…. Another update ! Yeah !
Mary stepped around Addison, whose lashes were still damp from her most recent crying jag. Annoying, that. Mary never could tolerate all that whining and whimpering. Course, the girl had cause. Derek had crossed the line this time, dumping Addison so suddenly. Mary had to find a way to make him change his mind. It'd be best for everyone, but especially for Derek.
She had to fix things.
Funny, but whenever she'd said as much to Addison and her parents, Addison had only cried that much more. She knew as well as Mary did how unbending Derek could be once he'd made up his mind about something. His iron backbone proved he was a Shepherd through and through.
She needed Meredith here to help her. Meredith not only kept her life organized, she was always a rock, and she had a calming effect that helped keep disasters at bay. If Meredith hadn't been out of town during the confrontation, Mary likely wouldn't have lost her temper and disowned Derek. Now she had to figure out how to get him back, get the wedding back on track and save face in the bargain.
Unfortunately, Meredith had gone missing after their heated discussion. For some reason, Meredith had taken grave offence at the supposed slights dealt to Mary's hardheaded son.
Marta and John, Addison's parents, sat in stony silence, waiting for Mary to come up with a solution to the problem of the cancelled wedding. She loved them both and counted them as two of her closest friends, but they could be such nitwits sometimes. What did they expect her to do? Ground Derek in his room?
To herself, Mary muttered, "Damn it, Meredith , where are you?"
John cleared his throat. "You're really worried about her?"
"Of course I'm worried. She's the most steadfast employee I've ever had. If she's not here, it's because something has happened to her." Mary had already decided a pretence of worry would buy her some time and give her an excuse to contact Derek again.
Marta, looking impatient, handed her quietly weeping daughter another tissue and turned to Mary. "You said the two of you argued. Perhaps she's still annoyed."
"She would have called and said so."
John raised his brows. "She tells you when she's annoyed with you?"
If they only knew, Mary thought with a secret smile. Meredith always spoke her mind, especially when she felt righteous. Mary said only, "Yes, but always in the most diplomatic terms."
As if on cue, the library doors burst open and Meredith tumbled in looking like a ragged weed caught in the wind. "Mary! I'm so sorry I'm late."
Mary stared at Meredith , utterly speechless. Good God, had she spent the night in the gutter? Had she been attacked?
"Late," Mary finally said, giving her mind a chance to work, "is a few minutes. Meredith , you're several hours tardy."
"I know." Meredith shoved thick handfuls of tangled hair from her face. "And as I said, I'm sorry."
Mary looked her over. She was aware of John coming to his feet behind her, of Addison and Marta staring in mute shock. Her voice sharp with concern, Mary snapped, "What in the world has happened to you?"
"Happened to me?" Meredith blushed even as she repeated the question.
Mary approached her. A very real niggling of worry intruded. "Don't play dumb with me, young lady. It doesn't suit you at all. Just look at you. You're a wrinkled, dirty mess."
Meredith brushed at her sweater—which had two buttons in the wrong holes, leaving a peek of her cleavage—and straightened her sagging skirt. Her legs were bare, her shoes water-stained. "My car broke down last night. I got caught in the rain."
"All night?" Marta asked with real concern.
"No, actually ..." Meredith fidgeted. "No."
Mary scowled. "No actually no what?"
Addison stepped up behind Mary and placed a manicured hand on her shoulder. "I think we should go, Mary. Maybe Meredith would like a little privacy with you to discuss her . . . dilemma."
Meredith looked at Addison overlong, then bobbed her head. "Is the meeting over, then?"
Mary tipped back on her old tired heels. She had never seen Meredith flustered, but right now, she was bright red and rattling nonsense. "Of course it's not over. We weren't even able to begin without you here."
"Oh?"
"We were going to discuss the business aspects of the wedding."
Meredith blinked. "What wedding?"
Mary tapped one foot. "Derek's."
"But... I understood that the ceremony has been cancelled."
Addison drew in a shuddering breath and Mary patted the hand still on her shoulder. "There are some things that have to be resolved, Meredith . But I have no idea where you have the legal files in my computer."
"Oh."
"Will you quit saying that!" Mary snapped.
"Meredith ?" John stepped forward. His handsome face was stiff with concern. "Are you all right?"
