My startled laugh was out before I could stop it. Theo winked at me. “Now what are we going to do with little miss guilty over here?” he grinned at me.
“Yeah Ari, how heavy are the bags you’ve filled for the guilt trip?” Matt asked with a smile playing about his lips.
“Really fucking heavy. I’m gonna get charged excess baggage for sure.”
A snort from Colton in amusement. I couldn’t look at him.
“You deserve it,” Matt mocked me. My heart clenched but a rough hand caught mine and he brought my hand to his lips. “I’m not sure I wholly agree with how you did it, you broke the trust.Butthis whole situation was fucked up from the beginning and after what happened at the weekend, well, I don’t think we can blame you for reaching out to my mom.”
It was a small technicality if you asked me. I had broken the trust. Again.
Mary Ellen came back out, the guys rose from their seats. “Well they’ve left. Now we wait.” I don’t know who instigated it, but she was suddenly in a tightly packed group hug. She laughed but relished the hugs from her boys.
“This will not make the punishment and constraints on your freedom any less severe,” she muttered as she extracted herself. Matt groaned. “What you think I can be swayed by dimples? Even if they are my son’s?” She chuckled as she collected her jacket she had left before. “Matthew, you know better than that,” she winked at him.
“Arielle, let’s go talk to your grandparents.” She held out a hand to me, I rose and we went inside and ascended the stairs to Matt’s room. She led the way and once in his room she gestured to the landline and indicated that I call.
I wasn’t looking forward to this conversation, but I did as I was told. When I was finished dialling, she took the phone.Oh.
“Hello? Hello Elizabeth, this is Mary Ellen Landers, Matthew’s mother.” A pause and a smile. “Oh yes Arielle’s fine now. Yes, the sickness lasted a few days, but the boys stayed with her and took care of her.” A pause. “Yes indeed, she had helper’s day and night. I myself have been keeping in touch with Matthew to ensure her care was nothing but one hundred percent.” Another pause. My eyes were saucers, Mary Ellen Landers was covering for me.Holy shit.
“Indeed. Yes, well they moved her to the main house yesterday. I think they were a bit crowded in her apartment.” Another pause. “You have absolutely nothing to be concerned about, I have it well in hand.” A few non-committal noises later and Mary Ellen was passing the phone to me with the promise to my Gran to keep in touch.
She kissed my cheek quickly as she left me alone in the room.
“Hi Gran.”
“She has the most genteel southern accent I have ever heard,” Gran immediately informed me. “I can just see her on Tara with a huge hoop dress on.” I snorted out a laugh. “Are you better, really better? Food poisoning can be vicious!”
“I’m fine Gran, just tired still. I’m sorry I worried you.”
“Nonsense, Colton phoned and set us right. Such a lovely well-mannered man. Any sparks there Elle?”
Oh my God, she was like a dog with a bone, trying to find me a man all the time.
“He’s my friend Gran. How are you and Papa?” Desperate attempt to change the subject there.
“Your Papa’s at afternoon lawn bowls. He was going to wait but we weren’t sure where to reach you and we called earlier but you weren’t home,” she paused “You’re ok aren’t you Elle? There’s nothing to worry about is there?”
My throat choked up, I shook my head. “No Gran, I’m fine. Honestly.” I swallowed.
“Ok, you know you can tell me, I may be old but I’m not deaf. Yet.”
“I promise. Now tell me, did that Cathy lady date that old man from Papa’s club?” That was enough of a distraction for Gran and she then launched into a hysterical story about a doomed pensioner romance. It took the better part of twenty minutes to tell me and my heart was lighter by the time she finished. We then exchanged small talk about life in Scotland and my classes and how I was doing.
“Well I better get off and not waste the boys’ money,” she said.
“It’s fine Gran, they won’t mind,” I said softly.
“No, I know. They are good boys. They’ll look after you Elle.” The warmth in her voice was unmistakeable. I smiled as we said our goodbyes and I assured her, again, that I was perfectly well to attend class tomorrow. Two days off sick was more than enough.
As I hung up, I turned and started at the sight of Colton sitting in the corner of the room. He was washed and changed into jeans and a white t-shirt. He was composed and looked almost normal again.
“You startled me,” I admitted. I didn’t rise from the seat. He assessed me saying nothing. He waited. I bit my lower lip, I knew what was coming. What I wasn’t expecting was his focus to fixate on my lip and I hastily stopped what I was doing as a rush of heat flared in my centre.
He still didn’t move nor speak. His eyes rose slowly from my lips to meet my gaze.
“I’m sorry.”