Amelia glances at her watch, a worried expression on her face. “Susan, did you still want to get to the venue a bit early for final table approval?”
“Yes. I want to make sure that they didn’t sneak in any carnations.”
“Why don’t you take Katherine with you?” I suggest. “I’m sure she’d love to help you with the table arrangements. Make sure everything is perfect for Meredith and Grant.”
“I’m sure Susan has everything handled. Her parties are always immaculate,” Katherine gushes.
“And anyway, I really wanted to get some quality time with Hudsy. We’ve barely seen each other all week,” she coos, putting on a show.
She knows that I won’t show my hand in front of Susan, not when I have two more days to get through.
But I still have a few cards of my own to play.
“I thought you’d want to chat to Mom about the Franklins,” I suggest. “Since they’ve been giving you so much trouble.”
Katherine grits her teeth, and I swear I hear a hiss escape.
Susan’s tone softens. “Oh, honey. Is that deal not completed yet? I thought they loved the last property.”
“These things drag out. People need time to decide between Venetian marble and butcher’s block for their kitchen.”
For the few brief years my mother worked, she was a realtor. Very low-level, middle-class families, but that work experience made her just empathetic enough to counsel Katherine.
“Why don’t we give them a call? Try to figure out what it’ll take to have them make a deal.”
“I couldn’t possibly. You have so much going on.”
“Oh, please. It’s no bother. I’d love a distraction from all this,” Susan declares, waving her hand. “Come with me to the car; I’ll put them on speakerphone.”
My mother heads towards her SUV, already digging her phone out of her bag.
“Let me just say goodbye to Hudson,” Katherine calls, waiting until my mother is out of earshot before she turns on me.
“Are you kidding me right now? Pawning me off on your mother?”
“I would have thought you’d want to distract her, considering she’s taking a proverbial sledgehammer to Meredith’s wedding right now.”
“What are you talking about?”
I pull her to the side, pointing towards the men still working tirelessly on the lawn. “Do you not realize that she’s completely taken over? Meredith is distraught, Grant’s pissed, and I’m sure that banquet hall is going to look like a goddamn cotillion.”
“And that’s my concern because . . . ?”
Katherine crosses her arms, and I see the truth. This lie. This scheme. It never was for Meredith and Grant. It’s always been for her.
“God, I’ve been a fucking idiot,” I laugh, in an attempt to keep from completely losing it. “I put my whole life on hold for you. I let you stay at my apartment. Hell, I’ve been sleeping on that fucking couch you picked out for months because I thought you were actually having a hard time.”
“I am,” she pleads.
“Only because you have to keep up this facade of perfection. You can’t be single.
You can’t live in an apartment without crown molding or chic appliances.
You can’t be seen as not having it all together.
Well, newsflash, most of us don’t have it together.
We are all struggling in one way or another and you can’t keep using that as motivation to throw yourself pity parties. ”
“That’s harsh.”
“It’s the truth,” I say, turning my back to her, seething. All these months, all these missed opportunities with Mira because I didn’t want to be an asshole. But instead I’ve been a chump.
“And this,” I say, motioning between us.
“This whole thing between us, the fake dating, the playing nice. I thought we were doing this to protect Meredith, to make things easier for her. But now that she’s getting absolutely steamrollered by Susan, the only thing you seem to care about is keeping up this charade.
And for what? Because you think we’re going to get back together? ”
Katherine’s lip quivers as Susan shouts from the passenger-side window. “Katherine. I have the Franklins on the line and they’re ready to make a deal.”
She doesn’t argue. She plasters on a fake smile, one I’ve come to recognize, and makes her way towards my mother.
And as I watch their taillights fade into the distance, I know that I’m done pretending.