“Nonsense. I’m sure Christa is great at a lot of things, but planning a wedding is a difficult task. We do have a certain standard to uphold,” she said.
Chelsea gritted her teeth. “Chelsea. I’ve been doing okay with it so far. We have a lovely little location picked out. I’ve almost finished the menu with the caterer as well. It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy planning it.”
“Nonsense,” Catherine said again with a dismissive wave of the hand. “I highly doubt a little venue is going to hold five hundred people.”
“Mom, that’s insanity. Why would there be five hundred people at our wedding? We just want to keep it small.”
“So you don’t want to invite your friends? What about your father’s business associates, clients? This is a social event, it should be taken advantage of.”
Chelsea began to squeeze Matthew’s hand so hard, he winced before pulling it away. She was trying her best to keep the soft smile on her face, but she could already feel it faltering. A social event? Take advantage of their wedding? Who did she think she was?
“Mom, I really don’t think-” Andrew began.
“Honey, let them plan their wedding the way they want to,” Lyle added.
Catherine looked at both of them like they were bugs. Her eyes were so narrowed, Chelsea vaguely wondered if she could still see. The woman turned back to her and Matthew.
“I could be of some assistance. I have a wonderful friend who’s a wedding planner. She’s used to planning five star weddings. Really Charity, it’s no trouble to me and I can more than cover expenses.”
Chelsea’s foot tapped away under the table. In her mind, she was telling Catherine to shove it up her ass. She was choking her, finding a nice little spot to bury her body. She could feel Matthew’s eyes on her, saw the worried expression on his face. There was a reason they were so easily matched, one of them being her temper. However, she placed a sweet smile on her face as she laughed.
“Of course, Catherine. That would be lovely. Thank you,” she said.
Everyone seemed to either be looking at her in shock or with a look of relief on their face. Chelsea picked up her fork, sliced off a piece of the quiche and smiled as she ate. Once breakfast was over, she excused herself. Matthew followed behind her quickly.
“Did somebody get into my mother’s sedatives? You were awfully calm,” he said.
Chelsea shrugged. “I can see she doesn’t like me. So, I’ll let her do things her way for a while.” She glanced around them. “Why doesn’t your mom like me? What did you say?”
“What? Me? I didn’t say anything,” Matthew said looking offended.
Chelsea searched his face, but he was fidgeting with himself. She let out a huff of air. “Fine. I’ll try to be nice to mommy dearest, for your sake.”
Matthew smiled. He gripped her chin with his fingers, ran a thumb over her smooth skin. As he leaned forward to kiss her lips, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Heels. That could only be one person. They pulled apart quickly making Chelsea wonder why they should have to. Everyone was an adult here. Catherine came into the hallway.
“Chelsea, would you like a tour of the house?” She asked brightly.
Chelsea wanted to respond that she’d much rather take a tour of her medicine cabinet because apparently the woman had now taken her pills. How miraculous that her smile looked sincere and she remembered her name. Matthew wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Mom, I’m sure she doesn’t want the grand tour.”
“Actually, I’d like to see your house,” she said. Matthew looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. She couldn’t contain her curiosity at seeing the large estate.
“Wonderful. Follow me, then,” she said as she turned.
Chelsea followed behind her as Sangi joined them with Andrew. Matthew still looked as if she’d been taken over by an alien. They started at the entrance hall before covering every corner of the house. With each room, Chelsea’s mouth seemed to hang open a little more. There were twelve bedrooms in total, six bathrooms, four powder room, a wine cellar, game room and theater. Chelsea couldn’t believe this was the house her soon to be husband had grown up in. Catherine seemed to take great pride in her reaction. Chelsea couldn’t seem to close her mouth no matter how hard she didn’t want to give his mother the satisfaction of impressing her. Sangi’s look mirrored her own. They shared a look. Fucking rich people.
They finished the tour of the house, ending back up in the entrance near the stairs. Chelsea and Sangi both complimented her on her home. With it out of the way however, a sort of awkward silence filled the space. She could tell Matthew wanted to get her alone, but his mother seemed to be sticking around. Finally, Sangi was the one to break the silence.
“Andrew and I were going to head into town for a little bit. Why don’t you and Matthew go over the wedding plans for a little while?” She suggested.
Catherine checked her watch. “We can all meet back here for brunch. Matthew, when you’re done, could you visit me in my office please?”
Matthew nodded. She seemed to find that satisfactory as she walked away from the small group. Andrew and Sangi said their goodbyes. When they were gone, Matthew grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs. Safely inside of her room, they dissolved into a fit of laughter.