Chapter 23 – Mattie #2
But he didn’t tell her in a self-absorbed way.
Everything came out over the course of a back-and-forth conversation with a range of topics.
Others like his music preference was simple reasoning.
He asked her if she minded if he played Eminem, Biggie Smalls, Snoop Dogg, BigXThaPlug, and Tyler, the Creator.
Not to mention him rapping bar for bar on some of the songs and censoring himself over words he knew he shouldn’t say.
He swerved to the valet parking stand. Not waiting for the guy to open his door, he got out and jogged to her side, then opened her door and bowed.
Mattie giggled and placed her hand in his, allowing him to assist her to her feet.
“Mr. Grant,” one of the guys said, standing patiently next to him while he showboated for Mattie. “Mrs. Harrington told us to expect you.”
Tucking her close to his side, Grant handed his keys to the worker and smiled. “Thanks, Freddy. How are the girlfriends and the kids?”
“Shhhh. Don’t cramp my style,” Freddy responded, winking. He was a tall, lanky guy, cute and blond but quite average in comparison to the boys in her family. “Family number one is fine, but I’m going on vacation next week.”
“To spend time with family number two.”
“You know it, bro.”
Mattie scrunched her nose, not understanding how either Grant or Freddy thought this was acceptable behavior.
Grant snickered. “Better you than me, dude.”
“It keeps me on my toes.”
“Remember that when you’re found out.”
Freddy nodded. “You’re right, but I don’t want to hold you up.”
Too late.
After greeting the four other valet guys, Grant guided her into the restaurant. It was already 1:25, so the restaurant crowd was thin with only two tables of diners remaining.
“Mrs. Harrington wants to know if you want a table on the floor or a private room, Grant?” the hostess asked coolly.
“When did you get back in town, Prissy?” Grant asked, instead of answering.
Like, what? Prissy? Who had a name like that?
Prissy looked like a model, even in her all-black attire that consisted of a shirt and slacks with pearl jewelry. “A week ago.” She glanced from Mattie to Grant. “Talked to Cassidy recently?”
“Nope,” he said. “Not in the last month since she withdrew from school and hightailed it to the chalet.” He nodded to Mattie. “This is my cousin,” he said. “Matilda Donovan. Mattie, this is my ex-girlfriend’s sister. Priscilla, though everyone calls her Prissy.”
Mattie preferred Priscilla, but what did she know? The girl didn’t seem particularly friendly, so Mattie nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Prissy said, just as polite and about as friendly. She looked at Grant again. “Cassie never mentioned cousins before. And she’s your recent ex.”
“Cassie never met my cousins,” Grant said.
“All related by blood?”
“No, Prissy.” Grant held up his hands. “Before you have a fit on your sister’s behalf, she never wanted to meet my extended family. I offered to introduce her several times.”
Prissy looked ready to detain Grant for the next thirty minutes and Mattie was getting hungry. He was being so nice to her. She didn’t want to get him in trouble with Prissy or Cassie, but she felt like a third wheel, not entirely foreign yet still very uncomfortable.
She cleared her throat as delicately as possible. “If you can show me to the table, I would really appreciate it, Prissy.”
“Matilda, what in God’s name are you doing here when you should be at school?”
Grandmother’s question mortified Mattie and she flushed, turning to meet the icy eyes of Charlotte Redding. She and her brothers referred to her as ‘Grandmother’ because of her importance to Mama.
“I didn’t go in today, ma’am,” Mattie said, shifting her weight.
Irritation crossed Grandmother’s face and she glared at Grant.
“Mrs. Redding,” he said, abandoning Prissy’s side to go to Grandmother and kiss her cheek. “How are you?”
“Annoyed! I expect such behavior from her—” She pointed an accusatory finger at Mattie, her nail painted a boring nude color. “You should know better than contributing to the delinquency of this minor.”
Shrinking into herself, Mattie wilted.
“Kendall has enough on her plate than to worry about such ungrateful wretches.”
“Tell that to her, Mrs. Redding,” Grant snapped.
Grandmother drew herself up, decked in low-end designer clothes and cloudy diamonds. “I will speak to your grandmother, young man.”
“And I’ll tell her how you’re talking to Mattie. You don’t know why she’s here. If you’re so concerned about Aunt Kendall, you would’ve checked on her daughter.”
Grandmother transferred her glower to Prissy, who dropped her gaze and her attitude immediately. “Get Joan on the phone now. I expect full compensation for my meal for this rudeness.”
“Uh—”
Grant dug in his wallet and pulled out his Platinum Amex. “I’ll pay if you leave now.”
“You’ve become quite the untenable young man. I hope a good girl like Cassidy leaves you high and dry. Furthermore, I hope I never talk to you again.”
“Do you promise?” Grant asked, shoving his card at Prissy, who gladly took it. “Add a one hundred percent tip. Whoever served her deserves at least that.”
Grandmother gasped, but Mattie giggled, pressing down on her lips at the lady’s putrid disdain.
“Well, I never!” she said, an expression Mattie thought was only said in bad novels and worse movies.
“We understand why,” Grant said, reclaiming his card and returning it to where it belonged. He grabbed Mattie’s hand. “I’ll seat us myself, Prissy. Ta-ta, Mrs. Redding.”
“Ta-ta?” Mattie chortled once she sat in the chair Grant held out for her and he seated himself across from her. “Who says that?”
“Her.”
Mattie’s joy fled. “She’s really mad at me. Disappointed in me.” She sighed. “My normal existence. There isn’t one week where I don’t disappoint at least one person.”
“Uncle Johnnie, you mean.”
“Yeah.”
Grant studied her. “I’ll make a deal with you.
If you can pretend Uncle Johnnie is the type of father you want and pretend Mrs. Redding didn’t see you, I will tell you about the time I met my celebrity crush and made a complete jackass of myself.
” He reached his arm across the table and held up his hand. “Deal?”
“Deal,” Mattie agreed. She had the art of pretense perfected.