“Me too, Janice… you remember Rory?” she stepped aside to introduce her.
“Hi, Rory. It’s nice to see you again,” Janice greeted, her smile bright and genuine. Bruce shook her hand with a welcoming smile of his own.
“It’s nice to see you again, too,” Rory greeted back. “And congratulations,” she said, looking down at her protruding tummy. “How far along are you?”
Janice looked down, too, before returning her gaze to Rory. “Thank you. Five months.”
Donny gestured for them to take a seat, he and his sons taking their own seats after them.
Shortly after, their waiter, who introduced himself as Mark, came and took their orders before he was off again. They were offered complimentary wine, which they sipped, except for Janice, who got a mocktail, while they waited for their food to arrive.
Rory was enjoying her time with the Hasgroves, and she could see her mother was having a great time too. That made her happy. The conversation flowed, and so did the laughter. The only difficult part of their evening was the moody younger son, who sat glowering and creating awkward moments of silence when he refused to participate in the conversation.
“Why don’t we go for a walk along the boardwalk? Maybe we could get some frozen dessert from the ‘Sweet Treats’ truck,” Bruce suggested.
“That’s a great idea, baby,” Janice jumped up.
“Of course. You were on my mind when I thought of it,” he replied with pride, pecking her lips affectionately.
Rory smiled at their interaction.
“Sure. Why not?” Andrea chimed in, smiling up at Donny, who inclined his head in agreement.
It was settled. They would take a stroll on the boardwalk along the inner harbor.
Bruce and Janice held hands, and Donny quickly joined his with Andrea, who gave him a nervous smile. He smiled encouragingly at her, and she visibly relaxed. Soon they were off, the couples in front, and Rory and Trey walking behind them.
“Hey, Trey. Can I talk to you for a bit?”
The young man looked over at her, his blue eyes wary and his mouth set in a grim line.
“I won’t be long. I promise.”
He looked at the retreating backs of the others before turning his gaze on her once more.
“Okay,” he breathed out.
When Rory was sure the others were out of earshot, she turned and gave him a pointed look.
“Why do you dislike my mother so much?”
ChapterSeven
“Iwant to know what she has ever done for you to act like she is the worst person you’ve ever met,” Rory pressed, waiting for Trey, whose eyes had widened in surprise at her question, to respond.
“I-I…I didn’t say I didn’t like her,” he stammered.
“Oh yeah? Well, what do you call what you’re doing? Hmm? You practically give her the stink eye every time she says something to you, or you see your father showing any kind of affection toward her. This whole dinner, you have been intolerable, so much so, that you affected the mood of everyone at the table,” she listed, flailing her arms in frustration. “You’re so hellbent on hating her that you’re not even trying to give her a chance.”
“I don’t hate her,” Trey exploded, catching her off-guard.
“Then why?” she returned passionately.
Trey, who had crossed his arms over his chest, allowed them to fall to his side as he released a heavy sigh. He walked over to the railing and looked out at the darkened water. Rory remained where she was, watching him. After some time, he turned back to her, the overhead lamp light illuminating his features enough for her to see his lips curled out dejectedly, his eyes downcast.
“I don’t hate Andrea,” he repeated.“I just didn’t expect Dad to want to…” he trailed off and swallowed visibly before tilting his chin up until his eyes could connect with hers. Rory could see the vulnerability in their blue depths, or at least she thought it was. “I thought after my mom died that dad wouldn’t get back into the dating ring, let alone look at another woman the way he used to look at Mom. He looks at Andrea just like he used to with Mom,” he finished sadly.
Rory finally understood what was eating at him, but she also understood that she had an obligation to her mother to want what was best for her.
