Chapter 7 - The Arrival
My dark gray pickup truck came to a stop at the end of the line of luxury vehicles.
I turned off the ignition, glanced in the rearview mirror, and adjusted my collar. I wasn't wearing a tuxedo. I was wearing dark jeans, a crisp button-down shirt, and work boots. Next to me in the passenger seat, Caleb was playing with a handheld video game, completely insulated from the catastrophe outside.
"Stay in the truck for a minute, Caleb," I said calmly. "I need to talk to Marcus."
"Okay, Dad," he muttered, not even looking up from his screen.
I opened the driver’s side door and stepped down onto the gravel. The moment my boots hit the ground, the entire crowd went dead silent.
Lisa burst through the limousine door, nearly tripping on the hem of her lace gown as she scrambled toward me. "Jake! You pathetic, selfish bastard! Look at what you're doing to me! Look at what you're doing to our family!"
Brandon grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back before she could reach me. "Lisa, stop. Just stop."
I walked steadily toward the gates, ignoring the hostile glares from Lisa’s bridesmaids and the stunned, bewildered expressions of Brandon’s relatives. I nodded to Marcus. "Marcus."
"Mr. Miller," Marcus greeted me, his professional demeanor returning instantly. "Good to see you. We are ready to execute your instructions. All vendor access remains suspended."
Lisa began weeping loudly, hiding her face in her hands. "Please, Jake... the photographer is charging by the hour... the guests flew in from New York... please don't do this to me. I’m your sister."
I stopped and looked at her. Really looked at her.
"Last night, Lisa, you looked my son in the eye and laughed while he cried," I said, my voice carrying clearly across the quiet countryside so every single guest could hear. "You told me that family means being there for you, but when it came to Caleb, you called him weak and told me I was a failure of a father for demanding basic respect."
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"I was stressed!" she wailed. "It was the night before my wedding!"
"No," I replied evenly. "You weren't stressed. You were entitled. You’ve been entitled your entire life because nobody ever made you pay the bill. Well, today the bill is due."
