“For my hair, Turner. What do you think?”
“Alright! No need to bite my head off, babe. You look great, you don’t need a comb,” Turner said, pulling off the highway onto the exit ramp.
Caroline sighed and gave up, placing her purse on the floor by her feet. She sagged back against the car seat and looked out the window with her arms folded across her chest.
“I haven’t been home in a while. I just don’t want to deal with all the crap I always get from Dad,” Caroline muttered, still irritated.
Turner reached over and squeezed her knee, then grabbed her hand, holding it tightly.
“Babe, there is nothing to worry about. Your dad will be happy, because you are doing great at work, you got that promotion to junior legal assistant, and you’re scheduled to take the bar exam in a few months. On top of all that awesomeness, you are dating an amazing, hottie that all parents adore. What could possibly go wrong?” Turner joked, trying to lighten her mood.
Caroline continued to hold onto her frustration, but smiled at his attempts at humor. She squeezed his hand back and turned to look at him.
“I know, they’re going to love you. You’re like the definition of exactly who they want me to be with.”
Turner grinned at her. “Uh oh, does the rebellious teen in you not like that?”
“I’ll figure out a way to get over it.”
At this point, the car was in a residential area and the GPS was alerting the couple that they were approaching their destination. Caroline scrambled to reassemble her purse and smooth her hair in the overhead mirror, while Turner pulled the car into an entrance and started driving up the very long and winding driveway, through a path of trees.
After a few minutes, the trees thinned out and a large house appeared in front of a circular driveway, with a few higher end cars parked to the side. The landscaping was impeccable, every tree was trimmed, and flowers were delicately arranged in beautiful patterns. The house itself was a white brick with olive green shutters, a bright red door, and a wraparound porch across the first floor.
As the couple climbed out of the car, Turner raised his eyebrows in admiration at the large, standard Hampton house in which Caroline had grown up. She grabbed her bag out of the back seat and closed the door to the car. Turner met her at the front of the car and wrapped his arm around her. He took the bag from her, so that she didn’t have to carry it and then grabbed his own bag as well.
“You grew up in this house?”
“Yeah, I know. It’s a nice house. Not really me though, my parents like to wear their money on their sleeves. I’ve always hated that they do that,” Caroline said, as the two walked up the steps to the porch.
Turner looked at her and opened his mouth to respond, but didn’t get a chance, because the front door swung open. A very tall, white haired, stocky older man stepped out. His eyes were glued on Turner and his face was stern, no hint of welcoming.
“Daddy!” Caroline greeted her father and skipped forward to wrap her arms around him.
She couldn’t help it, she would always be a Daddy’s girl. Finally, a smile broke across the intimidating man’s face, as he responded to Caroline’s hug and squeezed his daughter tight.
He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “My Carrie bear, it’s so good to see you.”
A brunette, slender older woman, dressed in a silk dress with a large, jeweled necklace, and several bracelets adorning both wrists, poked her head out from behind Caroline’s father. Her face was the exact opposite of his, beaming with excitement. She stepped around him to embrace her daughter.
“Caroline, sweetheart, you look so beautiful,” Caroline’s mother told her, hugging her again.
“Carrie, are you going to introduce us to your gentleman friend?” Caroline’s father boomed in his deep voice, while standing and staring at Turner, still no hint of friendliness.
Turner stood to the side of Caroline, clearly nervous, with a pensive smile.
“Of course. Dad, Mom, this is my boyfriend Turner Schwartz. Turner, this is my Dad, John Sanders, and my Mom, Elizabeth Sanders.” Caroline motioned to everyone during the introductions.
Turner smiled and offered his hand to Caroline’s father.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sanders.” Turner shook his hand and Caroline’s father looked him up and down suspiciously, with only a grunt and a nod. Caroline’s mother rolled her eyes and gave her husband a little push to the side, as she took his place shaking Turner’s hand.
