Brady’s been moody lately. I had Monday off so I went to the grocery store then slaved away in the kitchen making a Greek inspired dinner. And a chocolate cake. I was pretty proud of myself and excited for Brady to try my dish. He ended up working late and was exhausted by the time he got home. He barely even said hi to me before getting in bed and going to sleep.
Brady must have felt bad about it because he woke me up the next morning and offered to take me to Starbucks and then to work. Yes please.
Luke was waiting for me in the design room when I got in. He had been there for an hour already working on ideas. When Luke is in the zone, he’s in the zone. He started rambling off ideas while I sipped my green tea latte, ate my donut and nodded. I heard footsteps and then saw Stacey walk in.
“Hey babies,” she said, hopping on the table next to me.
I didn’t even acknowledge her.
“I heard back from that job,” she said.
That got my attention. I turned to face her, hoping for good news.
“They want someone with more experience. So they offered me a junior position, but it only pays $42,000. I was hoping for at least $60k.”
I just couldn’t help putting my two cents in.
“Are you really in any position to be that picky right now? With no experience, it’ll be a good way to get your foot in the door. Plus, you’re still living at home so it’s not like you have a ton of expenses,” I said.
“I just want to be like you, Reese,” she said sweetly. “I want a high paying job with no experience and not have to do anything plus have a rich boyfriend who doesn’t make me pay for anything.”
“What are you talking about?” was all I could think to say back even though it was obvious what she was talking about.
Stacey started laughing like the maniac that she is. I glared at Luke because obviously he’d told her everything.
“Reese, you are literally goals,” she laughed. And then she reached over and grabbed my donut with her gross little fingers. She couldn’t break off a piece with just one hand so she started touching all over my donut.
“Can you fucking not?!” I exclaimed and grabbed the thing from her.
She’d managed to get a little piece off and popped it in her mouth while laughing.
I stormed out. Later on, Stacey went running around the office telling everyone that she’d gotten a lead on a major new account. I whispered to Luke, “Congrats on doing your job, bitch,” and he gave me a look.
“It’s just a lead?” I asked her. “What if it falls through?”
“It won’t fall through,” she said, flipping her hair at me.
I don’t even know why I continue trying to communicate with her. She’s just always in my face like a gnat and I can’t help it.
When I got home that night, I played with Tucker for a little bit then I made dinner and dessert and waited for Brady to get home. When he got home I was playing with Tucker on the floor of the living room. Brady walked past without saying anything and I got up and followed him.
“I made dinner. It’s from the Pioneer Woman,” I said.
“Could you have made a bigger fucking mess?” Brady asked, tossing a pan that I didn’t even end up using.
“I’m going to clean obviously,” I said.
He mumbled something about the place being disgusting and stormed out. I followed him.
“Did you have a bad day?” I asked as we walked toward the bedroom.
No response.
We got in the room and Brady said, “Of course, it’s a disaster in here too.”
I’ll admit, I made a bit of a mess when I was getting ready in the morning and I hadn’t had time to clean it up. But only because I’d come home and immediately started on dinner for Brady. I watched as he started picking stuff up off the floor – my boots, an empty shopping bag, etc. My makeup bag was sitting on the nightstand and I had some products sitting out and Brady grabbed all of it and shoved it in the empty shopping bag.
“What the fuck? Don’t touch my shit!” I exclaimed and pushed him. He held the bag out to me, so I could finish cleaning I guess, and stormed into the bathroom.
I heard the shower come on and I called my mom.
“Dad said he would help me buy a condo. I need him to find me one because I can’t live with this asshole anymore,” I said when she picked up.
“Babe, stop being mean to Brady. He’s so good to you,” she said.
Usually my mom only hears the good side of our relationship because I don’t like to tell her everything else (moms always hold a grudge) so she thinks he’s perfect.
“I made a Pioneer Woman recipe and he didn’t even eat it because he was too worried about the kitchen being a mess,” I ranted.
