Chapter Fourteen
Dixon
After the first night we spent together, I stayed at Mellie’s house any chance I could, which still wasn’t as much as I’d like. Saturdays were out since I took my grandparents to church early on Sunday mornings. She had book club every other Monday, and I closed the hardware store Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So we spent Sunday afternoon, after I finished lunch with my grandparents, until Monday evening together, and then Friday night after she closed the shop until Saturday when she had to return to open, except for the weekend her parents were in town.
Even though it was difficult balancing our schedules, I really didn’t mind. Everything about Mellie made me happy. From the way she listened and provided advice on business problems, to the way she told me all about her sometimes-crazy customers, to the way she let me take control of her body, in the bedroom and out, though there hadn’t been any more spankings since the Valentine’s dinner. Even that made me happy. I didn’t want to have to punish her, though I would without any hesitation. So far, our relationship had been peaceful and fun.
All that tranquility might end tonight though, I thought as I looked around my grandparents’ dinner table. It was a Monday, an off week for her book club, and I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce Mellie to my grandparents. She was nervous but agreed when I pointed out we’d been dating for over a month, and it was important to me. I’d stressed the same to my grandmother but, unfortunately, she’d decided to interrogate Mellie instead of welcome her, and dinner was not going well.
“What do you do again, Melanie?” my grandmother asked, using the wrong name for the fifth time in the last half-hour.
Melody didn’t even bother correcting her this time. “I own a little shop in Ellicottville.”
“And you moved here from Pittsburgh to open a store in Ellicottville?” My grandmother’s voice dripped with disdain and disbelief. I turned to look at my grandfather to get his reaction to my grandmother’s outrageous behavior and found him scowling and clutching his silverware like he wanted to chuck them across the room.
“Dear, Melody already told us that she moved here to open her shop. Let’s move on to something else.”
My grandmother scowled back at him for a second then returned to what I can only describe as her evil smile, and I braced for whatever was about to come out of her mouth.
“And what are you going to do with this little store once you get married and have children, Melissa? You know you can’t possibly do both.”
“With all due respect, Mrs. Williams, I think a woman can do anything she puts her mind to, and I plan to keep my store after I have a family.” Mellie speared a bite of roast chicken and shoved into her mouth, probably trying to stop herself from saying anything else.
“Well, that’s not what my Dixon wants. He expects a woman to stay home and keep house for him, you know.” I stiffened in my seat and my grandfather ground his dentures together so hard I was afraid they’d break. “And it isn’t really seemly for a respected businessman’s wife to be selling naughty underwear for a living.”
Mellie sucked in a breath and slammed down her fork. “Excuse me. I’ll see myself out.” She stood up and ran from the room.
I stood up so fast my chair fell over onto the floor with a crash. “Mellie, wait.”
I rushed after her and met her at the door, trying to rush out with her coat half on and her hat and gloves in her hand.
“Mellie, stop. Please.” I grabbed her elbow and gently turned her to face me, finding tears running down her cheeks. “Don’t cry.”
“How can I not cry? You told me you like me the way I am. That you didn’t want a woman who stayed home all the time. You said you understood when I told you I’d never give up my business. Then you invite me over here and not thirty minutes into meeting your grandparents I find out that’s all a lie and you really do want a little woman who will stay home, pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen.”
“Mellie, come on now. Calm down and listen to me.” I tried to break through her panic, but it didn’t work.
“No. I will not calm down. I thought we were building something. I thought you cared about me. But your grandmother doesn’t even know my name!”
I cringed at that since it was my fault. “I didn’t tell her about us until yesterday.”
“You didn’t tell her! You had dinner with my parents and their friends twice last weekend and your grandmother didn’t even know about me?” she shrieked. I heard arguing coming from the kitchen behind me, but I ignored it and prayed my grandmother would stay away.
“Melody, stop yelling at me. It’s disrespectful.” I tried to defuse the situation, but she was having none of it.
“Disrespectful?” Her eyebrows hit her hairline in shock “How’s this for disrespectful? Treating me like a dirty secret with your family then bringing me over here for a last-minute dinner invitation and having your grandmother be so rude to my face that she called me six different names and insulted my life’s dream.” She zipped up her jacket and pulled her hat on her head. “I’m done, Dixon. You lied, and you embarrassed me, and you’re an asshole.”
