A Convenient Proposal(40)

“Besides,” she continued, “I have a slight dilemma we should deal with.”

“And what’s that, darlin’?” His dad used his second glass of wine as an excuse to thicken his slight Georgia accent. In the family’s ongoing Gone With the Wind drama, he took the role of Ashley Wilkes.

“Dee Patrick called me this afternoon. She wanted to assure me that the invitation we received for her cocktail party Friday night, in honor of Zelda and Al, included Griff and his fiancée.”

Griff continued to twirl his linguine around his fork, watching the process closely. He could feel Arden’s gaze on his face.

“I wanted to tell you two so you could decide what to do about that. There’s also a dinner party next Saturday at the club, hosted by Trip and Kayli Morgan. I expect I’ll hear from her tomorrow.”

Carefully chewing his pasta, Griff didn’t respond right away. He realized his mistake when his dad zeroed in on the important detail.

“Your fiancée?” He looked from Griff to Arden and back again. “It’s official, then? You’re getting married?”

Words failed him. Fortunately, Arden came to the rescue.

“We’ve talked about it,” she said calmly. “And Griff did introduce me to Zelda as his fiancée this morning. But since we haven’t known each other all that long, or spent a long period of time together, we’d like to wait before making a public announcement. Right now, it’s more of a family affair.”

“Including Zelda,” Jake said. “And her mother. Which means the whole town.” He frowned at Griff. “You let your pride get the better of you, I’m thinking.”

Griff relaxed his clenched teeth. “I guess I did. No harm done. I don’t mind the whole town knowing about Arden. She’s not something to hide under a barrel.”

“The explanations are awkward,” his mother murmured.

His temper surged. “Too bad.”

“You’ll be polite to your mother.” His dad got to his feet, looming over the table. “Or you’ll answer to me.”

Griff stood as well. “Yes, sir.” He looked down at his mother. “I apologize, Mom. I didn’t mean to snap at you. If anybody wants an explanation, just refer them to me. I will politely explain the situation to everybody in town, one by one by one, if necessary.”

She nodded. “All right.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’m going to walk Arden to the cottage. I’ll return shortly and I’ll be happy to clean up the kitchen.” Not that there was much to do. His mother had always been an avid proponent of “clear as you go.”

“That’s fine,” his mom said.

But Griff, still furious, hadn’t waited for permission. He had pulled Arden’s chair out and was opening the back door.

“Good night,” Arden said quietly, with a nod to each of his parents. “A delicious dinner, Mrs. Campbell. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” slipped through just before he shut the door with a sharp push. Grabbing Arden’s hand, he headed across the lawn.

“You walk very fast when you’re angry,” she commented. “I’m going to have to start wearing jogging shoes all the time.”

“Sorry,” he growled, slowing down. “I’m just tired of being treated like a kid—a little kid with behavior issues.”

“Parents develop habits of thought, I suspect, that can be difficult to change.”

“You’re too generous. My dad needs to control every situation. My mother wants everything to go smoothly. Running counter to either of those expectations causes friction.”

“We’re all adults. We can deal with it.”

He stopped dead and turned to look at her, aided by the full moon overhead. “I recognize the source. But what are you trying to say?”

The cold wind whipped around them as she hesitated. “You were so casual, when I was upset about the…the situation earlier. Why not apply the same standard to this problem?”

Griff crossed his arms. “Go on.”

“Your parents can hold whatever expectations make them happy. But what you decide to do is an entirely separate issue.”

“Easy enough to say.”

“And very hard to do?” She shrugged. “I guess that depends on whether you’re an adult or an overgrown adolescent.”