“Holy shit,” Sangi said breathlessly.
“Matt, you said your family had a little money.”
“Well, I’m sure there’s an Arabian prince somewhere with more money…”
“So you’re not royally rich.”
He went quiet after that. Chelsea turned from him and glanced up at the house as they finally came to a stop. She suddenly felt very small and very under dressed. She was wearing her good jeans, the Seven For All Mankind denim she only wore for important occasions. The red pumps on her feet however suddenly felt like they were purchased from the back of a trunk. Her blouse, creamy white and short sleeved felt wrong on her skin. Even her makeup felt cheap in those glittering lights, those expensive cars.
“I feel uncomfortable. Let’s go home,” she barely got the words out of her mouth.
Matthew shook his head. “We just got here.”
Chelsea turned to him, panic in her eyes. She shook her head. Gripped his arm. “You promised.”
“And I meant it babe, but we just got here. You haven’t even met them yet. We’ll stay, at least for tonight. I just did all of that driving…” he trailed off.
“I can drive back,” she said quickly.
“You’re night blind, remember?”
Chelsea pushed back against the leather seat. She crossed her arms. A hand lay on her thigh as he caressed it gently. All of them looked up when the door opened. A man was illuminated by the warm light spilling out of the door. He took the steps quickly, but elegantly. As he got closer, Chelsea could make out an impeccable black suit, topped off with a bright yellow bow tie.
“Don’t tell me that’s a servant,” Chelsea said quietly.
She heard a stifled giggle from Sangi. It turned into a full on laugh. Chelsea turned to her, eyes wide. There was no trace of a smile on her lips.
“This isn’t funny,” she hissed.
“He’s not a servant. That’s Jackson, our butler. He’s in charge of running the estates. He oversees all of the staff, consider him more of an assistant. He’s been with our family for years.”
“Oh, well that’s perfectly normal then,” Chelsea replied.
“Love your sarcasm. Heads up.”
As the man approached her door, she almost wanted to flatten herself against the seat. She wanted to tell him they’d made an awful mistake. Surely, Matthew’s parents were sensible people in a sensible house. The car door was opened and the man extended a hand to her. She took it reluctantly. Chelsea let herself be helped out into the warm air where she stood admiring her surroundings without speaking.
Matthew slipped her purse into her hand. Her fingers clutched it without needing the use of her brain. The man who’d helped her out of the car, Jackson, she reminded herself, began to take their suitcases into the house. Chelsea stooped down to pick up one of her bags.
“Ma’am, I’ll have the bags taken up to your room, if you wish.”
Chelsea nodded dumbly, adding a quiet thank you for good measure. Matthew hooked his arm around hers before he patted her hand. He gently led her to the wide, stone steps. They were flanked on either side by stone lions. Chelsea felt like she was going to be sick.
They stepped into the house. It smelled of tropical fruit and flowers. Her heels clicked across the marble in the foyer, the sound was deafening to her ears. She was too afraid to tread heavily. They passed several rooms, each a blur before they stood in front of a white door with white blinds hanging down over the glass. Chelsea had a good feeling that it led outside. Matthew turned. He took her hands in his and gave them a tight squeeze.
“Are you ready?”
Chelsea nodded slowly. There was no getting out of it. She took a deep, steadying breath before she nodded once more. Matthew smiled, kissed her on the lips and pushed the door open.
“Surprise!”
“Shit!”
Chelsea wanted to be mad at Sangi, but she felt the same way. The backyard was a sea of faces. Light filled the place and tables were set with candles and fresh flowers. Matthew looked just as surprised as Chelsea did. Soon, he was grinning though. Chelsea wasn’t.
“Honey! How are you? Did you miss your mom?”
A woman walked up to Matthew in a long, wine colored dress. She had golden blond hair that flowed down her back. Chelsea right away, saw the resemblance between him and his mother. Her eyes were the same shocking green as his brothers. Though she had to be in her early fifties, the woman looked young. Not a single gray hair was to be seen. She all but ran to him. Her arms were around his neck, pushing Chelsea out of the way in the process. Matthew gave her a tight hug back before they separated.