“That is certainly not true.”
“That’s not how he made it sound.”
“Men are a nuisance,” she snaps.
“Pardon me, but having been a man since puberty, I take offense to that.” Peter’s smile is kind when he enters the room, and he pats me on the back in passing to show there aren’t any hard feelings.
“I wasn’t referring to you, dear.” Her face practically glows.
I’m still giddy over seeing the two of them together after so many years of their relationship being strictly employer and employee. He’s loved her and taken care of her for a very long time. Now, he gets to love her openly.
And she gets to love him.
He takes a seat next to her. “I hope you don’t mind, but these big rooms tend to make a voice carry. I was on my way in when you spoke of your friend and his unwanted opinion.”
“It’s okay. I’m not trying to keep secrets.” Besides, he’s practically my grandfather. I wouldn’t begrudge him anything, seeing how happy he makes my grandmother. “I just wish I could brush aside what he said and get on with things.”
“What brought on the topic?” Grandmother asks.
“I’m going to try to meet and date the best man at the wedding.”
“Oh. I see.”
The two of them share a look.
“What? What did I say? Do you think that’s wrong?”
“No, not at all. Though I would like to know who this young man is, if it’s all the same to you.”
Peter interjects before I have time to get snappy, “What I think concerns your grandmother is the notion that no matter who he is, you must date him because he’s the best man. Not because he’s a good man. Before, you had the opportunity to choose who you would get to know within that specific category. Now?”
“I see. Let me explain.” I give them the quick-and-dirty details of just how I ended up with this latest assignment, and by the time I’m finished, Grandmother’s practically vibrating with anticipation.
“He’s in finance and his family summers in the Hamptons?” I swear, the woman is about to swoon. “Oh, dear, that’s a different story!”
“What? You wouldn’t be okay with it if he was just some nobody from nowhere?”
Peter and I exchange looks, and I can’t help but notice how crestfallen he’s become. Whoops. I’d better change the subject—and fast. It has to be difficult for him, knowing she still carries at least a little bit of class snobbishness, no matter how she tells him it doesn’t matter that he was her butler for so long.
“He’s supposed to be a really nice person too,” I add before she has the chance to put her foot in her mouth. “Hayley raved about him. I trust her judgment. She would never strong-arm me into dating a creep.”
“That makes me feel a great deal better.” Her hand closes over Peter’s. “In the end, character is all that matters, naturally. I would always rather see you be happy, dear. Lord knows I’ve seen more than a few unhappy marriages in my sphere; I can tell you that much. Mercenary pairings, if you know what I mean. These never last. What truly matters are the feelings between the people involved.”
He offers her a smile, though I can see what’s behind it. After all, it’s only been a few months since he left for her sake, convinced he would be nothing but bad for her. What with them being members of two different social classes and all. It’s ridiculous, and Grandmother was clearly heartbroken by it.
Since then, she’s cut out anyone in her life who was mean or callous enough to give them a hard time for being together. I, for one, am not exactly weeping over the idea of never seeing some of her so-called friends again.
Still, Peter feels the difference even if she refuses to acknowledge it. Like when she makes little mistakes, encouraging me to date somebody just because his family’s rich and he has a ritzy job.
“What do you both think about what Matt said?” It’s easier to talk about that than about this Briggs person. I’m starting to wonder if he’ll be worth the trouble I’ve already gone through, thanks to him.
Grandmother speaks up first, “I believe he needs to mind his own affairs. Frankly though, I can understand why he would be concerned. From a certain perspective, I can see how this looks problematic. I don’t enjoy the notion of my granddaughter being used for the profit of a major publishing house. That CEO of yours makes millions, even billions, of dollars, and all because of people such as you. Doing the real work, sacrificing your personal life and your emotions so he can turn a profit.”
That stings, especially since I happen to know the man she’s referring to. He was the first person I dated for this little experiment after all. Blake Marlin is a billionaire, for sure, but he’s not the fat cat she’s making him out to be.
“Blake is a good man. He works too hard, but that’s hardly a character flaw.”
“You know what I mean, Kathryn. He profits from your work. I don’t appreciate him putting you through this.”
“You realize he’s not the one doing it, right? He isn’t making me do this. He’s only the CEO of the company that owns a bunch of other companies. My publisher is just one of them.”
“Dance around the truth all you’d like, granddaughter of mine, but that doesn’t change a thing.”
Peter, true to form, is much kinder. “How do you feel about it? What do you want out of your life and career, Kathryn?”
Wow. Sure didn’t know I’d be getting roped into this discussion today. I guess I’m the only one to blame since I started the conversation flowing in this direction. “I’m not sure. I want to keep selling books—that I know. I want to be happy. I want the same sort of thing everybody else wants.”
“Do you think this is the path to that future?”
Gosh, with the hard-hitting questions. “I mean, who can ever offer a definitive answer to that question? We can’t look into the future. We can only make the best choices in the moment, right? And I’m not unhappy. That’s the thing. I’m really not. I like my life.”
“Then, by God, do what you want to do and tell anyone who feels otherwise where they can take their opinions.” He chuckles slightly, a little sheepish. “Excuse me if I get a bit vocal when something matters as much as this.”
My heart is so full; I can’t even stand it. “I swear, if I thought I could compete with Grandmother for even a nanosecond, you’d both be in trouble.” I lean over to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” His eyes twinkle a little. “Though, please, do something for me.”
“You know I would do anything for you.”
“Be kind to that friend of yours. He cares about you; that much is clear. It isn’t always easy for us to admit to the people we care for just how much we care. We might resort to judgment when there isn’t any other way for us to demonstrate that caring.”
Grandmother, of course, has an opinion of her own. “He needs to keep out of your business, that friend of yours. Perhaps he needs someone to remind him that not all opinions need voicing.”
Peter pats her knee with a fond smile, and she softens. As always, they complement each other perfectly.