Chapter 5

Jenna

I WAS THOROUGHLY CONVINCED that the entire male population were assholes. Between the chauvinistic plumber who was treating me like the typical woman who hadn’t a clue and that jerk on the beach earlier in the day—I had it.

“Looks like all of the plumbing is going to have to be redone,” the plumber who’d come highly recommended by my aunt’s lawyer advised.

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“Afraid not. The pipes are so antiquated, it will never pass inspection. Do you have a husband, a father, or even a brother I can explain this to? Maybe they’d understand it a little better.”

“No, I don’t. And I understand you perfectly clear. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

“Oh, I-I never said that.”

“No, you didn’t say it, but you’re implying it. So, if you want to continue to work on my home you will talk to me…the one and only owner. I’m sure you’ll find I’m just as…if not more intelligent than any other man you’ve ever dealt with, Mr. DeAngelo.”

“Please, call me Joe, Miss Delaney.”

I nodded in agreement, not offering him the option to call me by my first name after the way he’d just treated me. “Fine, Joe. I’d like a written estimate of all the work that needs to be done, please.”

His eyes widened. “Okay, but you’ll find I’m the most reasonable around.”

“I’m not doubting that you are.” I smiled. How quickly the tables had turned. He now knew he wasn’t dealing with some dumb woman who was just going to agree to whatever price he gave. I planned on doing my homework, and if it meant someone else would be doing the plumbing, then so be it.

“Okay, I’ll get that all typed up for you tonight and email it over to you in the morning.”

“Sounds good.” I forced a smile as I escorted him out.

Closing the door behind me, I sighed heavily. Brad was right. This was going to be a money pit, but there was no way I’d give up now and admit defeat. I was in this for the long haul. I was going to prove to him and myself that this was all worth it. I may go broke doing it, but I was going to prove everyone wrong. It was as if Brad was reading my thoughts when I looked down at my phone to find a text message from him.

Look outside. There’s a surprise for you.

I couldn’t control my smile as I sprinted to the door and onto the front porch to find Brad waiting there for me. My absence makes the heart grow fonder theory was really working. Seeing him standing with his freshly cut hair and unshaven face, holding the cutest little teddy bear and a dozen roses made me want to go inside and christen every room in this house.

“Brad! Oh my God, this is the best surprise ever!” I threw my arms around him and kissed him on the lips. My hands were already moving about his body when a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

“This place is like a thousand years old!” Sophie’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

“Sophie, hey! No school today?” I pulled away from Brad, trying to be as upbeat as possible over her presence.

“Some teachers’ in-service day or bullshit like that.”

“Sophie, watch your mouth,” Brad scolded.

She rolled her eyes and pushed her way past us and inside. “This place is a dump!”

“Sophie, enough!” Brad snapped as we followed her in.

“Why, Dad? You said the same thing.”

I bit my lip and placed the roses and the teddy bear down, mentally counting to ten before I replied, “Well, everyone will see come summertime when it’s all ready to go.”

“Doubt it,” Sophie said in a loud whisper.

“So, why’d you drive all the way down here?” I asked Brad, totally ignoring his obnoxious offspring’s comments.

“I don’t know. I just wanted to see you, and since you said I wasn’t being supportive, I thought I’d come and see exactly what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“So you could say, ‘I told you so’?” I raised an eyebrow.

“No, that’s not what I was going to say at all.”

I was happy when Sophie’s phone rang and she took her conversation outside.

“Did you want to get some dinner?” Brad asked.

I shrugged, not much in the mood for putting up with Sophie’s sarcastic comments while I was trying to eat. “I’m not really that hungry. Are you planning on staying the night? The bed-and-breakfast I’m staying at is right next door, and I’m sure we can get Sophie her own room, so you and I can have some alone time.” I looped my arms around his neck and pressed my forehead into his.

“Oh, I can’t. I have to be up and out early tomorrow. I’m taking Sophie and her friend to see Hamilton.”

I creased my eyebrows in confusion. “But Sophie doesn’t want to see Hamilton.”

