I had yet to hear an actual apology, but acknowledging they were the problem was a good first step.“We don’t want to do this over the phone,” Mom said. “Would you agree to meet us for lunch? You know that little place we like? The one with the good sandwiches.”I did know the place they liked, but
When Logan and I finally made it to their table, we, and my mother, sat down.“So what is this all about?” I asked before even looking at the menu.“We’re making amends,” Mom said, “But there’s no need to rush. Order something. Let’s eat. We have all lunch.”As if on cue, the waiter saddled up to ou
“How dare you humiliate us in front of all these nice people,” Mom spat toward me.“I didn’t do anything,” I replied. “You are the one who revealed your true colors.”“I was genuine!” Mom said. “You throw that back in my face!”“If you were genuine, you would have apologized first,” I said. “You did
He beamed at me. “Mr. and Mrs. Hatfield. I can’t wait.”“Why wait?” I asked. “Let’s call Dylan right now.”Laughing, Logan sat back and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Dylan, turned on speakerphone, and placed the phone down on the table in the space between us.When Dylan answered, he
“You want us to go to this party,” I said, realizing.Logan’s eyes held intense focus, even as he smiled at me. “Our love swayed the people who watched our interview. Maybe it could say the minds of the high society members too.”“It’s not a bad plan,” Mabel said. “There’s no guarantee that it will
“I have purple pumps that would look great with that!” Megan said and rushed back to her own closet. She returned with the heels in hand and, yeah, they matched perfectly.“Thank you,” I told them. “This is amazing… I don’t know what to say…”“We’re your friends, Hazel,” Maria replied. “This is what
We entered the elevator in the parking garage and rode it all the way to the top. A hotel associate stood behind a podium just outside the elevator as we walked out. He seemed surprised as he looked at Logan and me.“May I see your invitation, Mr. Hatfield? Ms. Whitaker?” he asked.Logan showed him
The room seemed entirely frozen for a terrible, long moment. Then, Mr. Hatfield Senior took a step toward us and everything started moving again.The closer Senior became, the more everyone else seemed to inch away from us. When he finally reached us, it was akin to a wild west standoff. The tension
“I’ve been in this game for too long,” Senior said. “When I first got the news, I could only think about my legacy. I became obsessed with it. I’m not like you, Walter. I didn’t think about my family, or anyone else. Only myself.” “It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks,” Mr. Hudgens said. He la
“Janice,” Senior said. All smug arrogance disappeared from his voice. “What are you doing here?” “At first I didn’t think I would come,” Janice replied. “After all these years… I didn’t want to see your face ever again for as long as I lived. Better to leave well enough alone. But… after hearing e
I glanced down at my pink blouse and gray slacks. What was so wrong with my outfits? I dressed professionally… mostly. He really thought I needed supervision to pick out an outfit.Looking at Logan, I saw my own disbelief mirrored back at me. This was absolutely ridiculous.“Is that it?” Walter aske
In front of the partition screen, a large table had been assembled, with rows of chairs on either side, facing each other. We took our side, and Senior and his team of lawyers took theirs. There were so many lawyers that many of them had to stand.Senior sat across from Logan, though his glare of di
“He might surprise us,” Dylan said, a shred of hope in his voice, under a healthy level of cynicism.“Don’t hold your breath,” Frank replied.“The problem is we don’t know fully what to expect,” Mabel said. “Well – other than Senior being a crotchety asshole who will try to cheat us at every turn. W
“It’s time to talk to Logan and Hazel and stop this whole thing,” Dylan said. “You are outnumbered and outmatched, with so many people ready to stand against you.”Opening the top of the folder, Senior glared down at the stack of papers in the stack. “Disgruntled former employees. Fake friends. Fami
“We were just hoping to talk to her,” I said.The man’s brow lifted slightly. “Are you selling something? Wait -- why do you look familiar?” Narrowing his eyes, he gazed at us with suspicion. Then, suddenly, recognition must have struck him because his eyes widened. “You’re those people from the new
Despite the general unpleasantness of the conversation with the mayor and the governor, they eventually agreed to let us go. They had no real reason to hold us, and Logan saw through their veiled threats easily enough.In fact, he even seemed to make them feel to make them feel like unsupportive fri
That day, we changed our minds and decided to release six interviews to the website, with Michael Hatfield’s being the final. Overnight, the story gained so much national traction that the sheriff and two security men show up at our door.“Logan Hatfield? Hazel Whitaker? The mayor wants to speak wit