“The maids have it under control,” Mateo says.
“Then I’m going to pee,” I reply, promptly.
“Bathroom’s broken.”
“Then I’m going to drown myself in the pool.”
Smirking, Mateo says, “Have Elise grab you a towel.”
—
Vince is in a pissy mood for the first part of the night, and he’s a little drunk for the second half. I’m still tense through dinner because of it, while Mateo seems quite content. The newcomer’s name is Joey, and apparently he is another of Mateo’s brothers. Elise comes around, but Mateo ignores her tonight, so Adrian doesn’t join Vince in being pissy.
I feel like I’m going to need a notepad in order to keep track of the politics in this family.
Francesca makes things worse, innocently remarking, “I like your dress, Mia.”
“Yeah, it’s great,” says drunk Vince.
Mateo just grins, taking a sip of his wine.
It’s not like I ever doubted he was an asshole, but… yeah. The worst part is, it was a nice thing to do, buying me the dresses, but now that I’ve inadvertently humiliated Vince in front of half his family, I can’t even bring myself to thank Mateo. He couldn’t have known I would make such a spectacle, but he did know Vince said he would buy me new dresses when it came up the night before.
I’m a little embarrassed I didn’t know my own boyfriend’s handwriting from Mateo’s though. He’s never written me anything, and I’ve never even peeked at his notes in class. Mateo could have also signed his name to the card so I knew who they were from, so it’s hard to imagine there wasn’t a certain calculated edge there.
I won’t let him trick me so easily again.
—
Mateo sends another car to drive me and my mom to the restaurant in the city.
Brax is watching the kids for the first time, and I imagine them all bro-ing out on the couch, watching football and drinking beers. Mom assured me she whipped up some mac and cheese for dinner before she left, so there was no chance the kids would starve.
“This is so exciting,” she tells me, conspiratorially, once we get to the restaurant. It’s a nice evening, so we didn’t bring coats, but there is a bite to the wind. Since we didn’t drive though, we’re dropped off right by the door.
All the way here, she’s drilled me. What are they like? Do they seem like a crime family? How rich are they, anyway?
I don’t know how to describe the strange culture of the Morelli family, so she has to yank even brief responses out of me.
Vince and Mateo are already waiting when we get there. Since I wore the other dress already, I’m in the sequined minidress. It’s sexier than I realized at first sight, and it makes my legs appear to go on for days.
I’m still wearing the Louboutins; I don’t care if they caused trouble, nothing can come between our love.
“Oh, wow,” she murmurs, when she spots them at the table. “That is a handsome man.”
I know she’s talking about Mateo, since she already knew what Vince looked like. I don’t burst her bubble, telling her that he’s also a dick.
“Hi!” she says, approaching the table with way too much excitement. She’s already embarrassing me, and we haven’t even sat down yet.
Mateo stands, offering her a warm smile and shaking her hand as he introduces himself. Vince offers me a tepid smile, his gaze lingering on my dress a little too long. I can’t tell if he’s thinking I look good in it, or thinking about where it came from.
I don’t roll my eyes as Mateo pulls out my mom’s chair for her, but considering she’s already as smitten as a school girl, it’s difficult.
Turns out I didn’t have to spend all that time wracking my brain, trying to figure out what any of us would talk about at this dinner, because Mateo carries us completely. It feels like he and my mom are on a date, with Vince and me awkwardly chaperoning.
Once she’s drained her second martini—and he’s already ordered her a third—Mateo offers my mother the dessert menu and steeples his hands on the table.
“Shelly, I’m so glad we could get together tonight. It’s been a real pleasure meeting you.”
“I know! It has been. You’re nothing like I imagined. I’m so glad we came, too,” she gushes, mooning at him.
“There is one more thing I’d like to discuss with you, though. I wanted to wait until you had a pretty good feel for me, but I think you’re pretty comfortable with me,” he says, with a coaxing, in-joke smile.
My mother laughs, delighted. “Oh yes, I’d say so.”
“That’s good,” he says, finally glancing over at me. “The main reason I wanted us to get together here tonight is because I have a wonderful opportunity for Mia, but I wanted to run it by you first, make sure you’re on board.”