Page 67 of Divine Sense
“She told me that if I didn’t break up with you, she would spread some pretty damning rumors about Sweetgrass. Ones that would ruin everything I’ve built over the last five years…” my voice broke just imagining having to let people go because we lost too much business. The thought of having to close the doors on what I’d worked so hard for made me weak in the knees.
“Oh my god,” she gasped. “Kolbi I–I’m so sorry.” Tears sprang in her eyes and she squeezed my hands. “I can’t believe her…but I also can.” I felt my face screw up into a confused expression.
“You don’t understand my mother–my parents. They have a very set idea on what their lives should look like—whatmylife should look like—and when it doesn’t go their way they do anything they can to try to make it right.” She took a breath before continuing. “To them, you’re anything but right for me. You’re not who she saw me walking down the aisle with and nowshe’s trying to put things back the way she wants them. Just like everything else in my life. My clothes, where I went to college, my condo, my car. Everything I have or do is because it’s what they wanted for me.” The tears that had been threatening to slip from her eyes had finally won and were now freely falling down her cheeks. Visual representations of the years she’s lost after being forced into a box she never wanted to be in. Her shoulders were hunched and her eyes were locked on our intertwined hands.
“I understand if you leave me,” she whispered after a few moments, choking back a sob as she did. It was my turn to bring my hand to her cheek to get her to look at me.
“I will never leave you, ever, and I told your mother as such at lunch.” Her eyes went wide and her mouth formed a small O.
“You told her no?” Her words came out surprised, as if she couldn’t believe that I had chosen her over my business. That she couldn’t believe that someone would pick her over their own happiness or success for once. But I would do everything I could to show her that she would always be my number one choice in life. Using my thumb to wipe away some of the tears on her face, I leaned in to press my lips to the apple of her cheek.
“I told her no.”
“But–but no one ever tells a Sinclair no. Your company, what about Sweetgrass? What about you, your name?” Her words were coming out panicked and I could see her starting to spiral. The mess of it all landing squarely on her shoulders causing her to try and fix it so no one was upset with her. I pulled her hands until she stood and then looped my arms around her waist, pulling her into my lap.
“You remember what I told you in March? When we were in Aspen together?” Her brows were worried in the center of her face and her lips were pulled together.
“You told me we would figure it out…” She lifted her eyes towards mine and chewed on her bottom lip.
“I did.” I nodded slowly. “I told you we would figure it out and we will, angel. Because I love you and nothing is going to change that. Not what people might think, or what might happen if a few rumors are spread around, andespeciallynot your mother.”
Hope filled my body when I saw her lips pull up into a small smile. I wasn’t sure how we would figure it out, but we would. I’d been in a spot where I needed to figure shit out quickly many times before and made it out okay. I knew this would be no different.
“You and me,” she started hopefully.
I pushed into her lips and kissed her hard. Pulling away gently, I rested my forehead on hers and whispered a promise I knew I never wanted to break. “Together.”
42
MAGNOLIA
Over the last two weeks, Kolbi and I did everything we could to avoid being seen out in public. While I figured it was Daniel who’d ratted us out, I wasn’t positive and didn’t want to risk being seen with him now that my mother knew about us. When we did see one another, it was at his place where I knew she wouldn’t randomly show up asking to come in. She must have thought Kolbi wouldn’t tell me about her little sit down with him because she hadn’t said anything to me about her knowing of our relationship. I’d seen her a handful of times since they spoke to help organize the Fourth of July fundraiser, but she hadn’t let on that she knew who I was sleeping next to every night.
Before coming to tonight’s event, we agreed to pretend like we had broken up for the sake of show and his business. He promised me we would make it work and I trusted that we would, but part of me was also deeply worried about how his connection to me would affect his work. He was one of the hardest working people I’d ever met and the last thing I wanted was for that to be ruined because of me. We’d decided that wewould stay on opposite sides of the house and to not speak anywhere where we could be seen. His attendance had been requested months ago by my family, long before he and I had gotten together, so it would look odd if he wasn’t here.
As I walked around my childhood home which was packed wall to wall with people, I looked around and took in all the faces I could see. Most were people I’d seen before at my father’s campaign events—loyal supporters and friends who were excited for the progress he’d made in the polls. With election day only a few short months away, they were brimming with excitement to see someone from their own circle elected. Other people were new to me. Faces I’d never seen before. The house was decorated to the nines as my mother had been fastidious in the linens and flatware she’d chosen for the event.‘Everything must be perfect’she had pressed.
Everything. Including me.
When I arrived earlier this afternoon, I’d brought the party dress I had purchased specifically for today’s event. It was a muted red color with an A-line skirt that hit just below my knees. The halter neckline tied behind the nape of my neck and the strands of the bow fell down my back. To me, it was the perfect summer party dress, but to her, it was a disgrace to my family and a blatant disregard for the position my father was about to fulfill. She’d forced me to wear a cropped white cardigan with oversized gold buttons and stood in front of me, buttoning each of them up as she mumbled under her breath about my ‘sheer lack of common sense.’
I walked into the formal dining room and spotted my father standing with a group of men, waving his scotch between them and giving them a winning smile. When he caught sight of me, he waved me over and I obliged, ready to be the perfect daughter for him and his friends. While he and I didn’t have the same type of strained relationship I had with my mother, it definitelywasn’t a normal type of father and daughter relationship. What we had resembled that of a business partnership: I was the dutiful daughter he never wanted, and in return I was rewarded with the privilege of the family credit card. I knew I was the quintessential trust fund kid, but if it didn’t bother him, it didn’t bother me either.
“Here she is, my perfect daughter.” He beamed at me, which I returned with my own wide smile and a polite laugh.
“I wouldn’t say ‘perfect,’ Daddy,” I paused for impact, “but I am pretty close.” I scrunched up my nose, knowing it would make the stuffy old men encircling us laugh, which it did.
“Magnolia, I’d like you to meet some of my friends,” he started, before pointing to each one of the men, naming them off. “This is Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Jones, Mr. Willingham, and Mr. Dove.” They all nodded at me as they were introduced.
“It’s nice to meet you all. Thank you so much for coming out to support my daddy’s campaign.” I patted my father’s chest lovingly and smiled at the group again.
“Magnolia, that’s a pretty name. A pretty name for a pretty girl,” one of the men said, tipping his drink at me and winking.
“How old are you, Magnolia?” another inquired.
“I turn twenty-nine in September, sir.”
“Ahh I see, twenty-nine. Is there a lucky man in your life? Should we expect to get a wedding invitation in the future? Maybe once your father’s elected and in office?” The third man spoke and I tried not to give myself away. Not only was his question incredibly inappropriate and out of line, it also felt like a test. Like they also knew about Kolbi and I and were trying to bait me into exposing our secret. I’d opened my mouth to respond but my father beat me to it.
