She opened her mouth and said, “No.”
ChapterNine
Diane
“Are you serious right now?” Diane folded her arms across her chest, and her eyes narrowed as she stared at her mother.
“I am,” Tessa affirmed with a slight nod.
“But it's my money. Dad left it for me.”
“It is your money,” her mother agreed, “but your father made me trustee, and I believe it was to ensure that you spent it wisely.”
“This is unbelievable.” Diane shook her head while closing her eyes. She opened them after a short stint and fixed her gaze on her mother once more. “Dad supported my dreams… If he was still here, I know he would want me to do this.”
Tessa sighed and gave her daughter a look of apology. “I just don't think it is a good idea for you to deplete all of your funds on this venture, Diane. What if it doesn't work out? What will you do then?” she reasoned.
“Oh, you would like that, wouldn't you?” Diane folded her arms across her chest as she fixed her mother with an accusatory glare.
Her mother’s lashes flew high, and her lips fell open. “I would never... how could you think that is what I want?”
Diane raised an eyebrow as she stared at Tessa. “What else am I supposed to think, Mom? You’ve only ever visited the café twice since it opened, and you make it a priority for me to know just how disappointed you are with me for not wanting to become a doctor,” she expressed.
“That’s because you lack commitment,” Tessa blurted.
Diane took a step back as her mother's words stung her.
Tessa’s eyes widened in realization, and her lips snapped shut immediately. The silence that ensued was deafening, even with the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the distant sound of their relatives' chatter.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Diane asked with deadly calm.
Tessa sighed again before speaking. “You completed your pre-med program, and you were well on your way to becoming a doctor, yet you walked away from it all... I can’t help but wonder if you won’t do the same with this shop, especially if it gets too hard. It takes a lot to run a business, Diane.”
“And there it is.” Diane slapped her palms together. “You finally admit that you have no faith in me.” Disappointment settled in the pit of her stomach. She turned her head away from the pitiful look her mother was giving her. “I wish Dad hadn’t put that stupid clause on my trust fund because the longer I am tethered to you and this control you have over me, the more I realize just how little you think of me.”
“Diane, that is not tr—”
She shook her head and walked away, not allowing her mother to finish. She just needed to get away from her before she said something she would later regret. No matter how she tried to move past her feelings of resentment toward her mother, Tessa only had to open her mouth for all the memories and emotions to rush back— a crippling reminder of all she'd lost.
“Diane. Are you okay?”
She looked up to see her aunt approaching her with a worried expression.
“No. I'm not,” Diane responded, her voice charged with anger.
“What's wrong?” Kerry fell in step with her as she continued walking.
Diane kicked the sand with her bare foot and sighed. “Mom won't give me the money to expand the bistro because, to her, I am an irresponsible and capricious person who doesn't know what she really wants.” Her shoulders fell in dejection.
“Did she say that?” Kerry asked.
“Not in so many words,” Diane replied.
There was a moment of silence between the two as they came to a stop and turned their attention to the ocean.
“It's like no matter what I do, it will never be good enough for her. Even when I was in med school, ‘a B+ is great, Diane, but try to aim for an A next time. That's the only way to stay atop the class and get into a good fellowship when you're done,’” she said, mimicking her mother's voice.
“I know it might not seem like it now, but your mother loves you and is trying to look out for you in her own way.”
