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“Only a couple dozen times,” I said, my voice teasing as I reached over to the counter and popped a cherry tomato into my mouth.
“They’re all waiting for you in the dining room. Head on in there. I’ll bring dinner in shortly.”
“Okay. But I’ll eat dessert in here so you can fill me on what Steven and Aubrey are up to.” Her kids were a little older than me, and we’d always been close.
“Perfect.”
I made my way to the dining room, making my rounds and giving everyone a hug. I settled in the chair beside my grandmother, and they all proceeded to fire off endless questions about the coffee shop. I answered each one and was relieved when Mariana brought dinner in, and the interrogation came to an end.
“I like that you invested in a business for yourself, as well as added an apartment upstairs. That was a smart move from an investment perspective,” Gramps said before twirling the spaghetti around his fork and popping it into his mouth.
“Thanks. I think it’s going well, so I can’t complain.”
“I just don’t love that you are living above the business. And it’s such a small space,” Mom said.
“She’s young. She doesn’t need a lot of space.” Grammie winked at me. “And it’s so charming. She really put her own touch on it.”
“Got that right, Grammie. It’s perfect for me. And I love it there.” I took a sip of water and then sucked in a breath. “I actually had a visitor the other day.”
“It wasn’t Ronny, was it?” my father asked, his tone a bit harsh. Everyone turned to look at him with surprise. I’d confided in my father about what had happened with Ronny Waterstone a few months ago, and he’d asked me to keep it quiet because he’d handled the situation. Our families were very intertwined, as Ronny’s father was my dad’s business partner, and our grandparents had been friends since they were young. But Ronny knew better than to come near me after what had happened, or the police would definitely be called. If he wanted to keep things quiet, he’d stay away.
“Is something going on with Ronny? You all went to college together. Aren’t you two friends? I always thought he was sweet on you,” Gramps said.
Nothing about what he did was sweet.
“He’s not my type, and we aren’t friends.” I shrugged. I met my father’s gaze and cleared my throat. “Anyway, it wasn’t Ronny who came to see me. It was actually Slade. He came to town, and he wanted to see the coffee shop and my apartment.”
The table grew silent, and I glanced at Gramps, waiting for him to jump in, but my father reacted first.
“What the hell is he doing here in town? He just got out of rehab, and we paid for an apartment in Boston for him for the next six months. That was the deal. Finish the program and successfully live a clean life for six months, and then we’d talk about bringing him home. But, of course, he broke the agreement.” My father reached for the napkin in his lap andwiped his mouth. His jaw ticked, and I noted the way his shoulders tensed at just the mention of Slade.
“He’s living across the country, and he misses his family. He just came for the weekend. He has a job back in Boston, and he starts work this week. I’d told him about my opening, and he wanted to surprise me. It was sweet, and he seemed like the old Slade. He wants to come visit again soon, and I said that I’d speak to you about it. I don’t think the six-month rule makes any sense. He completed the program. He misses his family. He misses you guys,” I said, my eyes bouncing between my mom and my dad. They hadn’t visited him once in rehab this last time. They’d shut him out completely, and only my grandfather and I had gone to see Slade during this last stint in Boston.
“Were you alone with him?” Dad’s voice was harder than I’d heard it in a very long time.
“Was I alone with my brother in my apartment? Are you serious? Of course, I was. I’m not afraid of Slade, but apparently, you two are.” I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms over my chest. I hated that our family was so divided now.
Gramps cleared his throat. “Let’s all relax. There are things that have happened that you aren’t aware of, Demi. It’s not my story to tell, but Slade has caused this family a lot of pain, and he’ll need to earn your parents’ trust back. I can tell you this… they’ve been in his corner for a lot longer than many parents would have been. He’s depleted his trust fund, and he’s hurt his family tremendously over the last several years.”
They were all in on some big secret that had gone down while I was away at school. But for whatever reason, they hadn’t shared it with me. But something had changed the last time my brother saw my parents.
“And he’ll work hard to support himself now. He’s an addict. It’s not his fault. He’s sick,” I said, as a lump formed in my throat. I was tired of defending Slade. I wished he’d prove meright one of these times. How many times had I insisted he was better and then he’d be gone just as fast as he’d returned?
“At some point, he has to take responsibility, Demi. He’s an addict, and we’ve put him through rehabilitation eight times. We’ve paid for the best programs money can buy. But he’s done some serious damage to this family, and I’m not quick to believe him anymore.” My mom’s eyes watered, and I hated that I’d upset her by talking about him. But I needed to try because she missed Slade, too.
We all did.
“I totally agree. But having our support will help with his recovery.”
“He has our financial support. He’ll have to earn back the rest over time.” My father tossed his napkin on the table as if the conversation had completely ruined his appetite. “We’ve heard you out, and we’ll take it into consideration. And now I’m going to ask you for one favor.”
“Okay,” I said, swallowing past the gigantic lump in my throat.
“I don’t want you to meet with Slade alone. It’s not safe, regardless of what you believe. If he reaches out, you let us know, and we’ll arrange to be there with you.”
It wasn’t perfect, but it also wasn’t the worst answer. He agreed to see Slade at some point. That was progress.
“I can do that. Maybe we can all have dinner when he visits next.”
