and Greg were married, dear. Because she thinks we southerners are some kind of unwashed pariahs who deserve to live our lives without the company of polite society.” Lenore made a rather un-Lenore-like hand gesture, making Charleigh laugh.
“ Aw, polite society can kiss me on the rump,” Madie added. “I thought I’d left all that behind when I married Paul.” She got up from the table, went over to the stove to pour herself another cup of tea. She set the cup down on the counter and turned to look at her sister and Charleigh. “Sure, he came from a rich family…”
“ A richer family than our own,” Lenore interjected.
“ The Matthewses lived comfortably, but they lived simply. Every generation of the family has lived in this house at one time or another for the last two hundred years. When Paul and I married and we moved back here, his grandparents, his parents, and two of his brothers and their wives and children were living here in this very house.” Madie shrugged. She lifted the teacup to her lips and took a sip.
“ Some people just never realize that it’s not what you have that counts but what you do with it. That’s something that Emily Matthews, my dear mother-in-law, taught me. If Claudia had spent more time around me, that‘s some advice I would have loved to pass on.”
“ Good advice.”
“ She thinks I’m a golddigger. She says that I’m only marrying Jamie for his trust fund and what he’ll inherit from her parents when they die.” Tears welled up in Charleigh’s eyes.
“ Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” Madie tried to console her. She patted Charleigh on the shoulder.
“ Tsk, tsk, Tsk. That woman is supercilious and petty.” Lenore shook her head in disgust. She held a hanky out to Charleigh, which the younger woman accepted.
“ The only reason she wants to have that party in New York is to abuse me in front of all her uppity friends.” She wiped her eyes. “Greg says we ought to give in and let her have her way, but I…”
Charleigh didn ’t want to give in and let Claudia have her way. It would turn out worse than Jamie’s birthday party, she knew. The malevolence, on Claudia’s part, and the embarrassment, on Charleigh and Jamie’s parts, would be a thousand times worse because it would be in front of a whole lot more people. Greg promised that he wouldn’t let that happen. But no matter what Greg or anybody else said, it would end up the way Charleigh imagined it.
“ It’s okay, dear.”
“ No! No, it’s not. She is determined to put me in my place. If she only knew what I do, she’d keep her big mouth shut.”
“ What? Why do you say that?” Madie asked, intrigued.
“ What do you mean?”
The sisters watched Charleigh with quizzical eyes.
Oh my God! Why did I say that out loud? “I, uh…It’s just… Never mind me.”
***
It was late. After nine o’clock when Jamie left the office, and it was long past eleven by the time he turned off on Highway 70E, because it was the quickest backroad home.
He had called earlier in the evening to tell Charleigh that he was having to work later than usual and not to wait up for him. Without a doubt, she hadn ’t listened, and Jamie knew he would probably find her asleep on the couch when he got home.
The stereo was booming with the music of 3 Doors Down, a cd Jamie had ‘borrowed’ from the Tahoe when he left that morning. It was something he was sure Charleigh greatly appreciated, since they were her favorite band.
As the beat became faster, his foot got heavier on the accelerator. The only thing he wanted was to get home and crawl into bed beside the woman he loved. Jamie didn’t worry about being pulled over by the fuzz. They hardly traveled the old highway, anyway. But…
Jamie passed Hotel Road in Albany, and there it was, sitting in the darkness by the old dilapidated building that was once a filling station. The car pulled out behind Jamie’s Wrangler, with the sirens blaring.
“ Oh,
“ Aw, polite society can kiss me on the rump,” Madie added. “I thought I’d left all that behind when I married Paul.” She got up from the table, went over to the stove to pour herself another cup of tea. She set the cup down on the counter and turned to look at her sister and Charleigh. “Sure, he came from a rich family…”
“ A richer family than our own,” Lenore interjected.
“ The Matthewses lived comfortably, but they lived simply. Every generation of the family has lived in this house at one time or another for the last two hundred years. When Paul and I married and we moved back here, his grandparents, his parents, and two of his brothers and their wives and children were living here in this very house.” Madie shrugged. She lifted the teacup to her lips and took a sip.
“ Some people just never realize that it’s not what you have that counts but what you do with it. That’s something that Emily Matthews, my dear mother-in-law, taught me. If Claudia had spent more time around me, that‘s some advice I would have loved to pass on.”
“ Good advice.”
“ She thinks I’m a golddigger. She says that I’m only marrying Jamie for his trust fund and what he’ll inherit from her parents when they die.” Tears welled up in Charleigh’s eyes.
“ Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” Madie tried to console her. She patted Charleigh on the shoulder.
“ Tsk, tsk, Tsk. That woman is supercilious and petty.” Lenore shook her head in disgust. She held a hanky out to Charleigh, which the younger woman accepted.
“ The only reason she wants to have that party in New York is to abuse me in front of all her uppity friends.” She wiped her eyes. “Greg says we ought to give in and let her have her way, but I…”
Charleigh didn ’t want to give in and let Claudia have her way. It would turn out worse than Jamie’s birthday party, she knew. The malevolence, on Claudia’s part, and the embarrassment, on Charleigh and Jamie’s parts, would be a thousand times worse because it would be in front of a whole lot more people. Greg promised that he wouldn’t let that happen. But no matter what Greg or anybody else said, it would end up the way Charleigh imagined it.
“ It’s okay, dear.”
“ No! No, it’s not. She is determined to put me in my place. If she only knew what I do, she’d keep her big mouth shut.”
“ What? Why do you say that?” Madie asked, intrigued.
“ What do you mean?”
The sisters watched Charleigh with quizzical eyes.
Oh my God! Why did I say that out loud? “I, uh…It’s just… Never mind me.”
***
It was late. After nine o’clock when Jamie left the office, and it was long past eleven by the time he turned off on Highway 70E, because it was the quickest backroad home.
He had called earlier in the evening to tell Charleigh that he was having to work later than usual and not to wait up for him. Without a doubt, she hadn ’t listened, and Jamie knew he would probably find her asleep on the couch when he got home.
The stereo was booming with the music of 3 Doors Down, a cd Jamie had ‘borrowed’ from the Tahoe when he left that morning. It was something he was sure Charleigh greatly appreciated, since they were her favorite band.
As the beat became faster, his foot got heavier on the accelerator. The only thing he wanted was to get home and crawl into bed beside the woman he loved. Jamie didn’t worry about being pulled over by the fuzz. They hardly traveled the old highway, anyway. But…
Jamie passed Hotel Road in Albany, and there it was, sitting in the darkness by the old dilapidated building that was once a filling station. The car pulled out behind Jamie’s Wrangler, with the sirens blaring.
“ Oh,
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