Page 59 of The Weekend Crashers
Piper realizes her tactical error. “Mom, I’m fine. I don’t even have a headache. I only said that so you’ll go without me.”
“Why would you do that?” Maggie looks baffled. Maybe even a little hurt.
Piper chooses her words carefully. “Because Aidan obviously likes you. And you like him. So go—have fun. It’s a Saturday night.”
“But it’s our girls’ weekend!”
“Mom, our entire life has been one long girls’ weekend.”
Maggie moves closer, sits on the edge of Piper’s bed.
“Do you need space from me?” she asks.
“If I say yes, will you go?” This makes them both laugh for some reason. Maggie looks down at the needles and yarn in Piper’s lap.
“You’re really just going to stay in and knit?” she says.
Piper nods.
“Okay. I’ll go. But if you change your mind, I’ll come back anytime.”
So it wasn’t such a tough sell after all. All she had to do was tell her the truth. That’s the one thing that had always set them apart from other mothers and daughters: No matter what, they always kept it real.
That’s what makes the whole disappearing engagement ring so upsetting. It’s okay if Ethan changed his mind. But she wants him to be honest with her.
The only dealbreaker in a relationship is dishonesty. And she wonders if the only person she can count on for the real truth, no matter what, is her mother.
Belinda and Max traditionally eat dinner out together on Saturday nights. Since they work together and also live at their work, it’s especially important that they carve out time to be a couple.
Tonight they go to the Salt House, a gastropub right around the corner housed in a building dating back to the 1700s. Inside, Belinda always feels the history in the small, tight dimensions of the place, and it creates an intimate environment. Like the inn before they renovated it, the first-floor dining room is all exposed wooden beams and stone walls. Belinda and Max, as regulars, score a coveted table for two near the roaring fireplace. They order their usual: fish and chips for her, a burger and beer for him.
Another relationship rule for their Saturday evenings is that they don’t talk business. But before their entrées arrive, Max says, “Have you given any more thought to the offer?”
But then, selling the inn isn’t just a business decision. It’s personal. All too personal.
She shakes her head. “Max. I don’t want to think about losing the inn while I’m in the middle of a retreat weekend.”
“We’re notlosingthe inn, Bee. We’regainingsome financial security. And a new adventure. I think it’s exciting to talk about.”
“Well, we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.” She sips her red wine. He nods, recalibrating, knowing it’s better not to push.
“Okay. What would you like to talk about?”
She wants to talk about the afternoon, the unexpected turn things took with their knitting-bushcraft challenge and the trip to the axe place. She’d known Barclay Cavanaugh casually for years, but after this afternoon, she considers them friends. His gruff, slightly off-putting exterior hides a delightful, mischievous kid inside. She had so much fun playing yin to his yang with the group, she found herself wishing it was Max leading the charge with the bachelors while she played team captain with the knitters.
Where to begin? “I don’t know how it started, but the knittersand the bachelor party have a competition to prove what’s more challenging: knitting or bushcraft. So we all went axe-throwing this afternoon, and then one of my knitters taught the guys a beginner’s class. They really hit it off.”
Max smiles appreciatively. “See? Things tend to work out. You need to worry less and trust me more.”
“That’s a little self-serving,” she says. “Anyway, it was fun. I wished you were there. Maybe if we do something like that again tomorrow you’ll tag along?”
He breaks eye contact. “Actually, I was thinking of doing a little housing research tomorrow. The Realtor tipped me off about a great town house for rent right off Chestnut Street. I know you’re not free to come along, but I figure if it’s promising, we’ll go together after the weekend.” He notices the upset look on her face and quickly adds, “Unless you don’t want me to go without you at all. I just wanted to get a jump on things.”
“I don’t mind you going without me. But I think it’s premature to start looking for a new place to live.” She can’t even try to hide her dismay. Things are moving too fast.
She knows Max has a restless streak. It’s what led him to stray from their marriage in the first place. She thought he’d matured out of that. Apparently, she was wrong.
“We should at least get a sense of the market so we can make educated decisions moving forward. That’s why I’m happy to go do some of the legwork on my own.”
