Chapter 579: A Bit Tired
Candy grabbed Grace's hand like it was a lifeline. As soon as they plopped down at the table, Candy took a dramatic breath, "Dang, look at all this grub. Mom, Susan always whips up my fave stuff and treats me like a queen."
"No wonder your cheeks are getting all puffy. Have you thanked Susan properly?" Grace asked.
"Totally, I say thanks to Susan every single day," Candy replied, all innocent-like.
"Then I should thank you too." Grace shot a grateful look at Susan. "Thanks for taking such good care of my kid."
It sounded like a thank you, and Candy was Grace's daughter, but something about it just felt off to Susan.
Still, Susan forced a smile and ladled some soup into Candy's bowl.
"It's my fave chicken soup. Mom, you gotta try it; it's bomb." Candy scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and held it up to Grace's mouth.
Grace took a sip, "Mmm, it's really good. Susan, you're a wizard in the kitchen, unlike me. I can only make a few things, and I even managed to hurt myself earlier. Next time, you gotta teach me how to cook. I wanna make some of Candy's favorite dishes too."
"We'll see," Susan said, dishing out some soup for Oliver.
"Susan, I'm so stoked today. Can we have Mom over for dinner every weekend from now on?" Candy asked, eyes wide with hope.
Susan's hand froze mid-air, her face giving away nothing.
"Susan, can we?" Candy pressed on.
Susan stayed silent. She wanted to say yes, but the words just wouldn't come out.
"No, Candy. Susan already busts her butt cooking for everyone, and adding Mom would be too much," Grace said.
"It won't be. It's just one more person and one more dish. Mom doesn't eat much. I can help too. Susan, is that cool?"
"Drink your soup before it gets cold."
"I really want Mom to have dinner with us every weekend. Susan, you're the best. You'll say yes, right?" Candy kept pushing, "Susan..."
"If you don't agree, I'm not eating." Candy put down her spoon, pouting.
"Candy," Caleb frowned.
"Dad, you're being mean. I just want to have dinner with Mom. What's so bad about that?"
"You..."
To stop Caleb and Candy from butting heads, Susan quickly said, "We'll talk about it later. Candy, eat your food first, okay?"
"I'll eat only if you agree." Candy was stubborn.
"Candy, why are you being so difficult?" Grace put on a stern face, "You shouldn't force Susan to do something she doesn't want to, okay?"
Susan felt a bit stuck, 'I never said I didn't want to. Is Grace helping me or throwing me under the bus?'
"But I accepted Susan being with Dad, and that was tough for me too. So why can't Susan accept having dinner with Mom? It's not a big ask. I just wanna spend more time with my mom. Is that so wrong?" Candy's head drooped, tears welling up in her eyes.
What could Susan say to that? Could she really just sit there and watch Candy cry?
"Candy, it's not that I don't want to. I agree." Susan finally gave in.
Candy's face lit up. "Really, Susan?"
Caleb looked at Susan with concern, his eyes saying she didn't need to push herself.
Susan smiled and shook her head, giving Caleb a look that said she was cool with it.
"Yeah, really. Now, chow down."
"Okay." Candy quickly grabbed her fork again. "Thanks, Susan. You're the best. Love ya!"
After dinner, Susan was elbow-deep in dishes when Caleb took a bowl from her hands, "You busted your butt cooking. Let me handle this."
"Alright." Susan seemed a bit spaced out and wandered off to the balcony for some fresh air.
The May breeze was already warm against her face.
"Never thought I'd see Caleb doing dishes. He's really good to you. In the four years we were married, he barely ate at home, let alone touched the kitchen. Just goes to show, there's no such thing as an unthoughtful guy; he's just not thoughtful to you," Grace said with a smirk.
"I'm not griping. I just feel... maybe a bit jealous. We dated for two years and were married for four, but he always had only you in his heart. I'm just venting. I've moved on from Caleb, though Candy still hopes we'll get back together. That's normal, right? What kid doesn't want a complete family?" Grace said with a bitter smile.
Maybe it was the sticky early summer air, but Susan found herself getting annoyed by Grace's voice.
Grace wasn't as pushy as before; she had changed. But the vibe she gave Susan was still off. Susan couldn't tell if it was old grudges or something else.
"I know you don't want me around much. I only agreed earlier to get Candy to eat. I'm not that dense. I won't come running if you don't like it. I'll only pop by occasionally and won't bug you often. But I still hope that next time, you can teach me how to cook," Grace said, trying to be friendly. "Okay?"
"We'll see," Susan said, not even trying to be nice.
"Seems like you still haven't forgiven me. What should I do?"
"You don't need to do anything," Susan said. "Oliver and Candy like some fruit after dinner. I'll go slice some apples."
Susan headed into the kitchen, where Caleb was still washing dishes.
As she walked over, Caleb naturally kissed the top of her head. "You worked hard today."
"It was alright." Susan grabbed two apples from the fridge.
"Why do you look so down? Is it because of Candy? Don't sweat it. I won't let Grace into our home for the next year."
"What if Candy throws a fit?" Susan asked.
"Then I'll take her to see Grace outside. There are always ways to handle it. Kids can be coaxed."
"That's true for most kids, but not Candy. Don't you think she's super stubborn when it comes to Grace? Of course, it's normal; she's her mom." Susan sighed. "Caleb, I feel like I'm already starting to feel the strain of being caught in the middle."
"What do you mean caught in the middle? You and I are a team. Why are you treating yourself like an outsider?"
"I'm not treating myself as an outsider. It's just..." Susan sighed and smiled weakly. "I'm a bit worn out."
"If you're tired, rest. Leave everything to me. As for Candy, I'll make her drop the idea. I won't let Grace mess with our lives. Leave it all to me, okay? Do you trust me?"
Susan didn't say anything, just leaned into his arms.
Hopefully, she was just overthinking and putting too much pressure on herself. Otherwise, Candy's situation would be a real headache.
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