Chapter 9
Since she planned to meet her friends at Coconuts later, Suzy prepared her husband’s favorite dinner: spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and garlic bread. After he wolfed down his food, Ken rubbed his belly. “That was good, hon. Thanks.” He kissed her, and retreated to the living room.
Her new-to-her stepdaughter, Izzy, left her half-eaten plate on the table and said, “I like Mom’s spaghetti better.” She stormed off to her bedroom, never offering to help with the dishes. As usual.
Suzy bit her tongue and cleared the plates. She filled the sink with soapy water as Izzy reappeared to get a Coke, never taking her eyes off her phone. Suzy glared at the teen. This girl got on her nerves fast. And Suzy never disliked anyone. She had tried every way possible to be nice to Izzy but the teen—her surprise stepdaughter who her new husband had failed to mention during his whirlwind, unexpected proposal—seemed bent on torturing her. Izzy’s patent excuse was always “homework” but when Suzy checked Izzy’s social media, she could tell by the timeline that her stepdaughter had been all over Facebook and Instagram the entire time Suzy had washed dishes.
Suzy rarely complained. After all, they were newlyweds, and Izzy was only there part-time. Thank God. Still, it was hard to take, especially since her son would never be disrespectful. Ken constantly retreated to his den to catch up on paperwork or watched television in the living room where he could pretend he didn’t notice his daughter’s antics.
Being a wedding planner who worked from home, it was hard to get away from household chores. Suzy had reluctantly given up her beautiful pink and black home office for Weddings by Suzanne to her ungrateful stepdaughter, who only slept there infrequently, thank goodness. Since her former brides’ photos were no longer adorning her office walls, Suzy knew she was losing her inspiration, her mojo. The snapshots of the many themed weddings she had planned over the years had provided endless motivation. The pictures were now collecting dust in boxes.
Suzy sighed. She never thought she’d be relegated to the table in her own home and had difficulty concentrating since she was distracted by dust, dishes, and everything non-wedding. Her bridal clients’ files and pink and black pens were kept nearby for inspiration but it wasn’t the same. Occasionally, Suzy regretted her insistence that she and Ken live in her cozy home since it was larger than his sparse bachelor pad but hated the fact she had to give up her precious office. If Izzy were the least bit grateful or helped around the house, I’d feel differently. And that voice. Suzy bristled every time she heard Izzy’s nasally voice. The kid could have been a voice double for Fran on The Nanny.
Before going to Coconuts, Suzy decided to take a quick look at beach-themed weddings for her son, Jon, and his partner, Fernando. As Suzy opened her files, she noticed Izzy’s new expensive purple school jacket on the floor. Usually, school jackets were reserved for seniors but Ken never said no to his daughter.
Don’t pick it up. Leave her jacket there until it turns to dust. Suzy took a cleansing breath and tried to focus as she perused destination wedding locales. The sites boasted aqua water, white, powdery beaches, and stylish resorts to die for. She opened another file featuring coastal wedding images on Pinterest and yet another with possible wedding mementos for guests, knowing Jon and Fernando would want to be involved with every minute detail once she narrowed down the selections. As a wedding planner, she was, of course, planning her son’s wedding for free. It was Suzy’s gift to them.
The sandy images made her smile. As her shoulders began to relax, Izzy stomped in. She stepped over her expensive school jacket and kicked her shoes halfway across the room, nearly knocking over a lamp. Suzy tensed as her stepdaughter plopped on the couch and turned the television up to concert level. The teen didn’t even watch the TV. As usual, her face was buried in her iPhone.
“Izzy. I’m working. If you’re on the phone, please turn the television off.”
“I’m watching it,” Izzy said without looking up from her cell.
“Will you at least turn it down?”
Suzy watched as Izzy sighed loudly, set her phone on the couch as if this were a huge inconvenience, and pointed the remote toward the television. She lowered it one bar. ONE.
Suzy knew this was nothing more than a battle of wills, so she bit her tongue and tried not to engage. She did her best to ignore the earsplitting sound and leaned closer to the screen to concentrate on her son’s wedding. Her thoughts clouded her research. I know Izzy does these things on purpose. But why? She must be jealous of me—or she doesn’t want me married to her father. Or both. Suzy rubbed her tight shoulders. She had tried everything to win the sulky teen over but Izzy wasn’t having it. If Suzy didn’t love Ken so much, she wasn’t sure she could endure the brat. Life was too short. Maybe I’ll win her over. Maybe.
Giving up for now, Suzy signed off and got ready to leave for Coconuts. Her girlfriends always made her smile.