“Yes, I’ve been busy.”
She tilted her head and gave a little laugh.
“That’s good. Keeps you out of trouble, I hope.”
That got a few knowing looks from my uncles, the kind of smug glances that suggested they were remembering old family gossip about my reckless choices.
The reunion dinner continued, but it was clear that my sudden reappearance had thrown them off balance.
Every time I joined a group conversation, someone would find a way to slip in a backhanded comment.
Marcus asked loudly, “So, do you still live in that, what was it? That little apartment over a garage?” before chuckling to himself.
Rachel chimed in with, “Well, if you’re running a resort now, I hope you have someone helping you with the numbers. We all know math wasn’t your strong suit.”
And then came the real kicker, my father’s toast.
He stood up, glass in hand, and began praising Marcus for a recent promotion. Then Rachel for her beautiful family and homemaking skills before finally getting to me.
“And Daniel…”
He paused for a beat that was just a little too long.
“Well, Daniel seems to have landed on his feet. Let’s hope it lasts this time.”
The table laughed softly. Not maliciously loud, but just enough to sting.
What they didn’t know was that every jab, every smirk, every whisper was doing nothing but sharpening my focus.
I didn’t come here just to be seen. I came here to watch, to listen, to measure exactly how deep their contempt still ran.
And before the night was over, they would give me more material than I could have imagined.
By the time dessert rolled around, the tension had settled into a strange rhythm. Smiles for the group photos, polite laughter for the safe topics, and those quick dagger-like comments slipped in whenever they thought I wouldn’t notice.
I played along, letting them believe they still had the upper hand.
It wasn’t until the second round of coffee was served that the evening took a turn.
Marcus had disappeared for a while, and when he came back, he was carrying himself with that cocky swagger I knew all too well.
He clinkedked his glass to get everyone’s attention.
“So,” he said with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes, “I just had a very interesting chat with the resort manager.”