Page 41 of The Reverse Cinderella
“It’s true. I take Piaget’s safety very seriously.” Max gave her a slightly odd look but decided to play along, smiling for her mother’s benefit.
“How nice,” Piaget’s mother smiled tightly. “What do you do Max?”
“Right now, I’m working with a demolition cleanup crew. There’s an old building near the docks that has been torn down and we’re just cleaning away the debris before they start construction on the site. If you know anyone who could use the work it’s cash daily and will be steady for the next couple of weeks.”
“I’ll be sure to pass that along,” she sniffed. Her tone said otherwise. Her look told Piaget that he was beneath her. “Piaget, you can stop this joke now.”
The smile faded from Piaget’s face. “What joke?”
“This farce. This rebellion of yours. Your father and I have been giving it some thought. We’ve decided to invest in a condominium which is why I wanted to talk to you today. You could be our first tenant. Just until you get your feet again,” her mother adjusted her purse strap. “Mrs. Milton says Earle’s lost a little on that new keto diet fad. I’m sure, if you fixed yourself up a bit, you could convince him to take a second look at you.”
“Earle Milton,” Piaget couldn’t believe her.
“Why yes,” she smiled happily. “Betty says he’s finally ready to settle down.”
If anything, it would be Piaget doing the settling. Her teeth ground together as her chest got a little tight.
Max cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around Piaget’s waist. “I’m terribly sorry Mrs. Forrester but Piaget isn’t available for Earle.”
“Pardon me?” she arched an eyebrow.
“Isn’t that right, honey?” Max kissed Piaget on the forehead and grinned down at her.
In for a penny, in for a pound, Piaget thought and smiled back, wrapping her arms around him. “I was thinking I could take Max over for Sunday dinner if that works for you? To meet Dad.”
“Piaget Emily,” her mother huffed. “Stop this nonsense.”
“Sunday doesn’t work?” Piaget innocently asked. “That’s too bad. I guess we’ll just see you at the wedding.”
“We’re meeting with the realtor on Tuesday. I’ll send the car for you,” her mother began picking her way back to the gate of the park where the town car and driver patiently waited for her.
“I like her. She doesn’t like me, but I like her,” Max looked down at Piaget.
She groaned. “I am so sorry, Max. I don’t know why I did that. I should be used to the fact that she’s not going to accept my life and goading her doesn’t help.”
“Hey, I haven’t been to a wedding in a while. It’ll be nice,” Max touched a finger to Piaget’s forehead. “I can see where you get that little furrow from when you aren’t happy. Your mom has that too.”
Piaget swatted away his finger. “You don’t have to go. I was just… honestly, I don’t know what I was doing.”
“Who’s Earle Milton?” Max cocked an eyebrow. “Should I be jealous?”
A snort erupted from Piaget before she could stop it. Anyone actually jealous of Earle? She doubted it. She tried to explain. “He’s a nice guy. He is. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“He’s nice. He’s like a family pet. A little overweight. A little overeager. Once in a while, you throw him a bone. He’s nice to have around but mostly he’s ignored,” Piaget shrugged. “He’s nice. And I feel bad about how I just described him but it’s true!”
“Your mom seems to think he’s a good catch,” Max pointed out.
“My mother is blinded by a person’s social status and balance sheet,” Piaget rolled her eyes. “Plus, she’s friends with Earle’s mother.”
“So, are you going to go out with this Earle guy?” he asked a little too casually.
“No. Why are you asking this?” Piaget was surprised he kept pursuing this. “You can’t be jealous of him.”
“No. I’m not jealous of a guy that I’ve never met,” Max shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe, for the first time in a while, I was just thinking that it might be nice to be solvent. To be able to introduce myself to your parents and not see your mom wince. To keep you exclusively to myself.”
“Max…” Piaget tried to say it gently. “My mother is a snob. She always will be. It doesn’t matter.”