Page 4 of The Overtime Kiss
“Thank you, David,” she says, bringing it to her nose.
As she inhales, my father turns his full fury on me again. “Singing to a rescue kitten? Really, Sabrina? Is that the best you can do? It’s such an obvious lie. Also, the song rhymed. Clearlyyoumade it up. You were always the creative one. Chad’s not a rhymer.”
My jaw drops. “My groom can’t rhyme? No one uses voicemail? Those are your arguments?”
“Those are just facts,” Chad says, chiming in like I care about his opinion now.
I wheel on him. “You have a deep misunderstanding of facts.”
“And you have a deep misunderstanding of what it means to be an adult,” my father cuts in. “You’re twenty-six. But you don’t want to grow up and get a real job.”
“I’m a skating coach,” I say.
My father rolls his eyes. “That’s not a real job. And to think, I’ve tried to give you work with my company, and this is how you repay me?”
Fine, since my role in the chorus at an ice-skating show ended recently, I’ve been doing some accounting for my dad’s company while I build out my coaching business. But they offered me the job.
Still, I can’t believe they’re blaming me for the cheating. Except, of course, I kind of can. “You really think this is my fault?” I manage to ask through the hurt and the shame.
My father crosses his arms. “Yes. This is unprofessional. This is unbecoming. This is uncouth. And I am cutting you off from the family business…unless…”
I’m reeling, backed against the wall. Not only did I get cheated on, not only did I get dumped, but I’ve also just been fired by my own family on my wedding day.
But it’s the insults that hurt the most.
Still, I lock onto that last word. I’m not sure I want to know what’s behind door number three, but I peer anyway. “Unless what?”
My father nods to Chad.
My former groom takes the baton, giving me one last sad look as he offers me his hand. “Unless you want to pretend this never happened.”
I look at his hand, imagining him touching Madison with that hand less than an hour ago as she got down on her knees. Then, him zipping up and having a good laugh at my expense, figuring I’d never find out.
But Furby was right—Chad’s a dumbass and the only thing worse than a dumbass is a cheating dumbass.
“You must really want your bonus,” I say to him.
Something flashes in Chad’s eyes—anger. Then he drags a hand through his perfectly gelled hair, a tell I’ve seen a hundred times before when he plays poker with the guys. When he tries to bluff with a five of hearts.
“If you need an hour to think about it, I’m sure we can work something out with the hotel,” he says, grasping at straws.
My father bites out: “This is your last warning. I didn’t build this family business just to let you disgrace it in front of everyone. You’ll apologize, or you’ll be out of work, out of a place to live, and out of our lives.”
They’re all staring at me like I’m the villain. Not Chad. Not Madison. But me.
The bride who ruined everything by telling the truth.
Maybe this is my fault for pulling a stunt. But deep down, I know that even if I’d pulled my father aside and talked to him privately, he’d never have believed me.
Maybe that’s why I made a production of it. Sometimes you have to be loud to get people to hear you. Even then, they don’t. I never realized how alone I could feel when surrounded by people who are supposed to love me.
I look at my mother with her lavender sachet security blanket, at my father with his cold, unflinching eyes, at Chad dragging his hand through his hair like the ruthless liar he is.
Mystuntis the kind of “behavior” that would have gone on my list of what not to do again growing up. But I’m not that kid anymore. I’ve come too far and worked too hard to claim what I deserve—respect from myself and others. And I deserve better than a lying groom, a gaslighting father, and a mother more worried about Pilates moms than me.
I look down at the bouquet in my hand. I barely realized I was holding it this whole time. As I head to the door, I toss it over my shoulder. “Enjoy the halibut.”
“Where are you going? You didn’t drive yourself here,” Chad says, like I’m the idiot.
