He picked up his glass of water and drank, his gaze fixed on the salt shaker.
His hand was steady, but I could see the tightness in his jaw.
“My mother called Connor this morning,” I said, keeping my voice low.
“Right before we went to the courthouse.”
“She tried to tell me that Connor had reserved a table for us at the country club.”
Daniel set his glass down with a small click.
“Why would Eleanor call him today of all days?” he asked.
“She knows we made our choice.”
“She still thinks Connor is going to build that shopping corridor and make my father a partner,” I said.
“She wanted me to know I was making a mistake by marrying a mechanic.”
“She literally used the word mistake on the voicemail.”
“Connor is not family,” Daniel said.
“He is my father’s boss,” I said.
“To my mother, that is the same thing as being a saint. She told me we would be living in a trailer park by winter if I did not call the wedding off.”
The older couple paid their bill and walked out, the bell above the door chiming as they left.
The diner felt emptier now, the hum of the refrigerator in the back suddenly very loud.
A truck rumbled past on the highway, its exhaust coughing in the heavy air.
Daniel reached into his pocket, his hand brushing against the folded yellow paper before he pulled it back out, empty.
He looked down at the table, his shoulders tight under his shirt.
“I do not want them to ruin this day for you, Sav,” he said.
“They cannot ruin it,” I said, though the weight in my chest felt heavier by the minute.
“We are married. It is done.”
“Your father signed some new development papers with Connor last week,” Daniel said, his voice dropping an octave.
“I do not care about my father’s business,” I said.
“Or Connor’s money. We have our own life to build.”
“You should care,” Daniel said.
“Connor is looking at the properties on Maple Street. He has been spending a lot of time at your father’s office lately, looking at maps of the downtown grid.”
“Grandma’s old cottage is empty,” I said, twisting my silver ring again.
“The tenants have six weeks left on their lease, and then my parents are selling it to pay her medical bills.”