Now it was him who seemed confused. “What are you talking about? She’s been begging me to go see it for the past two weeks.”

Of course she was. That was around the same time I’d purchased tickets for the show for Brad’s fortieth birthday, while she was sitting right next to me. When I’d asked her if she wanted to go as well, she told me it looked like the most boring show ever. I couldn’t hold back any longer. I had it with her little games she played.

“Oh, and did Sophie tell you I was going to surprise you for your birthday with the tickets? And when I purchased the tickets for you…two weeks ago, I asked if she wanted to go, and she said, ‘she’d rather have all her teeth drilled’?”

“Oh, babe, I’m so sorry. I’m sure you can sell them online and get double what you paid for them. If not, I’ll give you the money for them.”

“It’s not about the money, Brad! It’s…God, why can’t you see that what she did was wrong! She clearly did this just to spite me. She’s got this vendetta against me, and I don’t know why! I try really hard to have a relationship with her, but she hates me for whatever reason.”

“Jenna, she doesn’t hate you. She’s a pre-teen. Don’t you remember being that age and all the hormones you had racing through your body?”

“Why do you always make excuses for her? Why can’t you just admit that what she did was wrong?”

“Jenna, come on. I didn’t drive all this way to fight with you. Can we please just go to dinner? I’ll have a talk with Sophie on the way home.”

“I-I really don’t—”

“Dad, can we get going? I want to go home and get to the mall so I can get a new outfit for tomorrow,” Sophie interrupted. “Oh, and Andrea’s mom said she’ll pick us up and drive us to the train station.” Sophie gazed in my direction to gauge my reaction that Andrea’s mom would be going with them as well, a tidbit of information that Brad had left out. More than likely because she’d been the cause of many arguments with the way she always threw herself at him. Suddenly my paranoia as Brad always claimed seemed warranted.

I raised an eyebrow at Brad and he looked away. “Sophie, just go out to the car. We’re going to dinner before we head home.”

“But, Dad, I don’t want to go to dinner!” She stomped her foot.

“Sophie, just go!” Brad was clearly flustered.

“Sophie, why did you tell me you didn’t want to go see Hamilton when I asked you a few weeks ago and now all of a sudden you do?” I couldn’t hold back any longer.

Her eyes darted every which way. “I never said I didn’t want to see it.”

“Yes, you did. When I got the tickets for your dad’s birthday, I asked you if you wanted to go and you said it looked like the most boring show ever.”

She was on the verge of tears, but I didn’t care. It was time she was called out on her actions.

“Jenna, come on,” Brad coaxed.

“No, Brad. I want to know why all of a sudden she has this newfound love of Hamilton.”

She pursed her pouty lips and shot me daggers when she realized Daddy wasn’t going to save her from this. “Well, maybe I really did want to go…just not with you!” she shouted.

“Sophie, that wasn’t nice!” Brad intervened.

“Well, I’m sorry, Dad.” The tears were now turned on, always having the effect she’d hoped for on Brad. “But I didn’t want to go see it with that bitch!”

My jaw dropped and she ran out the door before I could even respond.

“I’m sorry, Jenna.” Brad placed his hand on my shoulder and I brushed it away.

“You’re sorry? Your daughter just called me a bitch and all you can say is you’re sorry?”

“What do you want me to say? It’s like you’re making me take sides between you and my daughter.”

“That’s not at all what I’m trying to do! But I do expect you to reprimand her when she behaves this way instead of apologizing for her.”

“This is bullshit. I drove all the way down here to see you and you always have to turn it into a goddamn fight!”

“I turned it into a fight? Oh, okay, I’m sorry. I forgot I’m supposed to just sit idly while your daughter hurls one insult after another at me and you stand there saying nothing.”

“You had to keep it up. I told you I’d talk to her about the show on the way home, but you had to open your mouth. Sometimes I think you do things just so we end up in an argument!”

My horrible day had just catapulted to an all new level. “Just go, Brad!” I bit my lip, trying my best to keep the tears at bay.

“Fine!” He didn’t put up a fight, turning around and walking out the door.