I try to hide my sheer shock at that number, and move on to the next subject. “Okay, so when are we going dress shopping? For you, that’s the most important part.”
Chad comes into the room, and interrupts. “Dinner is ready, ladies.”
Brittaney, without skipping a beat, gets up and follows him into the kitchen. Did I ever act like this when I first met my ex-husband? It’s creepy. She’s like a stepford wife, all put together.
At least I will get to see them interact with each other, and that will help me understand their relationship.
When Lily and I get to the table, the meal isn’t something special, just spaghetti. I don’t know why he felt so secretive about something like that. I dig in, and try to keep my mouth full so the conversation doesn’t have to happen, but it doesn’t help.
“So, she told me you work at a facility for Alzheimer’s patients. Do you enjoy it?”
I finish chewing the food in my mouth. “Immensely.”
He takes another bite, and nods.
“So, what do you do?”
He puts down his fork, and clasps his hands together. “I’m an investment banker. Family business. Tried to get out of it, but my dad didn’t give me an option.”
So, it’s got to be about the money. I never took Brittaney to be a gold digger, but this isn’t looking good. Can she be okay with marrying someone just because they have a huge bank account? Not that he’s bad looking. I’ll give her that. The way he dresses is a deal breaker for me, though.
“Wow. That’s pretty cool. Do you have to travel a lot?” I ask, only to see how much time he will be away. The statistics around men who travel a lot being faithful aren’t so great. Not that it’s the woman’s fault.
“About once a month. Sometimes more depending on the clients. Britt’s going with me to San Diego next weekend. I’ll be going there for a business dinner, but then we are going to make it a brief vacation since she’s never been.”
Okay, brownie points for Chad, for including her on his business trip. Maybe he isn’t so bad after all.
“So, are you excited about getting married at the mansion?” I ask, trying to gauge his persona by his reaction.
He nods. “It’s a beautiful place. My brother got married there a couple of years ago. It’s becoming a family tradition, my mom says.”
Oh god, he’s a parent pleaser.
“Well, when you guys get back, we’ll need to get a head start on some wedding planning and go dress shopping. It might take you a while to find the right one, so we wanna start soon.”
She looks at Chad, and then down at her plate. “I’ll be wearing his grandmother’s wedding dress. It has been passed it down, and means a lot to the family.”
Her not making eye contact with me while saying that tells me she is only doing it to make Chad happy, and that infuriates me. It’s her wedding day, and she should get to wear the dress of her dreams. I get that being in a relationship and marriage is about compromises, but a woman’s wedding dress is something you look back at for decades, and I think she is going to regret doing so just to please his mother.
I want to stand up and call bullshit on this whole situation, but spaghetti is stuffed into my mouth, and I just keep my cool. She seems happy, and no matter what I think, it’s her decision. She has not asked my opinion for, so I’ll wait until she does.
Dinner is delicious, but we don’t stay long after that. Lily has been on a schedule and if she isn’t in bed by nine o’clock, the mornings are hell.
“You know how she is if she ain’t asleep on time. Talk to you later, girl.”
Brittaney shuts the door, and we walk hand-in-hand to the car.
“I like Chad. Auntie seems happy.”
She gets into the car, and I back down the driveway, and turn on some Boyz II Men for the drive home. Lily doesn’t even make it five minutes before she’s passed out in the back seat, and I have to wake her to get inside.
“Come on, baby. We’ll skip the shower tonight,” I say, laying her down in bed and giving her a kiss. “Goodnight.”
The door shuts behind me, and it’s time for some quiet. This day has been exhausting. I turn the water on and get some pajamas together before checking my phone.
Jeremy: He’s all settled.
I smile.
Me: Good. He’s going to like it there. I’ll stop in and see him in the morning on my rounds. See how he is adjusting. First nights can be hard.
No matter how wrong it is, Jeremy always crawls back to the front of my mind, and it kills me. There’s nothing wrong with fantasizing as long as I don’t go through with it, right?