The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 12

“Mr. Baylor, I’ve already told you, I don’t want anything,” Suzie said, her voice clear and steady. “Please don’t involve me in whatever arrangement you make with Margaret. I have an appointment to get to. I’ll see you at two o’clock.”

With that, Suzie retied her hair and turned to walk out the door.

Margaret scrambled to block her path, jabbing a finger at her. “You think you can just walk away and pretend you don’t owe this family anything? Do you have any idea how much we sacrificed to raise you? You ungrateful wretch, you won’t even call me ‘Mom’ anymore!”

Suzie’s eyes flashed with anger. “Are you planning to make me responsible for the entire family’s expenses? Would you all just cease to exist without me?” she shot back, her voice low and furious. “And as for why I don’t call you ‘Mom’… you know exactly why.”

“You… you are a truly ungrateful brat!” Margaret’s fury quickly morphed into a theatrical display of grief.

“Oh, what am I going to do? How will I survive?” she wailed.

Behind them, Jamie, who had just finished a cigarette, slammed his hand on the desk, the sharp sound cutting through Margaret’s performance.

“Are you done with your show?” he asked, his voice flat and ice-cold. “You’re wasting my time.”

What? Suzie froze. He still didn’t believe her? He thought she was acting? It was one thing for him to be heartless, but to think so little of her…

“Jamie Baylor!”

She said his full name, a surge of courage pushing the word out. She had never dared to address him so directly before. The sound of it seemed to startle him for a second, but she didn’t give him a chance to react.

In the stunned silence she left behind, both of them seemed to be processing what had just happened.

The obedient daughter was gone. The gentle, dutiful wife was gone. And in her place stood a woman who had just made a solemn vow in the middle of a corporate office.

After a long moment, Margaret forced an awkward laugh. “Jamie, please, don’t kick me out just yet. Let me explain.”

She leaned forward conspiratorially. “You don’t understand, that girl loves you so much. This sudden divorce must have been a shock to her system. That’s why she’s acting so strange.”

“She used to be so good to me,” Margaret lamented. “And now look at her, she won’t even call me ‘Mom’. There’s clearly something wrong with her head.”