Marcel shook his head, and said, “Wes, the damage is done. If the children were to instantly divorce, well—they will be even more of a—how do you say—laughing stock? Yes, they have this bad attention now. With time as they are together, proving their commitment to one another, the perception will change. People will see what a beautiful, serious couple they are.”
Marianne ruffled her hands through her hair—as my dad watched.
Gahhh. “What exactly do you want them to do? Stay married, but live separately?”
Marcel opened his mouth, but Angelique got there first. “They will have to live together, of course. Like married people do.”
“No fucking way,” Dad said, shaking his head adamantly. “No fucking way. They divorce, and then they’re done with it.”
Holy cow.
The owners wanted Trey and me to stay married?
What the heck?
Not only stay married—but live together?
Holy.
Cow.
“Wes, they’re trying to do damage control. Something you know very little about. I think you need to hear them out. This affects your daughter’s future,” Marianne said sternly to my dad. I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by any of that. And, I wasn’t exactly sure I wanted to know.
Probably not.
“Marianne, I know this affects my daughter,” he said right back to her—his eyes narrowing to her. “And I will not allow her to spend one more minute with that son of yours.”
Marianne leaned forward now. “I understand what you’re saying. All I asked was for you to let Marcel, and Angelique speak their piece. You keep interrupting.”
My dad’s eyebrows raised, and his mouth gaped open. “I’m interrupting? No, you’re interrupting.”
Marianne shook her head, and looked disgusted. “You always were such a child, Wes. It’s nice to know some things never change.”
What the actual heck?
Marianne and Dad obviously had some kind of history—I just hoped it wasn’t the kind of history I was thinking it was.
“Well, you always knew everything, didn’t you, Marianne? Glad to see that didn’t change, either,” Dad huffed out as he crossed his arms across his chest.
Holy cow.
I wanted to run screaming from this house for so many reasons.
Marianne rolled her eyes and turned back to the owners. “Okay, so you want them to stay married for a few weeks? A month? What kind of timeline are we talking about here?”
Angelique and Marcel gazed at each other, then Angelique spoke, “At least until the end of the season. Perhaps longer. We will have to see.”
“Absolutely not—” Dad burst out, but Marianne cut him off.
“And they’d live in his house?”
Dad interrupted her now, “Are you insane? She’s not moving into his house.”
Marianne scowled at Dad. “His house is huge. They wouldn’t even have to see each other in it.”
Trey had a house?
Hmm, that was news to me.