“You have to clean as you cook, sweetie,” my mom said in the most condescending voice ever. “Your dad has been teaching you that since forever.”
I was annoyed that she wasn’t taking my side so I told her I had to go and hung up. I thought if anyone would understand, it would be my mom. She’s messy like me and we had to hire a cleaning service to clean our house once a week. So she has some nerve telling me to clean as I cook. I finished picking up all my things from Brady’s room (it wasn’t even that bad) and moved it to the office. I decided that I would get ready there in the mornings instead. I’d loaded the dishwasher and was scrubbing the counters when Brady walked into the kitchen.
“Hey. I’m sorry,” he said immediately.
I glared at him. “You’re sorry? Why?” I just wanted him to admit that he was being a dick for no reason and own up to it.
“For yelling at you. Thank you for cleaning,” Brady said.
“Apology not accepted. I made a mess because I was making dinner for you. So leave me alone while I finish up in here.”
“I’ll help,” he said and picked up a sponge to help me with the counters.
I wanted to ask why he didn’t just help in the first place, but didn’t and we worked in silence for a little while.
Once we were done and the kitchen was sparkling clean, Brady asked, “Do you want me to go get ice cream?”
“Yes,” I said without even looking up at him.
After he left, I thought it would be a great time to get some gifts out of him so I texted him saying there were some things I wanted on Nordstrom.com and could I use his card to get it? He didn’t even ask how much it was and just said, “Yes.”
Sucker. I ordered a pair of sunglasses, the Hourglass ambient lighting edit highlighting palette plus the matching brush. So nothing too crazy, lucky for him.
When he got home, we sat in the living room and ate our ice cream and talked about our days. Brady is probably sick of hearing about Stacey too, but he still listens and tells me to ignore her, avoid her and not stoop to her level. So easy for him to say.
After we finished our ice cream, we started fooling around on the couch. It was long overdue. We never do anything besides kiss anymore and it’s equally weird and frustrating. It kind of freaks me out because we used to be super sexually active and have sex almost every single day. Makes me wonder if he’s getting it elsewhere. It doesn’t help that I keep having dreams at night of him hooking up with other girls. One of them appeared to be that Hailey girl (he was having sex with a petite blonde, but I couldn’t see her). Another night, I had a dream that Brady was sitting down and Stacey kept walking past him and rubbing his shoulders and stuff. Then eventually they disappear into a room. That dream offended me much more than the other one only because Stacey was involved. I wanted to kill her. She’s such a bitch, showing up in my dream and touching all over my man.
She made a comment about me living with Brady rent free again on Wednesday.
“You don’t even know what you’re talking about so mind your own business,” I said back.
She started laughing, obviously. “It isn’t a bad thing, jeez. I wish I had a generous boyfriend too.”
Later on in the day Luke invited both of us to party on Saturday night and after Stacey said yes, I pretended I had other plans. Luke texted me and said, “Do you actually have plans or do you not want to go because she’s going?”
“The latter.”
“You’re petty,” he said.
I feel like Luke and I are drifting apart because he’s so close with Stacey and I hate her so much. It sucks, but I physically can’t be around her especially outside of work. So if he wants to hang out with her all the time, I’ll let him.
That Hailey girl texted Brady on Wednesday night and said, “Hey, do you still think you can make it on Friday night?”
They haven’t talked about anything happening on Friday so I don’t know what she’s referring to. Which leads me to believe that they must have seen each other in person recently. I just don’t understand where they could have met.
Brady replied, “I’ll let you know.”
That was the only time they messaged this week and I’m super duper curious to see what he does tonight, if he tells me he has plans or what. I’ve been checking her Facebook constantly trying to figure out who she is. So far, I haven’t found out anything. She and Brady aren’t even friends! It’s frustrating.
