Chapter 31 #2
Matt scoffs. “No, that’s I’m getting you drunk so we can fuck later.”
I shake my head. “You don’t know him. He’s not like that.”
“Oh, I know how it is to be a guy, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.”
“Should I say yes to prove you wrong?” I question.
Matt scowls at me. “You have a terrible need to always be right.”
“Okay, so riddle me this. A guy wants me to be his fake girlfriend for a weekend, making me stay overnight at a hotel with one bed. What does he want?”
Matt shrugs. “He–”
“To sleep with her, right?”
He shakes his head, holding his hand out. “You cut me off. That guy wants her. Period.”
I lean forward to get a better look at him. “How is that any different?”
“Because I really fucking like you.”
Well, that shuts me up. I blush as I stare at him.
“And I don’t want to only hook up. I know you’re not that kind of girl.”
“Oh,” I sit in front of him now. “And how do you know that?”
“Because if you were, we would have hooked up on the night of the party. Or the night we got dinner. I know you need more.”
“More?” I question.
“Yeah, and I’m willing to give you more.”
I’m loving this weekend’s getaway with Matthew Pearson. He is spilling himself to me. “You are?” I roll my eyes playfully. “Here I thought this weekend would be filled with weird fake dating things, and I could fuck with you.”
“Fuck with me all you want.” He bites his lip.
“So, your plan all along was to pursue me?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t plan any of this. I thought we’d be…I don’t know.”
I crawl back to my spot next to him, lean my head on his shoulder, and say, “You really like me?”
He rests his head on me and says, “I do.”
“Ha-ha. No pun intended.”
We chuckle while he reaches for my hand and holds it. I glance at our fingers intertwined, and my insides squeeze at the view.
I’m walking to room 1107 to meet with Matt’s mom, and I’m not as scared as I thought I would be. Being ignored at lunch is far better than being preyed on. I think this might be okay.
When I knock on the door, Holly answers the door.
“Amber,” she says curtly, letting me into her room. Right when the door closes, she says, “You may put your things down over there.” She turns on her heel. “We need to talk.”
I put my things on the couch and wonder what the hell we need to talk about.
She’s waiting impatiently as I turn around.
She says with a raised brow, “I wondered if that was you when I saw your name on my divorce papers. Did you tell Matt?”
“Tell Matt?” I question.
She shakes her head. “Do not. I know my son, and I know that him bringing you here has to be some kind of sick joke. But I will not be the brunt of a joke. Do you understand?”
I stare at her.
“Now, did you tell him about the divorce?”
“No. It is unlawful for me to discuss my clients with anyone. You are protected under HIPAA, and I would never do such a thing.”
“Good. So, your job comes before Matt?”
I nod. “Ms. Pearson, you do not have to worry. I am a professional. My clients are completely confidential.”
“So, he has no idea you worked on my case?” she asks, concerned.
“We do not talk about you, and like I said, my clients are private information. I’m not going to discuss anything with anyone, including you.”
“Okay then. That’s that.”
I nod, watching her.
“But I’m not done. Do not think for one moment that I do not recall what you did to my son in high school because I remember exactly who you are and where you come from. I do not know what Matthew is thinking, but I can see right through this professional facade you are playing.”
“Do you know how Matt and I reconnected, Ms. Pearson?”
“I don’t. He did not tell me he was dating you. Now I know why he didn’t bother to mention your name.”
“We hated each other. He pretended he didn’t remember me, but he kept coming into my second job to mess with me.
And when I say mess with me, he was doing things that could get me into trouble.
Possibly fired. So, we were both on a revenge streak against each other.
And you know what that taught the both of us? ”
Her mouth is twisted in disgust.
I continue, “That it would never end. So, I did what was right and I apologized. Matt is so cool. It’s like nothing’s ever bothering him.
The mask he puts on is a very tough one, but once I realized it was there, I had to right my wrong.
I know that the high school me is not someone you want with your son, but I am not her anymore.
Matt knows it, and now we laugh about what happened.
He tells me that he’s happy about our complicated past because of where we are today. ”
She folds her arms, exhaling. Her mouth is finally loosening up from that tight pursed lip.
I continue, “I know it doesn’t seem like a good idea, but somehow, we work. It’s deeper than I can explain. Matt said that you care about seeing him happy, and Ms. Pearson, you know your son better than anyone, so please respect our happiness, even if it doesn’t make sense to you.”
She’s staring at the ground. When she readjusts her posture, her hands land on her hips.
“I am sorry for what I did to him in high school. It was a terrible thing I did that I’m not proud of. I hope you can forgive me so that we can move on. And I hope you see through a clear lens that your son is happy with me.”
After a moment of silence, she says, “Okay.”
I watch as her eyes slowly meet mine.
“I have no say in whatever is in my son’s heart. If he was ashamed, he would not have brought you here for my big day, so okay. I accept your apology. You are more than welcome to use this hotel room to get ready. I will be leaving to get my hair done.”
“Oh, but I thought–”
“Be on the beach at 4:30.”
“Okay,” I say, watching her grab her bag and leave the hotel room. She rearranged all of this so that she could get me alone to intimidate me? It’s a good thing I know how to talk to adults now because I think that went well.
That game was easy to win, Ms. Pearson. Maybe her son doesn’t take after her after all.
I walk to the balcony where it overlooks the beach. It’s beautiful here. I take a seat and enjoy the view because I have more than an hour until I need to be downstairs.