“You see this book, right here?” She waved For the Duke’s Convenience in their faces. “This book is emblematic of how much of an idiot I am. This book proves what kind of stick-in-the-mud, prudish tight-ass I’ve been all these years. There’s a man, a beautiful librarian, in my town, who has been hounding me for the last couple weeks over this book. I was so hardheaded and stuck in my ways that I convinced myself I couldn’t make a mistake. But in reality, I don’t return library books on time because I’m a normal person who’s allowed to fuck up.”

Her mother gasped and her father cleared his throat. “Young lady—” Katherine started.

“No ma’am, that’s part of the problem. I’m not a young lady anymore.” Victoria glanced at her father who gave her a slight nod. “I’m a grown-ass woman who is allowed to think for herself. And for the first time in thirty-four years, I’m finally understanding that. John Donovan is back in Farmingdale waiting on me to commit to a relationship and I couldn’t because I was worried about you and your demands.”

“Who the hell is John Donovan?” her mother asked.

“The beautiful librarian,” Archie said.

“I was so worried about being perfect for everyone, in every situation, that I managed to drive off the one man who likes me when I’ve got him in a sweaty arm bar. I could have brought him here to meet you, but I was worried about what you’d think of him. Moreover, I worried about what you’d do to him,” Victoria said, pointing at her mother. “If I couldn’t stand up to you, I didn’t want to subject anyone else to you.”

Her mother’s eyes watered up with alarming convenience as she turned to her husband. “Am I that terrible of a mother?” she asked. “Have I not done everything I could to ensure she was a successful woman?”

Her father chose not to answer. Instead, he placed his hand over hers and turned to Victoria. “Continue.”

Victoria took a deep breath, and with a clear head, she addressed them both. “I love you both very much, but there is a reason why I haven’t seen you in ten months. I can’t be myself around you and that has to change if we’re to have a real relationship. Mom, you have to stop dictating how I dress, how I stand, and who I date. It’s got to stop. No more tight ball gowns, no more divorced lawyers.” Victoria finished her tirade by kissing them both on the cheek.

“So, you’re not coming to brunch?” her mother asked, stunned by her lecture.

“Absolutely not,” she said, hitching her bag on her shoulder. “I’ve got 48 hours to get my librarian back.”

“Go get ’em, baby,” Archie said with a fist pump.

“Thanks, Dad.”