Chapter 22
22
Tonight was the night of the formal, informal dinner. Tomorrow was the main event. Tomorrow was the eight-hundred-dollar gown. Tonight was the Macy’s dress that Lainey and Penny agreed looked divine. It was off-the-shoulder, lavender with an ombre effect from the waist down. It really showed off her figure, and Matt had tried to talk her into staying in her room and bailing on the dinner once he saw it. Guilt had forced Lainey to refuse his offer. That had been a mistake.
There were people still showing up, and a few people milling around when her mother spotted the two of them.
“Hello.” She gave them both a sunny smile.
Lainey knew she was in trouble. Her world was going to be blown to smithereens somehow. Rose Simpson did not do ‘sunny.’
“Matt, would you be a dear and get me a glass of champagne?”
“Mom, the waiter is just over there.” Lainey pointed to the server twenty feet away from them with a tray of champagne.
“He doesn’t have the pink champagne I like,” she said, as she gave Matt a wide smile. “Be a dear and go to the bartender we have set up under the pergola and ask him to pour a glass of champagne for Mrs. Simpson. He’ll know what to give me.”
Matt looked down at Lainey. “You good?”
She nodded. “Hurry back.” The idea of having someone at her back was intoxicating. He gave her waist a squeeze and kissed her cheek.
“I’ll be right back with your drink.” He smiled at her mother.
As soon as Matt left, her mother started in. She did her best to mentally ignore everything she was saying and was relieved when she saw Matt on his way back to her. Her mother’s back was to Matt as he returned, so she didn’t see his thunderous expression as she said, “If you would just wear a girdle, you wouldn’t look so ridiculous?—”
He set her mother’s glass of champagne on the tray of a passing waiter. “I guess you hadn’t heard me. That’s a shame. We’ll be leaving, but not before I’ve had my say.”
“Mr. Agular, you have no place in this conversation. MacLaine has a certain image she needs to project for this family. I’m well within my rights to correct her errant behavior.”
Lainey was beginning to feel light-headed. Had her mother always been this vicious? Or was it because she’d been gone so long that she could notice it more? Or was it because Matt was here that she felt so humiliated?
Matt slid Lainey to the side so that he could close in on her mother, who was forced to tip back her head to look at him. “Look, lady, I’ve listened to enough of your bullshit,” he said quietly.
Lainey checked around. The only people who were looking their way were Lee and his wife. Then she turned her attention back to what Matt was saying.
“I think I have you figured out. You’re jealous of Lainey. She’s living more of the life that you wanted to be living. She’s not stuck in your little mold of stuffy parties, perfectly fake smiles, and endless diets that result in hair inserts.”
Her mother clutched her chest and gasped.
Score five-hundred-and-seventy for Matt. Who knew my mother is using hair inserts? Lainey leaned in closer and darn it all, he was right!
“Your daughter is gorgeous, funny, loving, and well-liked by everybody she encounters. Her body is gorgeous and healthy. I don’t even need to know how much she weighs to recognize that. Do you know why? Because I know the woman I love is perfect. And if you were blessed with any kind of nurturing gene, you would know she’s beautiful just the way she is. Lainey has put up with your bullshit remarkably well. She’s even called it your ‘love language.’ I’m putting a stop to it right now. We’re going.”
He loves me?
Her mother reached out and grabbed Matt’s wrist. He looked down at her hand with contempt.
“If you leave now, everyone will notice.”
“And I give one shit why?”
He loves me? Me?
“It will hurt her father,” her mother pleaded.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s complicit in the way you’ve treated Lainey. He’s allowed this all along. We’re packing up our shit and getting out of here.”
He loves me!
“Lainey, please, I’m begging you, don’t make a scene.”
Lainey looked at her and realized her mother was close to tears. She wished it was because Matt had finally opened her eyes and she felt bad about the way she’d treated her all these years, but Lainey knew it wasn’t. It was because she didn’t want Charleston society to know their family was having a ruckus.
“Hey, folks,” Lee said as he came up beside her mother. “How is everything going?” He gave Matt a pointed look.
“Not so good. We’re just leaving.”
Lee nodded. “I should have done that a few times earlier in my marriage. Instead, I left Elizabeth open to a lot of hurt. I’ll be sorry to see you leave. I’ve enjoyed meeting you.” Lee held out his hand to Matt.
“Lainey, can’t you do something?” her mother begged.
She shook her head, trying to clear it, when all she really wanted to do was hug Matt and tell him she loved him too. But not here. Not in this toxic city.
“Lainey, don’t let him take you away. It’ll be noticed.”
