“No, I’m not. I’m worried about you.”
“Then stop projecting your baggage onto me. Trust me, I respect myself too much to be taken for a ride I’m not willing to go on.”
“You think I don’t respect myself?” Colby’s thoughts raced.
“Your words.” Gentry shrugged.
“I see. So because I tried to honor the commitment I made to a man I once loved deeply, I’m weak and insecure?” Colby wanted to scream, but that would give her sister the satisfaction of having baited her into a fight.
“All I’m saying is that I don’t need anyone’s approval, okay? So chill! I’m not planning a future with Jake. I like living in the moment and being independent. You might give it a try if you don’t want Alec to get bored and cheat on you, too.”
Her sister’s cruel remark tipped Colby off the edge. Gentry had opened the door to some harsh reality, so now Colby would force her through it. “You pretend well, I’ll give you that, but you’re full of crap, Gentry.”
“How would you know? Like you said, it’s not like we’ve ever been super close.”
That retort sounded depressingly like Jenna.
“You don’t exactly make it easy. And since you’re so eager to judge and insult me, here’s a little truth for you. We both know you’re dating Jake to piss Dad off. And if you were actually as independent as you claim, you’d be living on your own instead of here with your parents, for whom you have such contempt. But that’s the rub, isn’t it? You’re stuck here because you’re intimidated. It’s easier to mock all of us than to risk failing at something, or risk getting close to someone. So go ahead and say I’m easily manipulated if it makes you feel better, but at least I went out and did something with my life. And maybe I failed at marriage, but at least I took a chance. As for Alec getting bored, he prefers grown-ups to children, as proven by the way he politely rejected all your flirtations.” Colby stood, fists on her hips. “How’s that for smoothing things over?”
“Nice.” Gentry got out of the hot tub and dried off. She lifted the pitcher off the table. “Let’s see how long it takes before you feel guilty for unloading how you really feel about me.”
She started to leave, then glanced over her shoulder. “By the way, I quit. You’re just too intimidating for me to handle.” She snorted and scurried up the steps into the house, leaving Colby with nothing but some truly bad music.
Colby waited for the guilt to bunch up in her gut, just as Gentry had predicted. When it didn’t form any kind of knot, she stared up at heaven. If Mark was watching her now, what would he think about who the person she’d become? Would he feel sorry about how he’d hurt and changed her?
Then again, Gentry had to learn not to start something she couldn’t finish. No matter how weak others might think Colby for her willingness to compromise and forgive, she knew it took more strength to do that than to run away. She’d lost sight of that these past couple of years, though. Maybe she’d just needed this reminder.
Chapter Fourteen
“Whoa, what’s the rush?” Colby’s dad caught her before she made it out of the house.
He seemed to be huffing, like he’d raced up a flight of stairs. Colby was just about to ask if he felt okay, when Jenna piped up.
“What are you doing here?” She smiled in that empty manner she managed around Colby, while putting their restaurant leftovers in the refrigerator.
“Visiting Gentry.”
“Where is she?” Her father glanced around.
“Probably in the shower. She was in the hot tub when I arrived.” Colby forced herself to stop fidgeting with her purse strap. So she’d had a fight with her sister. Big deal. Sisters fought all the time. She paused, replaying that last thought—the one she’d used to justify Joe’s ragging on Alec. A dynamic she didn’t want to copy.
“How’s the marketing thing working out?” He leaned against the counter, one foot crossed over the other, his face filled with hope. Hope Colby would have to dash.
“She just quit.”
Jenna shot Colby’s dad a worried look. “Why? She told me she’d created a lot of buzz. She liked the PR work.”
Colby had suspected Gentry had been enjoying the job despite her cavalier act. “We got into an argument. She didn’t like what I had to say, so she quit.”
“What did you say?” Jenna’s fists balled on her hips while Colby quickly summarized the tail end of their conversation.
“Why would you say those things?” Jenna ground out. “Do you get off on making her feel small?”
“You know we’re trying to keep her motivated.” Her father’s disappointment nipped at Colby’s conscience. “I was counting on your help.”
“I did help, Dad. I hired her. I came here tonight to spend time with her, and then she insulted me—more than once.” Colby’s raised her chin. “Am I supposed to roll over just to keep her happy? You’ve tiptoed around her crappy attitude for years, and where’s it gotten you? I didn’t treat her any differently than I’d treat Hunter or Sara under the same circumstances.”
“I’d better check on her.” Jenna tossed a cold glare her way, but Colby couldn’t care less about Jenna. There, another truth.
“What’s gotten into you tonight?” Her dad crossed his arms.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that your wife’s making me the bad guy after I confided in Gentry and she threw it in my face?” She paused, realizing that she’d armed Gentry with information no one else had. Serious misstep—especially considering Gentry’s lack of discretion even when she wasn’t out for revenge. “Don’t expect me to take whatever she dishes out just because you spoiled her.”
“If I spoiled her, it was to compensate for all the time I didn’t spend with her while I was busy building the business.”
Colby sighed and shook her head. Really? “You didn’t spend time with Hunter and me, either, you know.”
“You had your mother, who was able to stay at home with you because of her generous alimony, by the way. Gentry didn’t even have Jenna.”
By Jenna’s choice. Given that Jenna’s nurturing skills were nonexistent, however, it might not have been the worst choice she could’ve made. Of course, Colby didn’t get that honest with her dad. “Seems to me that you all need to have some serious discussions then, because Gentry’s bitter, and you two continuing to kowtow to her isn’t working.”
“We’ll see how easy you think it is once you have kids.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, and for the first time he looked every minute of his sixty-five years.
“I never said it was easy,” she replied, although the idea of motherhood briefly bewitched her. While with Mark, she’d given up the idea of having kids. Now, that possibility didn’t seem so hopeless. Maybe, with the right man, in the right relationship, she’d want to be a mother. “In other news, Alec and I have decided to see each other outside of work.”
“Alec Morgan?” Her father’s brows rose to his hairline.