“I’m so glad to finally meet you, Turner! You can call me Elizabeth. Come, come, let’s go inside. It’s chilly out here,” Caroline’s mother told everyone and ushered them inside the house.
“Just leave your bags by the door, kids,” Elizabeth instructed. “Rosie will take it to your rooms.”
“Rooms?” Caroline asked. “Mom, I think I am old enough to share a room with my boyfriend.”
“Not under my roof,” Caroline’s father huffed as he turned and headed into a side room, which she knew to be the study.
A plump, middle aged woman wearing a maid’s uniform entered from the opposite side of the foyer, and picked up their luggage.
“Nice to see you again, Ms. Caroline. It’s been quiet ‘round here without you,” Rosie greeted her.
Caroline smiled and rushed over to hug her.
“Rosie, I missed you! How are you doing?” Caroline asked, hugging her.
“I’m late on finishing dinner is how I’m doing, Ms. Caroline. I need to rush.” Rosie gave her a wink, then headed up the stairs with the luggage.
Caroline turned back to face her mom. Turner wrapped his arm around her waist in an attempt to ground himself, since he was still nervous.
“Let’s go in the sitting room until dinner is ready, Rosie is making your favorite! Roast beef and potatoes,” Elizabeth explained, as the couple followed her down a hallway into a very bright room with several couches.
The décor could have been right out of a magazine, or an upscale catalog. Caroline and Turner settled themselves onto a floral patterned couch, sitting next to one another. Elizabeth picked a seat diagonally across from them and continued to talk.
“So, tell me about yourself, Turner! We are dying to get to know the man who has stolen our Carrie’s heart! She’s never brought a boyfriend home before, you know,” Caroline’s mother gushed as Caroline turned bright red.
“We liked it that way, too,” Caroline’s father chimed in, entering the room, after having gotten himself a glass of scotch.
He took a swig and sat in a large chair near the fireplace, staring at Turner, who cleared his throat to ease his nerves.
“Well, I’m an accountant. I am Jewish, as you can probably tell from the last name, and I’m crazy about your daughter!” Turner grinned, looking affectionately at Caroline. Elizabeth cooed in response to his sweet comment, but John stayed straight faced. Turner cleared his throat again and continued.
“My parents own a chain of four star restaurants throughout Northern New Jersey. I worked at several when I was growing up, but I love math and numbers, so I went to Princeton for college and became an accountant a few-“ Turner was saying, when John interrupted him.
“You’re a Princeton grad?” Caroline’s father sat up straight in his chair, questioning Turner, with one eyebrow raised suspiciously.
“Yes, sir! Class of 2006, summa cum laude.” Turner nodded in pride, eager to have found something that interested Caroline’s father.
“My boy! Come on, let me show you my collection.” John stood up and finished his drink in a quick gulp, then motioned for Turner to follow him out of the room.
“I am a Princeton man myself, class of 1980. Let me ask you a question, is Professor Stein still over there in the…” The men’s voices trailed off as they left the sitting room, excitedly chatting about their alma mater.
Elizabeth stood up and joined Caroline on her couch, grabbing her hands.
“My Carrie, how have you been? Tell me everyt
hing, now that the men have abandoned us.” Elizabeth chuckled, squeezing her daughter’s hands.
“Everything is great, Mom. Nothing’s really changed, still working at the firm and doing well there. Turner and I are doing well. Everything is great. Oh, Jackie and Aralia send their love.”
“Oh, those sweet girls. I miss them, tell them to come visit soon! I haven’t seen them in at least a year,” Elizabeth crooned.
“I will.” Caroline nodded. Elizabeth leaned back on the couch and sighed, a serious look coming over her face.
“So, have you heard from Logan or has Turner completely eclipsed that old romance?” Her mother asked her out of the blue.
Caroline startled in surprise at the mention of Logan’s name, just hearing it felt like a knife to her heart. Caroline forgot that she had told her mother about Logan shortly after their separation.
