Page 50 of The Disasters of Dating (Love Connections #6)

POPPY

To get to the soft, sweet center, sometimes you have to break through a brittle outer shell.

You’ll be confronted with someone or something in your life that will present such a problem.

But don’t be too hasty in casting them aside.

It may be very well worth your time. So take a moment and let it settle.

There is something worth pursuing. It’s simply hidden beneath a tough exterior.

Grandma Alice is standing on the front porch with a tall, gangly-looking guy behind her.

“Hello, Alice, dear. I thought if you didn’t have time,” she says the word condescendingly, “to visit me in Alaska, I would come see you here in Utah.” Her nose flares out as she looks over the house. “I see your mother hasn’t done much to keep the house up since your father passed.”

“My mom has done a lot to keep up the house.” I narrow my eyes at her. “Why are you here?”

Grandma Alice pushes past me. “Someone with manners would have asked me in. But we’ll see to those once you are living where I can train you.”

The guy follows her in, staying behind her. Is he her bodyguard? I mean, I can’t say it won’t be necessary if she keeps making comments like the one about the house. And this guy? I’m fairly confident I can take him.

“Alice, where is your mother? ”

“She’s out back. We’re having a family dinner.”

“Oh, good. I’m family.” She motions to the guy behind her. “And he’s very nearly so.”

I open my mouth to ask why or how. I’m not entirely sure what the question is. Just that there is one. But she brushes past me and moves down the hallway to the back of the house.

“The Hayes family,” I clarify.

“Family is family,” Grandma Alice says.

But is it really? I don’t think most families drop in unannounced…from ALASKA!

My mom glances over through the sliding glass door, and her eyes go wide. She disentangles herself from Adam and nearly runs to the house. Sliding open the door, she closes it behind her. “Alice? What are you doing here?”

She gives my mother a level look. “I’ve come to collect Alice.”

My mom blinks at her. “Collect her for what?”

“We have a contract,” the man behind her says.

My mom’s head shakes. “No, Alice.”

“I was understanding with Sadie and that boyfriend of hers. But Alice is unattached. She’s younger than Dorian wanted, but we’re both willing to make concessions.”

Dorian? “Wait, is this the guy you tried to pawn off on Sadie?”

My grandma glares at me. “No one was being ‘pawned off’.” She turns to my mom. “It’s an advantageous deal for her, and I don’t intend to let her flush it away as Sadie did.”

“You will not force Poppy to do anything,” my mom says with her hands on her hips.

“We have a contract,” Dorian says again.

I narrow my eyes. “Let me see this contract.”

“No, Poppy. You don’t have to.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I’d like to see what Grandma thinks we’re worth.”

My grandma flinches slightly at my words. “Really, Alice. Do not speak in such a vulgar tone.”

I raise my brows. “I want to see this contract.”

She waves me away. “You’ll hardly understand it, dear. It’s full of legalese. You can trust that I’ve looked out for your interests.”

“You’ll excuse me if I look out for my own interests.”

Dorian steps forward and lays a paper on the counter in front of me. “Here’s the contract. I think you’ll see everything is in order.”

I open the paper and laugh.

“What is so funny?” Grandma Alice asks.

“The first request. Two thousand dollars a month? Are you kidding me? That’s chump change.”

“Alice, your language,” my grandma scolds.

“And a million-dollar home? When was this contract drafted? In the 1900’s? A million dollars doesn’t even buy a McMansion these days.”

I quit reading and hand the paper back. “This is a hard no.”

“What?” Dorian sputters. “But it’s been signed and notarized.”

I shrug. “Not by me. And as I’m a legal adult, my grandma has no right to sign anything on my behalf.”

“Alice.” She’s using her stern voice to try to frighten me. “I know what’s best for you.”

I shake my head. “No, you don’t. You know nothing about me. Maybe if you’d taken even a modicum of interest in our family, you would know a small amount about me. But you never have.” I’m proud of the evenness of my voice.

“I know plenty about you,” she scoffs.

“Oh? What’s my favorite color?”

“Favorite colors tell nothing of a person. And they change so frequently.”

“Name any one of them that I’ve had throughout my life, then.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Blue.”

“Meh,” I make a buzzer sound. “Nope. Never once has blue been my favorite color. In fact, purple has always been my favorite.” I fold my arms across my chest. “You want one that matters? What am I getting my degree in?”

Grandma Alice purses her lips. “This is all nonsense.”

“Meh,” I beep at her. “Business. Which you would know if you ever asked anything about us. But you don’t. When you call, it’s only to order us to Alaska. Maybe we’d want to come, if you cared even a jot or tittle about us as people…not as commodities.”