“The ball is in your court, Mother. I just don’t think you have it in you to play nice.” Lainey shook her head. It was all she could think to say. She was in a daze.
“Matt,” her mom started. “Will you allow me to explain?”
“Lady, there is nothing to explain about your wretched behavior. You either own it and apologize for it, or you own it and admit that’s who you are and you’re always going to be a bitch.”
Lee laughed. “Well said.”
Her mother looked from Matt to Lee to Lainey and then back to Matt again. “But I didn’t mean?—”
“My advice, Mom? Own it and apologize. Elizabeth only got a little taste of your acid tongue. Lainey’s been getting it in spades, since the first guys started asking her out at fifteen.”
She turned to Lainey. She looked confused, then she straightened up. “If I apologize about what I had to say about your gown and your weight, will you talk your beau into staying?”
“Jesus, you’re a piece of work,” Matt growled.
“What?” she hissed at him. “I’m apologizing just like you told me to.”
“This is as good as it’s going to get, man,” Lee said with a chuckle.
“Lainey?” Matt said as he pulled her in close.
Lainey didn’t care about one darn thing. Her mother could go to the head of the table, clink glasses and ask everyone to quiet down while she told everyone how much Lainey weighed, and how bad her acne had been, and how long she’d had to wear braces. She wouldn’t give a hoot. Matt had said he’d loved her.
Matt said he loved me.
Matt said he loved me.
“Lainey?”
“What?”
“Do you want to go?”
She snuggled closer to Matt.
“Tell your young man that I’ve apologized to you and that you accept it, and we’re done with the matter and you’ll mingle like I’ve told you to.”
“Matt, I’ll even show you where they hide the beer in this place,” Lee said.
She looked up and Matt was staring down at her, his eyes warm and anxious.
“We can stay.”
He bent down and touched his lips to hers.
“And no more of that. That’s inappropriate.” Her mother just couldn’t help herself.
“Seriously, Lainey, you’ve gotta stop doing this to me. Your mother has put together such a hellish itinerary we’ve only been able to fuck twice today, and then you put that dress on. That’s not fair.”
Lainey turned around in front of the tall standing mirror in the corner of her room and smiled. The champagne foil knit-draped dress was ruched at the right side of her waist and hid the little bit of tummy she’d been forming since she’d been taste-testing so many fun recipes. But you wouldn’t know she was hiding anything, because it flowed over her body like it was made for her. Actually, it was, since she had a seamstress alter it so it would fit perfectly after she bought it.
She loved it!
She was halfway to biting her lip, then stopped.
“Ah, come on, do it. Bite your lip. I just want a little taste,” Matt begged.
“The dinner and dancing will eventually be over,” she promised.
He went over to her old bedroom closet and opened the shoebox she had brought with her.
“Come sit down, Cinderella, so I can help you into your shoes.”
If he thought the dress was something, the shoes were going to blow his mind. Lainey stifled a giggle. She sat down on the pink bench, lifted her gown, and Matt knelt at her feet. Then he pushed back the tissue paper and groaned. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
She threw back her head and laughed. He carefully pulled out the glittery champagne-colored shoes with the five-inch heel, peep toe, and two ankle straps. She’d had Matt in mind when she’d bought the shoes. She and Penny had agreed that every man would think these shoes were sexy.
“We can be twenty minutes late,” he cajoled as he guided the first shoe onto her foot.
“We were late to this morning's brunch, and we got the stink-eye.”
“No, we didn’t. Your mama loves me.” Matt kissed the bottom of her second foot before guiding on her shoe and taking his time to clasp on the ankle strap.
“My Mama is both scared and respects you. I don’t know the word for it, but that’s what she is, so she’s currently letting you get away with things,” Lainey corrected.
“You’re right about the scared and respect thing. It’s an animal thing. She recognizes me as her alpha. It’s as easy as that.”
“Whatever. I just know I have big plans for you after we leave my childhood bedroom. I adore making love with you, but I’ll like it even more when I’m not looking over your shoulder up into a pink canopy.”
This time, it was Matt’s turn to laugh.
“Tonight, I’ll work harder. Obviously, if you have an opportunity to concentrate on the canopy, then I’m not doing my job right.”
Lainey felt her core tingle. “I can’t even imagine how good it would be if you try harder.”
“Well, tonight, you’ll find out.”
They arrived thirty minutes before people were going to be seated for dinner. In the ballroom, they had seating for one-hundred-and-forty guests, and that still left room for a dais for the family to sit at, a DJ booth, and a substantial amount of floor space for people to dance.
