CHAPTER SIX - CAROLINE

Dean and I spent most of the weekend together. If we weren’t at my house, we were walking around town together. We had dinner out, grabbed coffee, and even saw a couple of movies. It felt like something out of a dream. I’d never had so much fun with anyone. When Monday finally rolled around, I found myself wishing my parents would stay away longer. They hardly ever spent time away from home and now that I was old enough, I hoped they would take a few more trips this summer.

That morning though, I knew my wish would be unfounded. I walked downstairs, feeling happier and lighter than ever. My mind was still focused on Dean as I stepped into the kitchen, eager to get a bite of breakfast before heading to the club. Dean was working this morning, so I knew I would get a chance to see him if I stopped by for a ride. Just the thought was enough to bring a smile to my face until I saw my mother sitting at the kitchen table. She wore a severe expression and her eyes were narrowed.

“Good morning,” I said brightly, ignoring her obviously foul mood. “How was your trip?”

“Sit down, Caroline.”

Her voice was sharp and authoritative. The smile slipped off my face in an instant. She stared at me in her patented Penelope Michaelson way, her blue eyes sharp and narrowed with her mouth pulled tight into a thin line. I swallowed hard and slowly stepped forward. As I slid into my usual chair, she pulled an iPad toward her.

“What’s going on?” I asked nervously.

Without a word, she clicked on the iPad and pressed play. A video began to play on the screen. I frowned and leaned forward to watch. There, on the screen, was a picture of our entryway. As I watched, Dean walked through the front door and slowly made his way through the house.

In that moment, I felt my entire life crash down around me. I never knew my parents had cameras set up in our house. A wave of terror coursed through my body as I wondered if there were cameras set up in my bedroom.

My eyes flashed back to the iPad, and I saw Dean mount the staircase. My mother grabbed the iPad and slid her finger over the screen a few times. Then, she showed me a second video. It was from Saturday morning. Dean and I were walking out the front door, holding hands.

“I have a few more but I think you get the point,” my mother said.

“Yes.” I nodded and tried to look at her, but it was like staring directly into the sun. My eyes burned and watered with the effort.

“When I first saw these images,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what to think. I hoped, in vain, that you’d met a nice, upstanding man. Clearly, I was wrong.”

“You don’t know—”

“I do know,” she snapped. “This boy is Dean Evans. He works in the stables at the club. He lives across town, on Tuckerton Drive, with his younger brother and alcoholic mother.”

My mother’s knowledge of Dean was advanced and it threw me. I never expected her to do so much research so quickly, and without coming to me first.

“I’m only going to say this once, Caroline,” she said softly. “This boy is not right for you. He is beneath you in more ways than you know. You are not to see him again.”

I just stared at her, completely at a loss for words. Did she really think she could order me around? I was eighteen years old, for Christ’s sake, an adult! In just a couple months, I would be heading off to college. My life would be entirely my own and there was nothing she, or anyone else, could say about it.

“Mom,” I began, trying to sound confident. “It isn’t up to you to decide who I can and cannot date. I like Dean. He’s amazing and I’m going to keep seeing him.”

“No, you will not,” she said. “If anyone were to see you two together, God, think of what people would say! Caroline, this is an embarrassment to our family. I will not allow you to shame us this way. Do you understand?”

“Shame us?” I asked, my face flushing with rage. “Mom, do you hear yourself? He works at the club, who cares? That doesn’t mean he’s beneath us or that he’s—”

“If you don’t stop seeing him, we’ll cut you off.”

Her words were sharp and struck me exactly the way she hoped they would. I stared at her in shock. Was she serious? Would she really go so far as to financially severe ties with me? All because of a guy?

“You can’t be serious.” I scoffed. “Even for you, that’s too far.”

“Do you want to go to college?” she asked with anger flashing in her eyes. “Would you like to maintain your lifestyle? Because if so, you will do as I say.”

“I won’t stop seeing him,” I said firmly. “I won’t. There’s nothing you can say or do that will—”

“Enough!” she snapped. “This is not a joke, Caroline Grace. If you think for one second that I won’t follow through on my threat, you are sorely mistaken. Now, get out of my sight. I can’t stand to look at you for another second.”

