Page 18 of Ace of Spades
“It’s more than just a house, honey—it’s got two large turnouts for the horses and ten stalls, and it’s even got an indoor arena. The house on the property is brand new, it’s absolutely stunning. The best part is it’s right here on the outskirts of Cedar Creek, so you can come back and visit us anytime!” my mom explains, wrapping me in a big hug.
“Oh,” I say, not finding any other words.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like it?” my dad asks.
“No—no, it’s not that at all. Thank you, thank you so much. It’s just that… it’s just too much, dad.”
“Don’t be silly, Hails. You’re our only daughter, let us spoil you. Besides, it was meant to be both a birthday and graduation gift combined. You’re all grown up now, we just figured we would help you out with your next step in life,” my dad winks.
I offer them both a smile, hugging each of them in thanks. I didn’t know what it said about me, but some small part of me wondered if there was a hook to this gift. My dad always got me great gifts, sure. But this was beyond anything he’d ever done before, beyond anything I would have ever expected of him.
And the worst part was, I knew I should be over the moon ecstatic. But a small part of me couldn’t help but think back to Weston, and all of the times he had called me spoiled. Not just him, either—I had gotten tons of those comments when I was younger living here, but they had never affected me quite like when Weston had called me that.
Maybe growing up meant realizing that I wanted to earn things for myself. That instead of being able to brag to my friends about the things my dad got me, I wanted to be able to brag about what I earned for myself.
Our cook, Grace, brought out the food not long after—a buffet-style selection of foods that she’d come to know I loved. I let my parents talk while I ate in silence, still processing this new gift.
“Oh, and I told Hailey about us coming to watch her at the finals this year!” my mom says, catching my attention.
“That’s right. It’s not set in stone yet, but I have some extremely important investors that have been looking for tickets, and I got to brag all about how my talented daughter can get usbox seats since not only will she be competing, but she’ll be winning the whole damn thing. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?” my dad grins, bringing his coffee to his lips.
My heart sinks to my stomach, shattering into pieces as whatever hope my mother had given me this morning flutters away in the wind.
Of course he hadn’t planned on coming to see me. No, he was using me to win over investors. He didn’t care about supporting me, about cheering me on as I chased my dreams. He only thought about himself and his business.
It was about appearances for him, and I realized that now. The fact that I was just now realizing these things irritated me even more. How had I never noticed this? The way he bought my love rather than earning it by being the father I needed?
I think I had known for quite some time, but I had kept myself in denial. Because admitting the truth to myself, that my dad bought me all of these things to keep me from complaining about the lack of effort he put into supporting me and loving me, it hurt. It didn’t just hurt, it broke me a little bit.
“Hailey?” he asks, both he and Mom looking at me in question.
I felt a lone tear run down my cheek, quickly swiping at it with my sleeve before either of them could notice.
“Sorry—I’m fine. Just so happy, that’s all,” I lie, forcing a smile. “Thank you both so much for lunch and the gifts.”
I get up and hug them both, my eyes burning as I force myself not to show how much I’m breaking down inside.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mom asks.
“Yes, I promise. I’m just so tired from all of the driving this weekend, it makes me a little bit overly emotional. But thank you both, I hope you guys have a great weekend at the lodge,” I tell them, turning to thank Grace for the meal before walking to the coat rack to throw on my boots and jacket.
I managed to hold the tears back until I reached the stables, letting them fall free once I was in the stall with Vegas. She was my oldest, and I liked to picture her as the wisest of my three horses. Sometimes, I spoke to her as if she could actually understand me. And sometimes, I felt like she actually did.
I stayed there until I heard my dad’s truck pulling out of the estate, wiping my tears and heading back to the main house. Ava would be here in a few hours, and I had promised I’d let her do my hair and makeup tonight.
The sun was already starting to set as everyone started showing up, most of which had been Ava’s doing. It’s not that I didn’t have any friends, it’s that I hadn’t stayed in touch with a lot of people once I went off to college, and most people around here had left our small town to move somewhere bigger.
“So, did you invite Chance and his friends?” I ask Ava, the two of us sitting on the arena railing.
“Obviously. And yes, they’re all coming—Weston included,” she winks, flipping her curly hair over one shoulder.
“What do you mean?” I ask, feigning innocence even though I could already feel my cheeks heating in the chilly March air. It was surprisingly perfect weather tonight, and I had put on my favorite pair of jeans and boots, with a light jacket that showed just enough of a hint of cleavage to hopefully rattle Weston without seeming too obvious.
“Oh, come on, I’m not blind. Everyone can see that there’s something going on between you two.”
“Yeah, thatsomethingbeing pure loathing.”
“You’re not fooling anyone. It’s like there’s this electricity between you guys, this crazy intensity.”
