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Fuck you, combat boot. I’m putting you on my own foot to do a little kicking.
“Language, Eric, please. We’re at the dinner table,” Ursula scolds. “The board is very busy right now. I’m sure Ariel will be able to figure it out on her own if she’s as brilliant as you say she is.”
I smack my fork down against the table so hard it makes the crystal goblets around my setting rattle.
“Yes, well, it seems someone at the county has it out for us for some crazy reason.” I laugh humorlessly “Some judgmental person with a stick up his or her behind who thinks they’re better than us and looks down their nose at what we’re doing. It’s quite pathetic really, the lengths they’re going just to try and prove something.”
Ursula narrows her eyes at me, but she’s also looking a little nervous right now. She clearly doesn’t want Eric to know that she’s the one I’m talking about. That she’s the reason our business that we worked so hard on might be shut down.
“If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to take a look at your paperwork, pro bono,” Vanessa interjects, making me want to run around the table and hug her skinny, perfect ass.
“Oh, you wouldn’t want to waste your time with a small-business problem when you have multimillion dollar industries you deal with, Vanessa,” Ursula tells her.
“Jesus, Mother, that’s enough,” Eric mutters.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out so rude. Of course it wouldn’t be a waste of time. I’m sure it’s very important to you that you do whatever you can to make sure it doesn’t fail,” Ursula says pointedly, and that feeling of dread starts taking root again in my stomach.
The rest of brunch goes by just as uncomfortably as the start of it, Ursula droning on and on about all of Vanessa’s accomplishments, while Vanessa looks like she’d rather be anywhere but at this table right now.
Join the club, sister.
While the plates are cleared just as quickly as they came, Ursula reaches over and pats Vanessa’s hand.
“Is your car still making that strange, rattling sound when you start the engine?” Ursula asks.
“Um, yes. But it’s fine. I’m taking it into the dealership tomorrow.”
“Nonsense! Eric used to fiddle around with our cars when he was a teenager, always taking things apart to see how they worked. Sweetheart, why don’t you go outside with Vanessa and see if you can figure out what the problem is so the poor girl doesn’t get taken advantage of by the mechanic?”
Seriously? Is she really insinuating Vanessa isn’t smart enough to know when a mechanic is taking her for a ride? Talk about insulting.
“No, really. It’s okay, Ursula. The car is still driving fine. There’s no need for Eric to go through the trouble,” Vanessa insists.
“It’s no trouble, right Eric? Besides, it will give Ariel and I a chance to get to know each other a little more. Talk business one-on-one.”
Eric looks over at me questioningly, and my heart screams for me to cling to him and tell him that under no circumstances should he leave me alone with this vile woman. But I refuse to do that. I refuse to let her think that I’m afraid of her, or that she can intimidate me.
“It’s fine. Go outside and tinker with the car, grunt and pound your chest and feel all manly,” I tell him with a smile.
He stares at my face for a few moments to make sure I’m serious, and when he’s satisfied that I’ll be okay, he gets up from his chair, giving me a kiss on the cheek before he moves away from the table.
Vanessa gives me an apologetic look as she joins him, and they move out into the foyer together, talking softly until I hear the front door open and close.
As soon as we’re alone, I bring my hands up and start a slow clap as I stare at Ursula.
“Bravo. Excellent performance. Now it’s time to cut the shit,” I tell her, resting my elbows on the table and leaning towards her. “You knew who I was this entire time. Did you deny our application just because I’m dating your son?”
“I knew who you were the day you walked into that courthouse and I saw my son’s boat address on your paperwork. And by the way, it’s not your home. Our family owns that boat, something that you are not a part of. I don’t know what kind of gold digging ideas you have in that brain of yours, but they end right now,” Ursula informs me.
I throw my head back and laugh, letting out a sigh when I get it all out of my system.
“Jesus, and here I thought you and I would have something in common, since we’re both business owners, doing whatever we can to make a name for ourselves in this world where a man thinks just because he has a dick, he’s smarter than us and should make more money,” I reply. “I’m not a gold digger. I work my ass off, and I earn the money I make. I’m sorry if you don’t like how I do it, but it’s not illegal, and I’m proud of what I do. And so is your son.”
