Chapter 3
“All packed up, babe?”
Chelsea looked up at Matthew as he slid into her office. The wooden door clicked into place after him. He was wearing one of her favorite blue suits, a solid gray tie around his neck. In his hand were a few beige colored files. He dropped them on her desk before he leaned down and kissed her on the lips. He sat across from her, crossing a leg over one knee. He looked delicious.
“Not even. I just don’t know what to wear.”
“I can help you when we get home,” he said. ”I just wanted to ask one thing.”
Chelsea raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
He ran a hand over the back of his head. Fidgeted with his ties. She waited patiently until he looked at her again.
“Could you not tell my parents we’re living together?”
Chelsea dropped her black pen, leaned back against her chair and laced her fingers. She didn’t say a word, but she knew Matt could feel her anger rising. Ever since he’d said she was going to meet his parents he had been acting odder and odder. It was hitting a point where Chelsea wondered if he was ashamed of her. She knew that wasn’t entirely true, but she still felt it. His actions weren’t helping.
“Why?” She asked, keeping her voice calm.
“Well, they’re very religious. Protestants. Especially my mother and grandmother. I just don’t want to make them uncomfortable.”
Chelsea pinched the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. “Of course dear, is there anything else you want to tell me now? We are going up there in less than two hours.”
Matthew put on an uneasy grin. “Nope, that’s it. Come on, I know you’ll love them. And they’ll love you too, of course.”
She sighed. “Alright. Mr. Whitehill said I could cut out early. Are you coming with me?”
Blond hair whipped around a little as he shook his head. “Nope, I’m afraid not. I have to finish up this contract. The city just implemented some impossible limitations and I gotta find a way around them. I’ll join you as soon as I’m finished.”
There was a brief knock on the door before it swung open. Mr. Whitehill stood there, sweating and looking uncomfortable. He turned from Matthew to Chelsea then back again.
“I can’t have you two alone in this office. It starts up too many rumors. I’ve already caught three people saying that you two were…um…you know… Let’s keep it professional, love birds!”
Matthew flashed one of his grins at Chelsea. She couldn’t help but to imitate it. She shook her head softly as the door closed behind Matthew. It was going to be a long weekend.
*****
Matthew threw the last of her bags into the back of the car before they headed over to Sangi’s. As she came out of the house with three more suitcases of her own, Matthew grumbled. He fit what he could in the trunk, but one still ended up on the side of Chelsea’s heeled feet.
“I still don’t know why the both of you need eight combined suitcases just for a weekend,” Matthew complained as he started driving.
“I told you I didn’t know what to wear. This way, I can be prepared for every situation. I’ve got this whole preppy look down to a science,” Chelsea said as she flipped through the radio stations. “How long until we get to Nantucket?”
“Almost four hours, so settle in. We won’t get there until about nine, so I doubt very much is going to happen tonight.”
“Will your brother be there?” Sangi asked from the backseat.
Matthew glared into the rearview mirror. “Yes and his girlfriend will probably come up tomorrow.”
Sangi flopped against the backseat. She pouted. Chelsea tried to stifle a laugh by turning up the radio a little louder. Matthew was a pain the entire way to his parents house. She could tell he was really nervous, but still he was grating on her nerves. By the time they exited the freeway, Chelsea’s nervousness was being drowned out by relief. She hated long car rides. That quickly went away however when the landscape seemed to change. There were a few houses sprinkled throughout the landscape, but the more they drove the bigger they became. The roads turned to dirt and gravel. The sound of the tires crunching over the rocks made her clench her teeth.
Matthew turned right onto a graveled road. He flicked on his high beams. They drove for what felt like an eternity. Trees stood tall on the right, on the left there was darkness and grass. Chelsea shivered.
“Geez Matt. Don’t you think if you wanted to kill me you could have done it in Boston?”
Matt mocked her laugh playfully. “No, out here I have all these trees. They would never find you.” He grinned.
“You two were made for each other.”
The narrow road turned into a circle drive decorated on both sides by some impressive topiary. It was the house that made Chelsea’s mouth fall open. The house was lit all over with a soft, orange white glow of in-ground spotlights. The house was designed to look like a Spanish chateau, with wavy shingles and a soft sandstone exterior. The home was grand.