Page 83 of Jerk Neighbor

“Art.”

“Art, yes. You met him. He really started pressing Bastian to buy him out. Bastian was being hounded on both fronts and it was driving him bats. I didn’t really have anything against his father, other than him being a snob, but Bastian wasthis closeto cutting them both off. Cutting themoff.”

Lori gasped.

“He said no to the sale, adamantly, and luckily Art accepted that. They came to the wedding in June. But things were uneasy for a while until Christmas.”

“You told me everything was wonderful after you got married,” her mother accused.

“It was, Mom. It was great. Bastian treats me like a princess, don’t worry. And I told you about Halloween at Trey’s, didn’t I? About Juju and Liz and that bunch.”

Lori chuckled reluctantly. “They’re nice people?”

“I like them. Christmas though…that changed everything.”

“But you spent Christmas with us that year.”

“Exactly. It was the first year Bastian didn’t attend his parent’s annual Christmas function at the Spencer Mansion.”

“That was the party you went to with Bastian, the year you met him. They hold it every year, you said?”

“Yes, and it's a very big deal for them. His mother was furious. She started spreading false gossip around town.”

“What?” Lori said, her voice ominously low.

“I didn’t want you to know, so I, um, asked everyone not to point you to the gossip papers. I’m sorry! That May an article showed up in theFunTimesabout our marriage being on the rocks before it had barely gotten started. Due tosocial differences.” There was a loaded silence as the euphemism sank in. “It came from a so-called anonymous tip, but we knew who it had to be.”

“Belinda.”

“Right. Bastian called his father and told him to manage his wife. Art was completely wishy-washy. He denied Belinda had anything to do with the rumours.”

“Denied.”

Paula knew from her tone her mother was shaking her head in disgust. “I know,” she agreed. “So one thing Bastian can do is negotiation. I mean, his own parents taught him. He told them directly, he said either Belinda puts a lid on the public lies or he blocks their access to the plane. The airplane, you know, that he got for their use. It's his name on the title.”

“And what was their response?”

“Not good. Art kept saying he was sure Belinda was sincerely afraid for her son’s marriage. And Belinda acted all shocked, like it couldn’t possibly be her spreading gossip. I was extremely annoyed.”

“Oh, baby.”

“But I hid it. I didn't really want to stir the pot. But Bastian saw through me. He said I was being too conciliatory. I told him I deal with this stuff all the time, I work with this crap, I try to get along. But from my own in-laws? What was I supposed to do? I say anything and you know what everyone will say.”

“I know,” Lori said grimly.

“Bastian is obstinate. Did I mention that? Really obstinate. He saidhewasn't prepared to compromise.Hehad leverage so why not use it? Mom, hetellsme to use him. He says that to me, even given how people are always using him.”

“I love that boy, Paula. I really do. You picked a decent one.”

“I know! So after Art took Belinda’s side, Bastian publicly dissociated from his parents.”

“He disowned them?” Lori gasped.

“It’s almost worse. He stopped paying the plane fees. The whole Spencer clan came down hard on Art and Belinda, since they use it too. Then he said—hold on, let me get the quote, I have it right here—here it is, he talked to the columnist, he said,I didn’t appreciate my mother’s stance on my marriage; her reprehensible attitudes have no place in modern society. That’s all he said. TheFunTimesdid the rest. They speculated that Belinda Spencer just might be their anonymous informant and went all up into her history. They dug up dirt about her even Bastian didn’t know.”

Lori chuckled.

“At the time I didn’t think it was funny,” Paula admitted. “I thought it would make things worse to be in the middle of all that.”

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