hapter 134
“In a few days, it’ll be Matthew’s birthday. You’re coming, right?”
Lindey’s words caught me off guard, reminding me that Matthew’s birthday was indeed coming up.
Even if she hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t have forgotten. I had reminders set for everyone’s birthdays in the Johnston family. Living with them, I always tried to make sure everything was perfect, just to keep everyone happy.
I wasn’t exactly treated like an outsider, but I still walked on eggshells, always worried that one wrong move might make them think less of me or, worse, dislike me.
Lost in thought, I didn’t answer right away, so Lindey added, “Rea, you know we’ve always thought of you as our daughter. Every year, we’ve appreciated your gifts and well wishes on our birthdays. If you don’t come this year, Matthew will be really disappointed.”
I hadn’t planned on going, but I’d already arranged for a gift to be delivered.
Now that she was asking directly, it was hard to say no, especially with Jace acting like a total maniac lately. I was worried that if I went to the Johnston house, he might pull something crazy, like drag me off to his bed.
But if I said I wasn’t coming, Lindey would probably hit me with a million reasons why I should. So, I reassured her, “Lindey, of course I’ll be there.”
“That’s good. I was really worried you wouldn’t come. Matthew wouldn’t enjoy his birthday if you didn’t,” Lindey said, her words piling on a bit of pressure.
I stayed quiet, and she continued, “We’ve already scolded Jace for the trouble he’s caused. He hasn’t bothered you again, has he?”
Hearing that, I almost laughed. It seemed like they had no idea about the stunts Jace had pulled recently. But were they really clueless, or just pretending not to know?
I didn’t want to doubt them. They’d always treated me well, so I just said, “No, he hasn’t.”
Even if I told her about Jace’s latest antics, Lindey would just scold him over the phone to make me feel better, maybe even promise to discipline him.
But Jace wasn’t the kind of guy who’d back down just because someone told him off. Once he got an idea in his head, no one could stop him.
Even if Lindey reprimanded him, it wouldn’t keep him from pulling his crazy stunts. The only way to really deal with Jace was if I handled it myself.
But with Hayden refusing to play the part of my boyfriend, dealing with this was going to be a lot harder. “Rea, if he ever bullies you or acts out, call me right away,” Lindey assured me.
“Alright,” I agreed.
“So, you called me–did you need something?” Lindey, who was just fifty and still sharp as ever, had finished talking about her concerns and was now ready to hear mine.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 134
I glanced at the wilted flowers in my hand. “Lindey, did my parents like daisies?”
“Daisies?” Lindey echoed, then quickly added, “Are you planning to visit your parents? When are you going? You should let Matthew and me join you; we haven’t been in a while, and it’d be nice to go together.
Her words just confirmed what I already figured–the daisies weren’t from them.
I clutched the flowers a little tighter. “Lindey, I’m already at the cemetery.”
“Oh, you’re there now?” Lindey’s voice sounded kind of regretful. “Matthew and I were just talking about going with you whenever you had time.”
Yeah, how convenient.
But someone once said that “ninety–nine percent of coincidences aren’t really coincidences.”
Maybe Lindey was just saying that to keep the convo going.
“Lindey, do any of my parents‘ old friends still remember them or visit their graves?” I asked, getting straight to the point.
There was a pause before Lindey finally responded, “Did you run into someone you know? Why are you asking this out of the blue?”
“There’s a bouquet of daisies in front of my parents‘ tombstone. I thought maybe someone had come to visit them,” I said, being upfront.
