CHAPTER NINE
Everly
“K nock, knock!” I hear from the door of the employee locker room. “You’ve got some visitors here to pick you up,” Lisa, our receptionist, announces.
“Visitors? As in more than a handsome man in a suit?” I ask.
Linc and I are going to dinner with his parents and grandparents this evening. According to Linc, his grandma has been wanting to meet me for a while after she found out Linc and I were seeing each other.
“Yes, the cutest old couple I’ve ever seen said that they were here to pick you up.”
My eyes widen, “I’ll be right there.”
I finish swiping my gloss across my bottom lip, then poof up my hair one last time in the mirror.
Now I’m even more nervous. What if they don’t like me?
What if they think I’m not good enough to date or be with their grandson?
I blow out a heavy breath, then gather up my bag that contains my work clothes and makeup.
I wasn’t going to have enough time to go home and change after work, since we were meeting his family for an early meal so I brought it with me.
Walking down the hall, I reach the foyer and see exactly what Lisa was talking about.
Linc’s grandparents are standing to one side of the front counter, with one of our brochures in hand, asking about all the services.
Eleanor, his grandma, is wearing a patchwork button up shirt with a cute visor, that old people wear when gardening, along with a fanny pack around her waist. His grandpa, Archie, has on a pair of tall white socks, khaki shorts and a tucked in buttoned up collared shirt.
His full head of gray hair is combed over, and he’s wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses.
All that’s missing is a pocket protector in the front pocket of his shirt and he’d be the guy for a 1950’s poster.
They are adorable and my nervousness calms slightly.
They don’t seem like your typical rich snobby Hollywood elite, even though Linc has said that they are extremely well off.
“Hi, I’m Everly. You must be Eleanor and Archie,” I greet as I come up next to them.
“Oh, honey look how beautiful she is,” Eleanor states as she swats her husband to look up from the brochure. “She looks normal, and she eats!” My eyes grow double in size at her comments. “I’m Grandma,” She introduces as she hugs me.
I embrace her and watch Archie chuckle when she pulls back from greeting me.
“She was worried you were going to be made more of plastic than natural beauty. I’m Archie, sweet girl, or Grandpa, whichever you’re comfortable with.” He pulls me in for the same hug and I can’t help but already love them. They smell of home and are so genuine.
“I hate needles, so I don’t think you have to worry about that with me,” I tell them as we stand there in the lobby.
“You are much prettier than Linc told us,” Eleanor says as she looks me over again. “And you have the perfect hips for birthing our great grandbabies.”
“I—” she caught me off guard with her statement but I also love how blunt she is.
“Ellie, let’s not scare her off just yet.
Remember, Linc wants us to make a good first impression.
And I thought you wanted to check out this spa before we head back out to Montana.
” Archie tries to rein in his wife, but she just waves him off.
I can hear Lisa trying to hold in a laugh from behind the counter and I can’t help but smile. I think I’m going to love them.
“Would you like a tour of the spa before we leave?” I ask.
“I’d love to see it,” she states. “You stay here,” she tells her husband as we make our way down the first hall that I occupy.
“What do you do here?”
“I’m a masseuse,” I tell her.
“So, you’re touching naked bodies all day?” She asks, scrunching up her face in distaste. “I’d hate to see all that flabby skin bouncing around.”
“Their privates are always covered,” I inform her, but my mind goes back to a very naked Linc and how not an inch of that man is flabby.
We walk down towards the sauna and the mineral pools, then back up to the treatment rooms where they do facials, and the medical procedures and injectables.
“I’m starving, let’s go eat,” Eleanor suggests, then grabs for my hand and starts walking toward the front door. Archie falls in line as we make our way outside.
When we get to the parking lot, a man in a black suit is waiting by a town car. When he sees us, he opens the back door.
“Lincoln doesn’t trust us to drive around the city when we come into town anymore,” Eleanor says with a huff as the driver pulls out of the lot.
“That’s because you almost started a riot on the freeway, dear,” Archie shifts so he can look back from the front seat to look at us.
It makes me giggle and I see Eleanor cross her arms over her chest, getting ready to defend herself. Just when she opens her mouth, the driver pulls up to a popular restaurant for celebrities.