“Is everything okay in here, Michelle?” Adam pokes his head in the slider.

“Yep. We’re good. Alice is just leaving.”

Grandma Alice narrows her eyes. “And who is that?”

My mom opens her mouth, but I cut her off. “It’s no one you’ll care about, so there’s no need for an introduction. Now I believe you have someplace to be, Grandma? ”

“I have no other plans.”

“That’s too bad,” I say in a sickeningly sweet tone.

“It will likely make the time before you fly out much more trying. More’s the pity for you.

” I lead them to the front door. “Okay, goodbye now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Dorian. Sorry things didn’t work out for you.

” When they are firmly on the steps outside, I close the door behind them.

I lean against the door and sigh. “Phew.”

My mom comes and wraps her arms around me. “That was masterfully done, Soda.”

“Well, it was a crap contract. I can’t believe she thinks so little of us.”

My mom drapes her arms around my shoulders. “Come on, let’s go enjoy the party.”

I’m lying in bed after everyone has left. Keaton never did make it. Not that I’m surprised. After it wasn’t him at the door, I gave up hope.

I pull up my contacts and text the only person whom I can tell my deep secrets to.

Remember that crappy day I told you about? I think tonight might have topped it.

Lincoln

Uh-oh.

Did I tell you my mom has a boyfriend?

Lincoln

You may have mentioned it.

I frown. Did I? I’d meant it as a rhetorical question. I don’t remember telling him about it because I wasn’t sure how to tell him without mentioning Keaton.

Yep. His name is Adam. And suddenly all these things that my mom and I have done, like, forever, have gone by the wayside.

Lincoln

Like what?

Movie night. We used to do it every Monday night.

I arranged my work schedule so that I would always have that night off.

And bowling. We haven’t been in almost six months.

We used to eat at least one meal a day together.

I can count on two hands the number of meals we’ve had together this month. Everything has changed.

Lincoln

Hmm. Adam. He sounds shifty.

I laugh.

How do you figure that?

Lincoln

IDK. Just a feeling.

He’s not the shifty one, actually. That would be my mom. Adam’s very nice, and under normal circumstances, I think I’d like him. A lot.

Lincoln

You mean circumstances where he’s not dating your mom?

No? I mean, I don’t think so? Maybe it’s because my mom tainted him by lying about him.

Lincoln

Ooh. That’s hard. Lies change relationships, whether you mean for it to happen or not.

Oh, my heck. That’s exactly what Keaton said. I frown.

I know, right??? Like, when I look at him, am I always going to associate him with her lies?

Lincoln

If anyone can get over it, I think you can.

Lincoln

Was that the only bad thing? It seems like maybe there are other things.

Well, my Grandma Alice showed up tonight and tried to get me to go to Alaska and marry some guy she’s made a contract with.

Lincoln

…

What the actual crap? Are you kidding me right now?

I wish I were. I looked at the contract and it was complete garbage. Like, it made me realize how little she thinks of us. I gave the contract back to him and told him it was a hard no.

Lincoln

I’ll admit to being very relieved about that.

Lincoln

And…

And what?

Lincoln

There’s something you’re not telling me.

How do you know that?

Lincoln

Call it a sixth sense. Or that I know you that well?

I didn’t want to mention it because it was about another guy.

Lincoln

Black-eye guy? You know, I always like to hear bad things about him.

My lips turn up slightly. But I can’t laugh because I’m trying too hard not to cry.

A knock sounds at the front door. My mom can get it. Maybe it will pull her and Adam apart for a few minutes.

I hear talking at the door, and then it closes. Could it be Keaton? I push the hope down.

My phone buzzes, reminding me I’m supposed to be chatting with Lincoln.

Lincoln

Well, don’t leave me in suspense. What did BEG do?

Lincoln

Hey, I like that acronym…

He promised he’d come tonight and then bailed on me.

Lincoln

…

What could he be typing that he’s either thinking hard about each word or erasing and retyping over and over?

There’s a knock at my door, and my mom pokes her head in. “This was delivered for you. It was the nicest-dressed delivery guy I’ve ever seen. And he was driving a BMW.” Her brows are raised high on her forehead as she hands a large rectangular package wrapped in brown paper through the door.

“What is it?” I ask, standing up to retrieve it.

She lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know, but I think it’s from Keaton.”

“Why would you say that?”

She pushes my door open wider and shows me a small wooden crate, a little bigger than a loaf of bread. “Because this came for me with a card that said, “My apologies for missing dinner tonight. I hope you’ll forgive me. Keaton Barrington.”

“What’s in it?” I ask, my lips lift in the slightest.