Chapter 125

Yvonne had been waiting for her family to praise her, but Sally’s reaction was so intense that it stunned her. For a second, she just froze, then darted behind Jared for cover.

Jared frowned, studying Yvonne’s boyish short hair, then shot me a reproachful look. “Victoria, why did you cut Yvonne’s hair so short?”

Next to me, Quinn rolled her eyes and silently mouthed, “You’re nuts.”

I knew that every time Yvonne made a mistake, it always came back to me getting scolded. I’d gotten used to it.

“Yvonne was the one who wanted to get her hair cut,” I said.

Yvonne nervously clutched Jared’s shirt and whispered, “Yeah, I wanted to. Does it look bad?”

This time, I wasn’t going to take all the blame for Yvonne’s choices. Since she was the one involved, I made sure she spoke up for herself.

“My darling, why did you chop off your beautiful waist-length hair like this? It looks like a dog chewed on it,” Sally finally stopped blaming me and turned her attention to Yvonne.

Jared squatted down and asked Yvonne seriously, “Why did you cut your hair? You’re a girl. Long hair is what makes girls look pretty.”

“I don’t want to be pretty. Mom’s pretty, but it doesn’t do her any good,” Yvonne said, using me as her example.

With her hands on her hips and in her best grown-up voice, she added, “I want to be a fighter like a boy.”

Jared and Sally exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but laugh. They gave Yvonne’s cheeks a playful pinch, and just like that, the whole hair-cutting drama blew over.

Jared looked up at me, probably remembering how they’d just finished scolding me. He said, “Since it was Yvonne’s idea, you still should’ve talked to me before cutting her hair.”

Honestly, his so-called comfort after the fact didn’t mean squat to me. I just replied coolly, “She’s growing up. She can make her own choices now. I’m just respecting what she wants.”

Sally clearly wasn’t buying it. “Growing up? She’s not even eighteen yet. She still needs to be kept in line. Just look at her, all tomboyish. She doesn’t look like a girl at all.”

“Grandma, I’ve decided to be a boy for a while,” Yvonne said, all rebellious.

Sally couldn’t help but laugh at that and let it go.

Jared looked me over and said, “I’m flying to Showtown this afternoon. Want to come with me?”

My eyes flickered. “What for?”

“I’ve got some business to handle over there. Figured you might be bored staying here, so why not come along for a change of scenery?” Jared said, actually sounding thoughtful for once.

'Since when did he start caring about how I feel?' I wondered.

“Sure, I’ll go,” I replied, no way I was letting a chance like this slip by.

Sally wasn’t having it. “Jared, you’re going for business. Is it really appropriate to bring Victoria along? She doesn’t know the first thing about it.”

“She doesn’t know now, but she can always learn,” Jared replied, shooting me a look that seemed to mean more than he was saying.

I narrowed my eyes. 'Did our fight last night actually get through to him?' I thought.

“What does a housewife need to learn all that for?” Sally said, a bit displeased.

Quinn, sprawled out nearby, drawled, “Jared, are you feeling sorry for Victoria or something? Leaving Yvonne with us on purpose so you can take her out and have some fun together?”

Jared shot me a glance, then looked away and said in a flat voice, “She hasn’t left Hachester in ages. A little change of scenery will do her good.”

“Dad, I want to go too.” Yvonne immediately started whining, “Take me with you.”