“Why the hell did we come to this place?” Eleanor snaps. “The last thing I want is to be photographed while stuffing my face.”
The driver opens our door, and I slide out after Eleanor.
“Your son, or Alice, must’ve picked it,” Archie comes up to her side and wraps his arm around her shoulders.
“Let’s just get through the meal, then I’ll take you to get your favorite gelato.
” He tries to placate her, and I love how much they banter but also love each other.
It’s so rare to see couples stick it out for more than ten years nowadays.
As we stand near the curb, another car pulls up and Linc climbs gracefully out of the car. He smiles over at us, but flashes start to go off and we watch as a woman in a tight, almost see through dress, comes from the restaurant and towards the valet area.
“Linc!” the woman shouts, then waves, turning all our attention to her. She strides over and wraps her arms around his waist. The cameras are snapping away, and I watch as she poses, making comments and laughing as if Linc is saying the funniest thing.
Linc
I’m running late for dinner with my family, who are meeting Everly.
When Grandma called earlier and heard that I was behind schedule, they offered to pick up her and bring her to the restaurant.
I was reluctant at first, but I know that Grandma and Grandpa will make her feel like family.
Dale, who raced across town from a meeting, pulls up to the valet.
I hate coming to this restaurant, where you come to be seen and put in the media for a headline.
I was hoping for a quiet place to sit down and not be interrupted, so that both my parents and grandparents could properly meet Everly.
As I get out, I see Everly and my grandparents walking up.
“Linc!” I hear my name being called, and when I turn my attention away from my woman I see Blaire.
Blaire and I have a complicated relationship.
I took her on as a client when I first opened my firm.
She and I have—or had—a mutually beneficial agreement where her modeling agency would supply me with dates to get my face and name out with the media and at functions and in return, I would give her a huge price cut in my fee.
Over the years, as I became more well-known and famous, my clientele list became more elite and I continued to win all of my clients’ cases.
She and I would hook up a lot throughout the years and, at the time, I didn’t mind but now that I have Everly, I want to make sure the two worlds don’t collide.
“I’ve missed you, babe,” she says as she wraps her arms around my waist, as the paparazzi’s cameras click away.
My hands snag her wrist and gently remove her from touching me.
“Lincoln, are you and Blaire together?”
“Lincoln, we saw Linley yesterday and she said that you and she were still together. Is that true?”
“Blaire, did you steal Lincoln away from Linley while she was in Europe?”
I used to love the attention this brought, and would eat this moment up, but as I look over to where my grandparents and Everly are, I realize how much of an annoyance this is. The disgusting look on Everly’s face shatters something in me.
I hear Blaire’s obnoxious laugh, and it sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Ignoring her and the paparazzi, I make my way over to the group.
“Hey, angel, you look great,” I greet Everly, wrapping my arms around her and then pressing my lips to hers.
The sound of clicking has me pulling back, remembering we’re out in public.
I pull back, tucking her into my side and then turn toward my grandparents, ignoring the questions the paparazzi are asking ten feet away.
“Thanks for picking her up.” I lean in and give Grandma a kiss on the cheek and shake Grandpa’s hand.
“It was no problem. Everly gave Ellie a tour of the spa,” Grandpa says.
“Can we go in already? I’m tired of being stared at,” Grandma states glaring down the paparazzi.
“Of course, Grandma,” I motion for her and Grandpa to go ahead of us, then follow behind, as I put myself between me and the group of men gathering for a picture.
“Sorry about all this. I didn’t realize Mom booked this place until about thirty minutes ago.
I’d preferred going somewhere less flashy. ”
“That’s what Eleanor was saying,” Everly giggles and it puts a smile on my face.
As we approach close to the door, Blaire is standing there staring at us. A frown mars her face.
“And who is this?” She asks.
As much as I want to escape into the restaurant, I also don’t want to cause a scene, so I let my grandparents head in while I hold Everly and myself back.
“Blaire Hutchins, meet Everly, my girlfriend,” I introduce.
“Your… girlfriend?” She sounds shocked at first, but then bursts out in a laugh like I just told her a joke.
My back straightens as I lock Everly closer to me.
Blaire must read the room because she abruptly stops laughing.
“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone, especially after our last meeting together. ”