“You made it. I was worried it would be like brunch,” her mother said as she came up and grasped Lainey’s hands and gave her air kisses. Then she did the same thing to Mateo. “You both look marvelous. Don’t forget to mingle. Have you seen your father?” she asked Lainey.
Lainey shook her head and then her mother walked off. Lainey turned to Mateo and motioned for him to bend down, not that he had all that far to go with her in five-inch heels.
“This alpha crap is horse manure. You’re a scientist. You brewed up something to give her a personality transplant.”
Mateo chuckled softly. “Swear to God, I didn’t. Let’s go somewhere close to a beer to mingle.”
“If we find Lee, we’ll find a beer.”
Mateo looked around the big room and thought he spotted his dark head. He pulled Lainey’s hand through the crook of his arm and led her through the throng of people. Lainey did a great job of mingling. He was surprised by how many people she knew, but he shouldn’t have been. After all, she had grown up here.
“Lainey, Mother’s looking for you,” Bennett said with delight.
“What are you doing here?” Lainey asked the pregnant woman who looked like her. But once again she looked like she was training for the Olympic event of lemon sucking.
Bennett leaned into Lainey and they did that creepy air kiss.
“I just couldn’t miss Mother and Father’s big night. I’ll go back to the hotel after the festivities are over. Really, Lainey, is that gown the best you could do?”
Lainey sighed. “Let me introduce you to my date, Matt Agular.”
She put out her hand. “A pleasure, I’m sure.”
Jesus, she’s as bad as her mother.
Mateo shook her hand.
Mateo gave Bennett’s husband a chin tilt. He’d already met the man and didn’t much like him. His face was looking red, which told Mateo that he’d already hit the sauce pretty hard. That was just great, because rumor had it they’d all be seated together tonight, hopefully not too close together.
“But what did Mom have to say about your dress?” Bennett asked.
Enough already.
“Rose said your sister looked marvelous,” Mateo said.
“Rose? Trey didn’t call Mother Rose until we were engaged,” Bennett squawked.
“Don’t know what to tell you. She told me to call her Rose at brunch today.”
“The brunch you were late for?” Bennett asked.
What a snide bitch.
“Yes,” Lainey answered.
“I see Lee waving to us. Gotta go,” Mateo said as he grabbed Lainey’s hand and led her away from the bad seed.
“Did you really see Lee?”
“Yeah, but he’s heading outside. But he was near that bartender, so I’ve got high hopes I can get a Heineken.”
“Lainey, you’re looking lovely.”
Mateo turned to see another older couple coming up to greet Lainey.
“Hello, Mr. Morrison. Mrs. Morrison. I’m so glad you could make it tonight. I’d like to introduce you to my date, Matt Agular.”
The couple turned to him and they exchanged pleasantries for a couple of minutes, then Lainey extricated them so they could continue on toward the bar. There were only two people in front of them, when her mother came up to them.
“There you are, Lainey. I want to introduce you and Matt to Captain Hale and his wife. He’s high up in the Navy. Not an Admiral, mind you, but still very high up.”
Captain Hale? Mateo felt the blood rush from his head and his muscles clench.
Rose tapped the silver-haired man standing in front of Mateo on the shoulder and he turned around.
“Mateo Aranda?” Captain Hale said slowly.
Mateo grimaced. Shit, he’d only exchanged words with the captain twice. What were the odds he’d remember one Chief Petty Officer when he had over a thousand men in his command?
Rose went on, oblivious. “Captain Hale, this is my daughter Lainey and her beau Matthew Agular. He’s a scientist.”
“Hello, sir, it is nice to meet you. If you’re in the Navy, where are you stationed?” he asked, attempting to cover. He didn’t dare look at Lainey to see if she’d caught his real name. Mateo watched the captain’s eyes flicker. If the captain knew who he was, then he’d realize that Mateo would know damn good and well that he was currently living in Virginia Beach, and that would tell him he was working undercover. Shit, Kostya was going to get an earful tonight. He just hoped he’d have time to give him a heads-up before the captain called him.
Make that two earfuls, judging by the look on Lainey’s face.
He was positive now that she’d caught his real name.
The captain’s wife turned around just then and smiled at Mateo and Lainey.
“This is my wife, Scarlett. We live in Virginia.” He said to both Mateo and Lainey.
Scarlett smiled. “We have it on good authority that the man behind the bar has bottles of Heineken hidden away. My husband is really hoping that the rumors are true.”
“Yes, it sure is upsetting when things turn out not to be true, isn’t it?” Lainey responded to Elizabeth as she pulled her arm away from Mateo and took a step away from him.
Fuck!