She put her purse on her shoulder, grabbed the box of desserts from a local bakery that she’d brought for dinner and my grandmother had left on the entry table like garbage, and stormed out of the house. As much as I wanted to follow, I forced myself to stay where I was, watching to make sure she got in her car safely. She backed out of the driveway, and with a final look toward where I stood on the front porch, she drove away.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts, letting the cold air cool me down. Even though Mellie had been out of line at the end, calling me names, she’d put up with a lot to that point. Shit she shouldn’t have had to deal with. With a final deep breath, I returned to the house and made my way into the kitchen.
My grandparents were still at the table, my grandfather looking mad enough to spit nails, but my grandmother had a smug smile that erased any calmness I’d achieved by standing in the cold.
“Good riddance, Dixon. She wasn’t the woman for you. Imagine that, you with a businesswoman,” she scoffed. “It’s a good thing I figured out her plans before you went any further with her.”
I bit back my rage at her dismissal of Mellie and all that she was and sat back down in the chair Gramps must have righted while I was talking to Mellie.
“Yes, Gram. I want to be with a businesswoman. Someone who understands what I do all day and gives me advice and is someone I can discuss ideas with. Mellie has no intention of ever giving up her store, and I’ve known that since I first met her six weeks ago.”
“You’ve been seeing her for six weeks? Why didn’t you tell me?” She had the nerve to look like I’d offended her.
“Because I knew you’d have this reaction. You’ve been pushing these women at me for years, and I haven’t been interested in any of them. I was hoping you’d figure it out, but since you probably cost me the best thing that’s ever happened to me, I’ll just be blunt. I don’t want a woman who wants to stay home all day. I want a woman who has a career and is ambitious and fun to be around. All the things that Mellie is.”
“Well, I never imagined such a thing. I just assumed you’d want to settle down and have children with a woman who wants to take care of her family.” Her tone clearly said any other option was the wrong option, but I held firm. It was way past time we had this conversation.
“You never bothered to ask. And I will be helping any woman I marry take care of our family together.” She opened her mouth to argue, but I held up my hand. “I will still be in charge, but we will have an equal balance of work and family responsibilities.”
“A woman like her won’t let you be in charge. Miss Fancy Pants from Pittsburgh. She’ll probably expect you to move there as soon as you give her a ring.”
Her words silenced any further argument I was going to make. Both Gramps and I sat there staring at her in disbelief as Gram fiddled with her napkin and wouldn’t look up at either of us.
“Woman, did you just intentionally run off Dix’s girlfriend because you’re afraid she’s going to steal him away?” My grandfather asked, steel in his voice. “I’ve never seen you be so rude to a guest in our home. Calling her the wrong name, leaving the dessert she kindly brought sitting on a table by the front door and not even saying thank you? And speaking out of turn about what Dixon wants in life?”
She looked up then, first at me and then at my grandfather, seeing that both of us were wearing the same, displeased look, and nodded.
“Go upstairs and wait for me in our bedroom,” he barked, pointing a hand toward the stairs. After she scurried out of the room, he turned to me. “Son, why don’t you go after your girl? I’ve got some things to handle around here.”
I nodded in agreement at the second part of his statement, not feeling any pity for my grandmother for once. “I’m going to let Mellie cool down. Especially since we’ll be having a chat about the name calling.”
“Don’t go too hard on her, Dix. She was about at the end of her rope by the time she ran out.”
“I won’t, Gramps, but I’m not going to let calling me a liar and an asshole slide.” I looked at him for confirmation that he agreed.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t either. Just be mindful that your grandmother pushed every button she could find to hurt her feelings.” He stood up and started clearing the table but gave me one more bit of knowledge. “And you didn’t exactly step in and protect her, so maybe the second name wasn’t so far off the mark, eh?”
The old man had a point. “I’ll take all that into consideration.” I put on my coat and grabbed my uneaten dinner plate. “I’m taking this with me for later. I’ll bring it back tomorrow morning.”
Gramps nodded. “There will be an apology waiting for you when you get here.”