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“I made no promises,” I tell my grandmother. Her brow arches.
“Oh, and your promises mean so much these days.” She says it so calmly and I fight back a grimace.
I’m not really sure that I deserve all of her disdain. Still trying to give Layla some space, I decided to address things with Mina before brunch, in hopes that we could clear everything up by the time we left Ruth’s today.
Imagine my surprise when Mina apologized to me and insisted that there were no hard feelings between us and that she suspected I had already found my match. Of course when I pressed her for more information, she dodged my questions.
Something tells me there’s a whole lot more going on in this situation than Ruth has let on.
“Let’s eat. The food is getting cold.” Ruth pulls the dome tops off the circular platters on the table before us. The table looks as if it’s straight off a room service cart in a fancy-ass hotel. Ruth informed me when I arrived that while she’s perfectly capable of cooking a fabulous meal, there are certain luxuries in life that allow you to relax later in life. Such as her part-time chef and housekeeper.
The waters are calm while we fill our plates. My grandma and Ruth eat like birds, so it doesn’t take long for them to sit back and start eating. Me, I take my time loading up a plate full of eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, and some fruit.
We eat in silence for maybe five minutes before a clatter of silverware nearly startles me.
“Dorthy, are you all right?” Ruth looks over at her best friend with alarm.
“I can’t take it anymore. Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” she nearly screeches.
“The outburst,” Ruth mumbles while my grandma composes herself.
“Please, Cole. What did we walk in on yesterday?” she asks me.
Ruth snorts. “Really, Dorth? You need him to spell it out?”
My eyes ping-pong between the two women. My grandma dramatically rolls her eyes because everything she does is done with drama. “I don’t want to know about the sexual activities they were participating in, but the situation itself. I thought he was seeing Mina. I liked Mina.”
She pouts and sends a glare my way, but I won’t feel guilty. I open my mouth to finally explain when Ruth cuts in.
“And you will adore Layla.” Her words cut through the bullshit of the morning and it’s the first time since last night that I get the feeling Ruth may not be disappointed in what has happened. I study her as she and my grandma have a wordless exchange. Ruth wins the silent battle when Grandma sighs.
“Of course, Ruthie. I already do adore your granddaughter.”
Ruth smiles then turns her gaze on me. “I feel as if I need to let the record show that I suspected that there may be something going on between you and my granddaughter.”
I want to be floored by her admission. But I’m not.
Food left forgotten on my plate, I lean forward in my chair. “How long did you know?”
She waves a hand as if it’s not a big deal.
“Tell me. How long did you know?” I repeat.
“Since the day she did your intake interview,” Ruth says nonchalantly.
I want to be angry, and I should feel played. But I don’t. She is a matchmaker after all.
What I am is curious. “So why didn’t you match me with Layla then?”
She chuckles this time, Grandma joining in. “Oh, Cole,” my grandma says on an exacerbated sigh. Missing the point in the joke I didn’t ask, but they are enjoying laughing at, I drum my fingers on the table.
“Darling boy. I did match the two of you,” Ruth says.
I sit there, stunned. Confused. She pushed me on dates with other women and not Layla.
“To be clear, you were not the hard sell here. I knew my granddaughter would go kicking and screaming if I had come out and been honest with my matching. This process was necessary.”
Grandma clucks her tongue. “Oh, Ruth, I thought you had grown out of your witchy ways.”
