Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“What’s going on?” I asked him.
“Apparently, something is going on with Jake.”
We all turned to Hannah, who flopped down on the attached bench of the picnic table, and the façade of happiness faded instantly and I saw how miserable she looked.
“Jake is so mad,” she told us. “I’ve never seen him like this.”
“He has every right to be,” Kola told her.
She covered her face with her hands.
“But he didn’t have to jump in his car right after the rally yesterday without saying a word to any of us, most of all Hannah,” Finn argued, “and drive to Wisconsin.”
“It’s Father’s Day today,” Kola countered. “He wanted to be with his father. I see no fault there at all.”
“You see no fault in him just leaving?” Finn asked sharply, taking Hannah’s hand in both of his when she reached for him. “Really?”
“Instead of doing what? You’d prefer he stay here and yell at her?” Kola asked, standing up, brows furrowed. “He left so he wouldn’t say anything he couldn’t take back.”
“I think he said a lot already that wasn’t so great,” Finn replied, almost growling.
“And why was that?” Kola sounded curt as he regarded his fiancé. “What could have possibly happened that made Jake, strong, steady Jake, react like that?”
“Stop,” Hannah pleaded, looking up at her brother. “You’re taking his side, we get it.”
“There is no side to take,” Kola told her. “You made a decision, like you make all your decisions, in your head with no one else’s perspective but your own, and then you delivered it and asked for buy-in without consulting the one person you should have talked to first.”
“I––”
“Listen,” he rushed out, and then moved so he was kneeling in front of her. “Most of the time, I admire your decision-making prowess. It’s great and it works. You’re just like Dad. You know when you’re right and you just act.”
“How did I––” Sam began.
“Shhh,” I hushed him.
“Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those decisions that you could make unilaterally. In this particular instance, your choice affects more than just you, so there needed to be discussions before anything came out of your mouth.”
She took a shaky breath, and the tears welled up in her eyes. “He’s never going to forgive me.”
“Of course he will,” Finn said quickly.
But Kola didn’t say anything, just leaned forward and took her into his arms.
The Fourth of July was odd this year, and not just because of Hannah and Jake. Dane invited us over to his place, which was good, so we could watch the fireworks, but it was a very subdued affair. I suspect that the state of the world at the moment leaves little room for celebration, but we have to find our joy in the midst of this chaos. Regardless, all my friends were there, but none of my kids. Jake remained out of town. Hannah had been to an event the night before and just wanted to sleep away her three-day weekend at home. She was there babysitting Dobby and Chilly. Usually, we were all together, for any reason, but not this year.
On the following Friday, we had all the kids at our house except Jake. He was still in Wisconsin, which was the longest he’d ever been there. I was starting to get worried. When Hannah went upstairs to change for yet another event, Wick immediately got up, moved around the table, and took a seat beside Finn.
“Oh? Really?” Harper snapped at him.
“I get why he’s mad. I’d be mad too,” Wick told him. “But just icing her out, not answering a call or a text? That’s some petty-ass bullshit.” After a moment, he turned to Sam. “Begging your pardon, sir.”
“No, no, that’s okay,” Sam said, glancing at me.
I cleared my throat, and all eyes were on me. “What happened exactly?”
Only Hannah and Jake knew what precisely had been said, and thus far, she had not been ready to tell us. But maybe she, or Jake, had told their roommates.
“After the engagement party where—wait. Sorry, Mr. Harcourt, but I have a question for Finn first. Man, what was up with your father and your brothers?” Wick asked, turning in his seat to Finn. “Because I’m this close to saying they can’t come over anymore if they’re going to keep looking at me and Harper like we’re wrong.”
“No, it’s not you guys—it’s me.”
“It’s me, actually,” Kola grumbled, getting up to go to the refrigerator.
“No—God. You’re reading it wrong,” Finn said, and then his voice got loud as he got up and charged over to the sink, arms crossed, scowling. “And you know better than to say something so stupid. They’re crazy about you.”
“Yes,” Kola agreed, coming out of the fridge with some shredded chicken I’d made the night before. “I agree. They like me fine. Alone. Separate from you, just not with you.”