Y’all will be happy to know that I downloaded the Handy app and booked our first cleaning on Monday! I’m not going to tell Brady and pretend that I’m just getting better about cleaning. #lifehack
hot mess in high heels. 
Okay, Luke is not your friend.
If he is there when Stacey is acting like this, and he still thinks you’re petty for not wanting to be around her, that’s horrible.
Also, please update tonight and let us know what Brady is doing! I NEED TO KNOW! 🙂
Oh, one more thing… I think you getting a cleaning service is awesome! It’s a great way to contribute!
I used to be all about you and Brady. But I seriously hate him right now and hate what he is doing. He’s shady and mean. Almost on a level of emotional abuse. Also, I do not understand how you can be so manipulative with using his card to buy you things. Seems like such a counterproductive way to go around fixing your issues. I’m sick over the whole Hailey exchanges. Sure he can have friends of the opposite sex, but those relationships should be transparent. His behavior, coming home late, being short/mean with you, no sex?!?!?!! Those are all good signs of affair. I’m not saying he is, but I’m saying trust your gut and find a way to address it. You deserve so much better.
Oh. And I fucking hate Stacey too. And I think it’s shitty that Luke would be telling her those things and presenting them in a light that makes you look bad. It’s obvious they talk about you and she feels entitled to treat you the way she does. He’s not a friend… Luke sucks right now too. Gah! You NEED a vacation!!
^ Thats some pretty tough love but I can’t say I disagree. Definitely some red flags on the Brady front.
well this sucks!!!
This ^^^ Totally sneaky on Brady’s front.
I think you really need to have a calm sit-down discussion with Brady to find out what’s going on with him. It seems like he’s starting to act the same way he did when you guys broke up the last time. From what you’ve told us, he’s kind of distant, moody, secretive, and continues to not communicate with you. He acts like a real jerk but then apologizes it away and then buys you something he knows you want, like it will make his behavior okay. I can see that you’ve been making an effort to do your part in trying to change, but what has Brady done? Just from what you’ve said, it doesn’t sound like he’s made any effort to work on his issues. He still holds in his feeling and then explodes at you, which is not acceptable, and you shouldn’t keep letting him get away with it just because he says he’s sorry. He needs to do more than be sorry – he needs to show you that he wants to be in this relationship with you. With the whole “I don’t want to get married” stuff, and his lack of interest in sex, and the way he’s been acting, I definitely think it’s time for a heart-to-heart and some soul searching. When you two broke up the last time, he had some things he’d been bottling up which led to him blurting out that he wanted to break up. Something might be up with him again. I don’t think he’s stupid enough to cheat on you or anything. But maybe he’s either interested in that other girl or he’s getting freaked out about the marriage talk and is feeling pressured or suffocated. It’s not all that uncommon. Whatever is going on though, you need to stop dancing around the issues and just get to the bottom of it. Good luck!
this is exactly how Brady was acting last year before we broke up and it was around this time too.. good point! i plan on bombarding him this weekend and get some answers. what’s going on now is not okay – you are right
Oh… I forgot to add that you REALLY have been doing a good job on trying to keep your cool about Stacey. I don’t know how you don’t slap that smirk off her face every time she opens her mouth. I definitely don’t think I could work in that kind of hostile environment! Also, I would stop sharing so much with Luke, if I were you. Obviously he tells her everything you’re telling him and she’s twisting it in her mind to be something else and keeps throwing it in your face, which is just not cool. She’s purposely trying to antagonize and harass you. If I were you, I’d consider going to HR.
I’m hesitant to go to HR because I’m not sure what to say… “she’s being mean to me, can you discipline her?” I don’t want to sound like a baby
I worked in HR for a few years and they can give you some tips on to handle her and the situations that arise through interacting with her. Since you’re in a management position, it is crucial that you handle the situations appropriately. And, an HR rep can provide some guidance and help you stay focused on yourself and your job.