She had been so depressed for weeks after Logan went on tour that she had turned to her mother for a few phone calls of comfort. Her mother had kept her confidence and not mentioned anything to her father, which was great since a rock star was definitely not who her father had ever pictured her with. She didn’t need to hear that lecture, too. Caroline shook her head in response to her mother.
“No, I assume that he’s still on tour. It’s irrelevant anyway, since he’s still dating that woman. It just wasn’t meant to be, I guess,” Caroline spoke softly, feeling a catch in her throat, as she remembered their brief romance.
“So, you’re happy with Turner then? You love him?” Her mom cocked her head to the side, looking inquisitively at her daughter.
Caroline looked down, not meeting her mother's eyes, and paused for a moment. Before she could answer, Rosie walked into the room and announced that dinner was ready.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“When are you taking your exam, Caroline?” her father asked, passing a plate of sliced roast beef to her, after placing some on his dish.
“Soon. I think it's in three weeks or something like that.” Caroline shrugged and helped herself to some food.
“Something like that? Three weeks? Caroline, you don’t sound like you’re taking this seriously at all. I did not spend thirty thousand dollars on law school for you to be-” John began lecturing her.
“Oh, John, let’s not argue over dinner. This is our first time meeting Turner, we don’t need to bicker in front of him,” Elizabeth cut in, trying to stop the lecture before it even began.
“Then when am I going to be able to talk to her about it, Beth? We spent thirty thousand dollars for her to go to law school and we can barely get a phone call, let alone a visit out of her. She has been studying for the damn exam for two years now, but she doesn’t even know when it is? And it’s only three weeks away? That sounds completely irresponsible and unprepared to me!” John argued with his wife, his voice escalating in volume.
“Fine, fine. But let’s talk about it after dinner, okay?” Elizabeth put her hands up in surrender, exasperated.
She grabbed the bottle of wine in the center of the table and refilled her glass, quickly taking a hardy sip. John nodded his head and muttered to himself, as an awkward silence fell over them.
Caroline just wanted to crawl underneath the table and disappear. She was so embarrassed that Turner witnessed one of her father’s lectures. She was so exhausted of having this same argument with her dad again and again.
“So, uhm, anyone been watching the Giants this season? Quite the impressive quarterback they’ve got, right?” Turner cut the tension in an attempt to switch topics.
Luckily, the Giants were an easy favorite for Caroline’s father and he instantly grabbed the bait. The rest of the meal went seamlessly as the men argued player statistics and forecasting football games, while Caroline and her mother chatted about friends and local gossip.
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After the two couples finished dinner, Elizabeth excused herself to go to bed early, complaining of a headache. Caroline felt guilty, knowing that arguing with her father always gave her mother a headache. It happened every time Caroline visited. For some reason, she could never please her father or be the daughter he was expecting her to be. At least, that’s how she felt most of the time.
Turner went to go take a shower and get changed for bed, leaving Caroline with her father alone to talk. The two headed out to the back deck, overlooking the garden and pool. Caroline was nursing a glass of wine and her father was on his fifth or sixth scotch, but since this was usual for him, his tolerance kept him calm and collected.
Caroline settled on a swinging bench seat with her glass and watched the sun setting over the hill while her father leaned against the deck railing and gazed at her.
“I like that boy, Carrie,” her father said. Caroline nodded her head and smiled. She knew that Turner would be right up her father’s alley.
“But do you like him, baby girl?” he followed up, after her mute response, looking at her curiously.
Caroline furrowed her brow and looked up at her father.
“Mom asked me the same thing. Of course, I do. Why else would I have brought him here to meet you? I knew you guys would like him,” Caroline said, sipping some of her wine.
“You knew we would like him.” He nodded and took another sip. “But you have never been the easy daughter who agrees with everything we want for you, beautiful.”
Caroline smiled sheepishly and tilted her head to the side, looking up at her father.
