It appalled Julia that Eddie would attempt such manipulation and somehow believe that bribery would get him what he wanted. It didn’t take much of an imagination to guess Hillary’s reaction.
“Hillary was furious. She made it clear she had no intention of having Laura attend the wedding in any capacity, which, naturally, angered Dad.”
How one man could screw up an apology any worse than this was hard to imagine. “Oh dear.”
“Then they both said a lot of things I know they’ll regret.”
Legendary tempers were something father and daughter had in common. The years apparently hadn’t eroded Eddie’s volatile nature.
“Afterward, Dad got me involved. He wanted me to let Hillary know that he regretted stopping by, and that she should go ahead with her wedding plans. Only now he said we should leave him out of it.”
Julia felt like crying. This was even worse than she had imagined. If it was in her power, she’d like to slap some sense into Eddie. He knew better than to force Hillary to bend to his will, or he should.
“That was Sunday. Dad called me again on Wednesday and asked me to do him a favor.”
“Now what?”
“This is why I need advice, Mom,” Marie explained. “Dad wanted the name of the wedding shop where Hillary was buying her dress. When I asked him why, he said he was going to make sure Hillary got the dress she wanted. I gave him the name of the shop, and then he made me promise not to tell Hillary.”
“Surely she’ll find out when she goes to pick up the dress.”
“I said the same thing. If Hillary discovers Dad paid for the dress she wanted, especially after their argument, then she would refuse. Dad explained that he would talk to the shop and have them tell her the dress had been discounted, and she could have it for the same price as the alternate dress.”
Julia hadn’t been married to Eddie all those years not to recognize what he was doing. This was his way of saying he regretted their argument. He refused to let Hillary know, because she was as stubborn as her father was. If she discovered what he’d done, she’d refuse the very thing she wanted most.
“You said you wanted my advice,” Julia reminded her.
Marie sipped the wine, as if gathering her thoughts. “I’ve been thinking about this for the last two days. Hillary didn’t say anything about the wedding dress when we last talked, so I have to believe the bridal shop hasn’t connected with her yet. The thing is, Mom, Hillary hasn’t been herself since the argument with Dad. I know she has her own regrets. I feel like, given time, someone should tell her what Dad did and why.”
“And you believe that someone is me?”
“Of course. You’d know what to say.”
“She hasn’t mentioned seeing your father to me, and, more important, I’ve made it clear I am uncomfortable standing between you girls and your dad.”
“I know, but, Mom, Hillary needs to know.”
This was not a decision Julia cared to make on the spur of the moment. “I’ll think on it and get back to you. That’s the best I can do for now.”
Marie looked vastly relieved. “Thanks, Mom. I know you’ll know what’s best.”
Julia wished she shared her daughter’s confidence.
Chapter 18
Julia carefully weighed her options before making her decision, knowing that Hillary was hurting, and because she knew him, Eddie had to be hurting right along with their daughter. Putting herself in the middle was something she had promised she would avoid at all costs after their divorce. Only now the price was too high, and she felt she needed to step in and do what she could to untangle this mess.
Both sides were obstinate and foolish. As adults, they should be able to solve this discord themselves, without her leaping in to negotiate. The sad truth was that it was unlikely either her daughter or her ex-husband would be willing to step forward to resolve this.
After two days of thoughtful consideration, she contacted Eddie and asked if they could meet for coffee. He reluctantly agreed, as if he was doing her a favor. Julia had to look past his attitude and swallow her own pride. After a bit of back and forth, they set a time for late morning at the Busy Bean. Heath had booked the tennis court for later that afternoon, so that would be her reward for getting through this conversation. He’d asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she’d made a simple request: tennis and later dinner at Canlis, her favorite restaurant.
Julia arrived early and bought her own latte. Eddie joined her ten minutes late to be sure she realized she was putting him out. When he approached the table, she noticed how haggard he looked. Shadows beneath his eyes told her he hadn’t been sleeping. Even his steps seemed sluggish, as if it demanded more energy than he could muster to walk across the room. Clearly this argument with Hillary had beaten him, both emotionally and physically. The extent of it surprised her, validating her decision.