Here’s the problem. When Reese makes friends or flirts with random men it’s deemed okay but god forbid Brady talk to another woman. Reese if you can accept Louis Vuitton bag from your friend Brady can talk to a woman. You passed out at some random guys place and it’s fine but if Brady does anything remotely close you get pissed?
You seem to forget this is Brady’s apartment that you’ve hijacked into your personal pig sty. You’re a grown women clean up after yourself. I think you need to stop snooping and grow up. Until you can be accountable for your actions don’t be a hypocrite. You told Brady you met Marco but did you mention the bag?
Last it sucks that you use Brady’s money because you can. Makes you look like a gold digger.
I’m not pissed at Brady about anything, I am just curious to know who his new friend is. and I never said any of the things I do is okay, I own up to my mistakes. it’s not my personal pigsty, I usually clean up but I was busy! I said that! plus I’m going to make sure it’s always clean so I hired a cleaning service. I think that’ll help and Brady won’t have to go crazy on me again.
You’ll hire a maid of Brady’s dime. Meaning he will get sacked with the bill like he does for everything else.
first of all, nope. I paid for it myself with my own debit card. secondly, who cares if Brady pays for his own bills. they’re his bills! he would be paying them anyway!
I have personally called out Reese on the bills situation and she said that she does contribute to the bills. So at this point, I don’t really think it’s anyone’s business what her finances are.
I do agree that it isn’t right that you used Brady’s credit card to buy yourself some stuff. That’s what people mean when they say you manipulate him.
As for Luke and Staci, fuck them. I wouldn’t trust Luke with ANY of your secrets, because he is going to gossip about you to Staci, and I have a feeling that that shady bitch will run to Brady with any of the info. I would also confront Luke about talking behind your back.
I really kind of think most of your friends treat you like crap. They blame you for any issues you and Brady have and are always making super rude comments toward you.
Girl, YOU NEED TO STOP SNOOPING IN BRADYS TEXT MESSAGES!!! It is such an invasion of privacy. He is eventually going to catch you and my gut says that will be a deal breaker for him. Especially since he has talked to you about it in the past. If you trusted Brady the way you say you do, you wouldn’t be snooping. If Brady asked you if he could go hang out with this chick, without you, what would you say? But you don’t even tell him when you’re hanging out with Marco, and you LIED about falling asleep at a friends house when you actually fell asleep at those randos place. That’s not right, Reese. You would be livid if you found out Brady did that. Or if he didn’t answer his phone when he was out at the bars.
You have made huge improvements in your behavior and I give you major props for that. It sucks that Brady isn’t doing the same. He is acting like Shady Brady again and I honestly have no fucking clue how to deal with him. I would probably move out as soon as possible and then try to save the relationship while living apart.
I hope y’all get things figured out soon! You guys can be super cute together and i want to see you guys get back to that.
-Ashley
My whole reaction to Stacey’s bitch ass was “bruh…”
And I agree with the previous comments. If Luke is painting you in this light to Stacey, it’s time to cut him too because that’s obviously what the issue is here. You don’t like her. You don’t hang out with her or talk to her so she has no idea what the fuck goes on in your personal life. She needs to get a grip before I help her get one.
she’s so awful tin tin 😦
Stacey knows she gets under your skin, that’s why she does it. I’m really surprised you don’t call her out when she’s talking shit about you and Brody, whether it’s accurate or not. And Luke is just as bad by repeating things you tell him. Cut him off.
“After he left, I thought it would be a great time to get some gifts out of him so I texted him saying there were some things I wanted on Nordstrom.com and could I use his card to get it?” I don’t think this is cool, but I seriously realize this is how you guys roll.
The snooping is getting ridiculous. You have got to call him out on his shit. Just own up to it, find out who the hell Haley is to him, and be done with it. I’d be ripping my hair out!