“I am sorry, Dad. I don’t mean to be. You know that I just really don’t want to be a lawyer.” Caroline sighed.
“What? I was talking about Turner, not you being a lawyer. You have always wanted to be a lawyer. You practically aced law school, Carrie.” Her dad sounded confused and upset.
“Dad, you know that my heart has never been in law. You have to know that by now. What about my drawing? I can show you my sketches sometime. I am really good and I love it so much. Why can’t I pursue something like that?”
“Caroline, drawing is not a career. It’s barely a hobby. It’s a pastime at most. How are you going to pay the bills with that?”
“Well, I have done some illustrations in college for collegiate magazines and stuff like that. I think I can get into illustrating books and make a living just fine. I know you guys are supporting me right now, and I appreciate that, but I don’t need it. I know I can do well on my own as an artist,” Caroline tried to explain, although she knew in reality she wasn’t ready to go without her parent’s financial support.
Her father let out a deep breath and sat next to her on the swinging bench seat.
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” he said quietly.
“Dad, I’m sorry. But yeah, I really am,” she told him as he sighed and glanced at her, then rubbed his hand across his closed eyes.
“Are you disappointed in me?” she asked, nervously, sounding like a child.
“Carrie, I could never be disappointed in you.” He reached his arm around her back and pulled her flush against his side. She leaned her head on his shoulder, enjoying the comforting embrace.
“I want you to be happy. If being an illustrator will make you happy for the rest of your life, then I will find a way to support that. But you’ll need to take care of yourself, learn to stand on your own feet. It’s time I let you do things yourself.” He rubbed her arm, holding her tighter.
She smiled and closed her eyes. She had dreaded this conversation, but had never imagined it would go so well. She felt that father-daughter connection that she had been missing during law school. She was both afraid of being on her own, as well as excited.
“Carrie, do you remember the story of how I met your mother?” he asked her and she shook her head no.
“It went to a dance, back when I was in the Navy. We were on shore for such a brief period, but it was Valentine's day. So, the local chapter of naval families hosted a ball and invited every woman in town to dance with us for the evening. Your mother didn’t want to
go, but her younger sisters dragged her along. As much as I can’t stand your Aunt Margaret and Joanne sometimes, I will always be grateful to them for bringing her that night. I didn’t even notice her at first, until she bumped into me. I turned around, ready to mouth off to whoever it was that had just knocked into me, until I saw it was your mother.”
Caroline smiled at the thought of him ever trying to yell at her mother. She’d never stand for it.
“We didn’t even say anything, not even a hello. We just stared at each other for a moment, then I took her hands and we danced. We danced all night until the event ended. Then, we went to the docks and dropped our feet into the bay. We sat there until the sun came up, talking about everything. I was shipped out the next day, but we traded hundred of letters until my enlistment ended. The moment I came home, I told her I was going to marry her and I did,” he paused and breathed deeply, smiling nostalgically at the memory.
“That’s really beautiful, Daddy,” Caroline told him, smiling at the story.
“In a decade or two, when you are telling your child about how you met their father, my only wish is that it’s a story like that. Love beyond your wildest imagination. Just think about it, baby girl.” Her father stood up and kissed her on top of her head, then headed inside.
Caroline sat there and finished her wine, as the sky turned dark. She couldn’t stop thinking about what her father had told her. She accidentally let her thoughts drift back to Logan.
I am such a mess, she thought as she got up and headed inside to go to bed.
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“It’s not a mistake, Gina.” Logan handed her a stack of papers. She grabbed them from him and tossed them to the side, letting them flutter across the room before settling on the floor.
“I’m not taking those. I’m not leaving. I have been the best thing for your career and made you into Logan Clay. THE LOGAN CLAY. You don’t get to just toss that aside,” Gina shouted at him, storming across the penthouse.
Her Forbidden Rockstar: A Forbidden Rockers Novel Page 12