Red Hot Reunion - Bella Andre Page 0,87

Mother?”

Jane opened her mouth, but then closed it. “I’ve never been disappointed in you before.”

“Even when Steven and I got divorced?”

“That was a different circumstance entirely,” Jane said in her usual crisp tones. Emma could tell that her mother had composed herself again as she began listing off her daughter’s transgressions. “But this week when we found out that you went chasing off after some boy from college, that you left your business in tatters, that you turned Steven away when he was concerned about you, I could hardly believe you were my daughter. And then, when you treated your father and me so despicably…”

Emma held one hand up to stop her mother from saying anything more. She hoped she could keep track of everything she needed to get off her chest, rather than falling back into her regular pattern of kowtowing to her mother on absolutely everything.

“Jason came to the reunion on Saturday night.”

Jane waved a bony hand in front of her face. “I don’t want to hear all the sordid details.”

“They’re not sordid, Mother. I love him. I’ve always loved him. Marrying Steven was a huge mistake.”

“How can you say that? He was perfect for you. Successful, charming—”

Emma cut Jane off. “I know that’s what you thought, Mother. I married him because I wanted you to be proud of me. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted Steven to be happy. And I figured that I could somehow learn to be happy, since it was what everyone else wanted for me.”

Walter didn’t say anything, but he looked miserable. Guilty, even.

“It’s hard for me to admit, but I’m angry with both of you. For what you’ve done. For the way you treated Jason.” She softened her tone. “But Daddy,” she said, reaching for his hands, “I know you were only doing what you thought was right for me. What father doesn’t want his daughter to marry the best man?

The one with all the right qualifications? I know Jason didn’t look like he was the best man for me. He didn’t have money or connections or even direction. But I loved him anyway.”

Walter cleared his throat. “He certainly seems to have done very well for himself.”

Emma smiled. “If that’s your way of saying you approve, thank you. Although”—her smile fell away

—“there isn’t anything to approve of right now. But that’s not why I’m here. I mean, it is, but only a small part.”

She turned back her mother, who quite surprisingly was sitting quietly and listening, albeit with a vice grip on her rapidly emptying glass of wine. “As for leaving my business in tatters for a week, you’re right. I should have thought things through, made a plan. But at least I learned something important: I’ve made the mistake of not delegating. I could have hired good people and trained them to take care of the office in my absence. Maybe then I could have had a life. Gotten out and met people. Made more friends.

Had some fun. But I wanted to think I was the only one good enough to do the job right.”

Jane spoke up then, her voice a tad gravelly. “No one does as good a job as you can.”

Emma felt a softening behind her breastbone. “Thank you, Mother. Thank you for always telling me I was smart. That I could do anything. It was a great gift. But I’m finally ready to learn to pass on some responsibility to others.”

Walter cleared his throat again. “Very good thinking, Emma.”

Emma beamed at her father. All this time she’d been vying for their praise, but she’d never been able to enjoy it. Simply because she hadn’t learned how to be proud of herself as well.

“As for Steven coming to Napa.” She giggled at the ghastly memory. She couldn’t help it, even though it wasn’t remotely funny. “We all know he doesn’t want to get back together with me.”

Jane tried to protest. “Of course he does. He loves you.”

“He loved the way I picked up his dry cleaning and made him dinner and threw dinner parties for his clients. I was the perfect secretary. But never his perfect wife.” Jane’s face fell even further. “I don’t mean to sound bitter about it, and honestly while there was a time that I was, I’m not anymore. I just want to be honest with you so that you don’t get your hopes up thinking we’ll get back together. We won’t.”

Her parents were silent, taking in everything she had come to say,