I stared at her in shock, unable to move or speak. She simply turned her head toward the window, refusing to meet my gaze. Finally, I got up from of my chair and hurtled through the house. I didn’t slow down until I reached the driveway. I jumped in my car and drove straight to the club, where I knew Dean would be.

My mother’s threat was still echoing in my head as I ran to the stables. I couldn’t believe she would be so spiteful as to threaten my education. Her anger seemed so deep that I wondered if there was something she wasn’t saying. Penelope Michaelson cared about her image more than anything else but still, this seemed harsh even for her.

When I first met Dean, I knew my mother would never approve. I fully expected some backlash from both her and my father, but this? This was just too much.

“Trevor,” I said as I ran into the barn. “Where’s Dean?”

“He took the day off,” Trevor said. “Something about his mom.”

“Thank you!” I called, already running back toward the parking lot.

I was desperate to see Dean, even after what my mother had said. It wasn’t logical, but I couldn’t stop myself. Dean had pointed out his house as we’d driven to grab dinner one night and I tried to remember the way. I drove through town until I reached Dean’s house. I pulled up front and threw my car in park. As I hurried toward the house, I heard something break inside. I froze. All my anger faded and in its place, was a mind-numbing fear.

As I moved slowly toward the front door, I could hear yelling inside. I thought about leaving but I knew I couldn’t. Dean was inside and something was obviously wrong.

I knocked hard on the front door, standing back until someone opened it. When the door opened, Dean was standing in the doorway. His face was red and his hair was in his eyes. His eyes fell on my face and they widened in surprise.

“Caroline,” he said. “What are you—”

“I told you!” someone screamed. “I won’t live this way!”

There was a crash and something shattered inside. I jumped and Dean flinched, glancing behind him with a sigh.

“This isn’t really a good time.”

“Who is that?”

Dean was shoved to the side and a drunk face appeared before me. A woman who I assumed was his mother, was swaying in the doorway, her eyes desperately trying to focus on my face.

“Who are you?” she asked, slurring her words.

“I’m Caroline,” I said. “Caroline Michaelson. You must be Dean’s mom.”

“Michaelson!” She screamed and ran inside the house.

“Jesus,” Dean said, scrubbing a hand over his face.

He glanced at me as I stepped into the house. With a sigh, he chased after his mom who had thrown herself down on the living room floor. She was rocking back and forth, ranting incoherently.

“I won’t,” she said. “He knew…And then I… Slapped me! That man… Henry… Michaelson.”

“What?” I asked, jerking my head around to face her.

“She’s drunk,” Dean said with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting company.”

“Michaelson!” his mom screamed again.

“Mom! Stop screaming and calm down,” Dean said, his voice heavy with frustration. His mother glared at him but fell silent. When her drunken eyes found my face, she stared at me for a long time, a haunted look on her face.

“Is she going to be okay?” I asked weakly.

“She’ll be fine,” Dean said.

“Hey, let’s get out of here,” I said softly. I reached out to take his hand.

He looked at me with a pained expression. In that moment, I suddenly realized everything Dean had to put up with. His mother was clearly insane when she drank and from the look of his house, they didn’t have much money. I wanted to take him away from all of this, to help him feel better.

“We can get lunch,” I said, squeezing his hand. “Come on, you need a break.”

“Yeah,” he finally said. “Yeah, okay.”

“Will she be okay?” I asked, glancing behind me.

Then, I saw that his mother was already passed out face down on the carpet, snoring loudly.

“Yeah,” Dean said with a hint of disgust. “She’ll be fine.”

I held his hand and led him out the front door. We walked silently to my car, neither of us knowing what to say. I could tell Dean’s head was spinning after that encounter, and mine was doing the same.

Dean’s mom mentioned my dad and I didn’t know why. As I glanced at Dean though, I knew it wasn’t important. She probably worked for him once or something. All that mattered now was taking care of Dean, getting him away from that house and taking his mind off everything that happened. At that moment, I knew my mother would never get her way. After what I just witnessed, I would stay with Dean as long as he wanted me.