Love in Jeopardy

Chapter 10

Their first fight happened just before Thanksgiving. Gideon wanted to take Taryn to meet his parents. She always volunteered to help serve a meal to the homeless every Thanksgiving. It was something she'd started doing when she moved out on her own. She didn't want to let the meal organizers down by going away with Gideon. She provided half the pies for the dessert. They were counting on her.

"Can't someone else do it instead this year?" Gideon asked gruffly. Taryn so rarely refused him that he didn't know how to react.

"Not at such short notice," Taryn argued, standing her ground.

"This is crazy. Don't you want to meet my parents?"

"Of course I do, Gideon. Can't I meet them some other weekend?"

"My parents are expecting me this weekend, Taryn. I'm all they've got. I don't want to let them down."

"Of course not. So go join them and I'll see you after you get back."

"But, this is our first holiday together. Don't you want to spend it with me?"

Taryn tried to placate him by giving him a hug. But he backed away from her. She could tell he was really hurt by her refusal.

"I would love to spend the holiday with you, but I have made a commitment and I have to honour it. Surely you can understand that?"

"Don't patronize me," he retorted angrily.

"You're just angry because you're not getting your own way for once."

"Oh, really. You've been bending over backwards to accommodate my schedule up to now."

"You're not the only one who has a life, Gideon. I've tried to be flexible, but there's nothing I can do about it this time."

"Do you know how rare it is for me to have three days off in a row? All I want is to spend my free time with you."

Taryn felt a tear come to her eye. Was he trying to make her feel guilty for volunteering for the homeless? How could he be so selfish?

She turned away from him, placing her hands on her kitchen counter. She didn't want him to see her cry.

"If you're trying to make me feel guilty, it's working," she said, wiping a tear from her cheek. She heard Gideon sigh behind her.

"I won't apologize for feeling frustrated."

"So don't."

"Maybe I should just leave."

"Maybe you should."

Gideon never said 'good-bye' without kissing her. When the door shut firmly behind him a moment later, her shoulders slumped. So that was it. Their first fight. She felt terrible. She never realized how much she hated arguing. Maybe that's why she avoided situations that caused conflict. She never expected a conflict with Gideon. Trying to placate him had been a waste of time. She never intended to disappoint him, but she supposed she had.

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The next few days were miserable ones for Taryn. She alternated between feeling sad and angry at the way things had happened. She didn't hear from Gideon before Thanksgiving. She was busy preparing her pies for the meal. She went through the motions when she went to volunteer. No one could tell the difference because she only volunteered once a year. It was great to be able to give something of herself to the homeless community because she knew what is was like to worry about having a place to live. She was lucky she had her own place because a lot of people didn't.