The Day I Kissed An Older Man

Chapter 2900

Were it not for the huge dining table that separated them, Karen would have been tempted to give her daughter a gentle pat as a signal to stop her nonsensical chatter. Sadie's actions were only setting herself up for embarrassment. Sherman seemed to view her as non-existent, and there was really no point for her to try to get close to him.

Sadie set the soup aside and said, "I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I'm just telling the truth. Take today, for example-your husband's sudden arrival caught our parents off guard. I think we can all agree it's not very hospitable of us to receive him as a guest when our meals were not even prepared yet. If word of this gets out, our reputation for hospitality will be tarnished. And I don't think I need to remind you that your husband is an esteemed guest. You know that better than anyone, and you should at least be considerate of his status."

Rita chewed her food and shot Sadie a glare. She knew what Sadie's intentions were. Sherman's presence at the Russells was a chance for Sadie to have more interactions with him, and it seemed as though her covetous thoughts toward Sherman had not entirely dissipated yet.

Sadie lacked even the most basic sense of decorum. Although her living conditions had improved dramatically after she had joined the Russells', she failed to pick up on even the smallest bit of etiquette and decorum. It was highly inappropriate for an unmarried girl like her to ask her brother-in-law to come over more often, and she did not seem to realize just how embarrassing that would be for her family if anyone outside of the family found out. Her attempts to manipulate Rita with that only showed just how out of her mind she was.

Sherman did not fire back as he was in Rita's home. He knew that he had to give Rita enough space to uphold her dignity, and his presence by her side in such times of need was all that was required.

Rita heaped some food onto Sherman's plate and wiped her mouth with a napkin before saying, "I didn't know you had the final say in this household."

Sadie immediately adjusted her expression and snickered. "What are you implying by that? I would never overstep our boundaries like that. I'm just conveying Dad's thoughts. If you believe me, you can ask him yourself. He wants you to come home more often, but it's never easy for a father to express such thoughts.

She then turned to Vince as Vince was wiping his mouth. "Your sister is right. You can't just stop coming home after getting married. I've raised you for so many years, and I'm still not used to the thought of you being married to someone else. This was your mother's home too."

The 'mother' he referred to was Rita's biological mother, and Karen was not happy to hear that. The bedroom she and Vince slept in was not the master bedroom but an adjacent one. The decision to sleep in that room sparked several disputes between Karen and Vince. He refused to sleep there with Karen because the room still bore the memories of him with his ex-wife.

Initially, Vince intended it to be a place of memories for him and Rita, with Rita frequently seeking solace there during her frequent childhood nightmares. That was the only place where Rita could feel her mother's presence.