Sorry if this has been suggested before… Weird that Maddi would follow you on instagram at the same time Brady starts talking to Hailey. Do you think Hailey is like an intern where he works and has a schoolgirl crush? I could see her inviting him to meet up with her on a weekend and him saying maybe just to be nice with no intentions of going at all. And maybe she has Maddi spying for her…
Shadiness all around. Please let us know what he ends up doing, I don’t even know how you should address it. Like do you just admit you’ve been reading his messages and who is this girl? Cleaning lady is a good idea, obviously Brady likes things clean and you aren’t so fussed i think it’s a bit of a compromise and I wouldn’t tell him I got one either haha!
Stacey’s a major cow, I can’t believe luke doesn’t step in? Also is he the one feeding her all this info about your personal life? Cause that’s not ok.
Hi! First time commenter here! I just wanted to say that I have been following your blog and I think it is awesome that you are trying to work on yourself and how you handle situations! I also think it is great to read about a fellow Chicagoan. I just wanted to leave you with a little bit of advice as I see a lot of myself in you. Dating should be the easiest part in a relationship, marriage is when it gets tough. When you are dating someone, yes you may fight or have issues, but fundamentally it is the most fun you can have with a person! It seems to me like you are having less and less fun with Brady. You deserve better than the way he is treating you and the way this relationship has really played out recently. He might seem like someone you could spend the rest of your life with, but I think you are focused too much on what could be instead of what is actually happening. I also wanted to say that I think you need some “you time” and definitely agree that a vacation is the way to do it especially with this cold January we are having! I hope you get some of that Reese confidence back!
In terms of Stacey, she seems like a pathetic girl desperate for attention. I think you know where she stands, but she doesn’t have to know where you stand. Take the high road and ignore her. Eventually she will put her foot in her mouth and it will cost her! Good luck with everything!
Hi! My first time to comment here. I really think you should cut your losses and save yourself a heartbreak. I really think his shady and just leading you on (from his hooking up with Jessica, unaccounted condoms, not introducing you to his ex Anna). He is not trustworthy and treating you like a doormat and you let him get away with it! Trust your gut, you deserve someone better!
Reese, many readers have warned you about getting too close to your employee and you played it off. You’re Luke’s manager, your role was ensure work got done not go crying to him with your issues, go drinking with him, hang out all the time, etc. when you do shit like that you can’t reprimand the person and when you drift apart everyone knows your business.
I think it’s fucked up that you used Brady’s credit card like that. You mention Brady having to pay bills anyway because they are his. Well you chose to move in and to be fair you should help out. It’s not good to be a taker. Your living expenses (rent) are being taking care of by your subletter. You’re living rent free with Brady but still feel the need to use his credit card to buy things when you’re upset and justify it by saying you didn’t spend. You have this sense of entitlement that’s very unbecoming. You should honestly move out, get your place and support yourself. Brady is probably fed up of having to spring for everything, deal with your messiness, listen to your problems and not get anything but grief in return. You keep reading his texts and it’s about time you come clean and tell him the truth. Whatever happened to therapy? You guys went once or twice and then stopped. You need to start going again and figure shit out.
I think Brady probably resents you. You’ve admitted yourself that you hardly contribute to the household and he is probably sick of taking care of you and you forcing him to spend additional money on you. He’s probably lashing out because of all the emotional abuse you put him through. It’s really sad how bad you treat each other. I think you need to go back to therapy to see if there is even any piece of your relationship that can be salvaged. I hope you have a nice weekend and figure something out.
Man, Stacey has got your number and you just keep getting on the hook. Brady’s right about one thing, you need to ignore her. She does it BECAUSE you respond. And Luke is a bitch. Drop him, he does NOT have your back. Keep a friendly professional relationship with him, but I wouldn’t trust him with personal stuff? Do either of them know about your blog? Because my initial thought when you relayed what Stacey was saying about your bills was that she reads it and knows it’s you.
The Brady/Hailey thing is totally shady – I am also curious to see what he says about plans for Friday and if he invites you or not if he does.