Mary realized they now surrounded her, and Meredith didn't like it. Her chin lifted and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you." She made to move around them. "I'll just open those files right now."
"No point," John said, watching her closely. "At least not until we know if the wedding is truly cancelled or not."
And then, from the doorway, a rough-edged voice intruded. "The wedding is definitely off."
Everyone whirled to face Derek. Mary felt a mixture of supreme annoyance and grudging pride. Derek wouldn't hide from animosity. Derek didn't hide from anyone. After all, he was her son.
"What are you doing here?" Mary asked, even as Marta put a protective arm around her daughter.
In a flash, Meredith was at Derek's side. Or rather, she stood in front of him.
Mary's brows lifted. "Meredith ?"
"He brought me here. Remember, I said my car broke down?"
John looked between the two of them in confusion. "And you called him rather than taxi ?"
"Last night?" Marta clarified, and there was a load of speculation creeping into her tone.
Derek shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned into the door frame. He looked at Meredith, from all appearances as curious about her reply as the rest of them.
Meredith stiffened. "I went….. to see ….Derek … last night."
The silence in the room was so thick, Mary almost choked on it.
Meredith forged on. "My car broke down a few blocks from his place and ….. I … I got soaked getting there."
Addison held herself protectively and walked away to a window, staring out at the sunny afternoon sky. Mary noticed that Derek's gaze never wavered from Meredith ; he was oblivious to Addison and she was upset. Just as he appeared oblivious to her parents. All his attention, all his focus, was on Meredith .
It was almost. . . intimate… the intensity with which he watched her secretary.
"My God." Mary looked at them both, then narrowed her gaze on her son as everything became crystal clear. Mortification and outrage struck her hard. "This is too much, Derek! Far, far, far far too much."
Lazily, he looked away from Meredith to meet her insinuation. But before he could say anything, Meredith took an aggressive step forward "Don't accuse him of anything!"
There was nothing diplomatic in Meredith's tone this time. Aghast, Mary said, "You're denying you spent the night with him?"
Meredith pinched her lips together. Both Marta and John stiffened. Addison turned to face them, her eyes rounded.
"Look at you," Mary continued, determined to take charge of the awkward situation. "You haven't even brushed your hair. And your clothes look as if they spent the night on the floor."
Derek made a sound, but amazingly enough Meredith raised a hand to quiet him. He grinned—the rogue—and fell silent.
Through her teeth, Meredith said, "I did spend the night, yes."
Everyone spoke at once, John furious, Marta scandalized, Addison whining.
Mary shouted, "Enough." She glared her discontent at Derek, and in a quieter but no less furious tone, she said, "That's low even for you, Derek. Meredith is a nice young woman, too good for you to use that way."
Meredith sputtered, she was so furious. "Too good for him?" Somehow she managed to stand two inches taller and said in a low voice laced with significance, "I should be so lucky as to draw his notice."
Derek reached forward and tugged on a long lock of Meredith's hair. "You got my notice. Meri, and you know it."
Mary suffered a surge of protectiveness toward Meredith . How could her son toy with her that way? Meredith was in no way used to men and their flirting, and she surely wasn't used to a man like Derek. "Are you using her to punish me, Derek?" Was Derek capable of such a thing? Mary could never underestimate him. "Is that it?"
Meredith stiffened further. "Derek didn't use me."
"We're leaving," John announced, and Derek politely stepped out of his way. Marta clutched her daughter close and dragged her toward the door.
Meredith threw up her arms. "You've got it all wrong."
And as Addison and her parents continued to march out, she added loud enough to rattle the windows, "I used him!"
Everyone froze, not even daring to breathe in the wake of that awful disclosure.
Then Derek choked, and to Mary's astute eyes, he looked near to laughing. She considered booting him, but he was such a hard young man, she'd probably break her ankle. Then she wasn't nearly as sturdy as she used to be.
"So," John demanded in austere tones, "this is the reason you broke off with my daughter? Because of a ... fling with Meredith ?"
"Nope," Derek replied, calm to the point of indifference.
"No." Meredith agreed, horrified by such a conclusion.
"Then why, damn you?" John asked.
Derek briefly glanced at Addison, and with a twisted smile said to her father, "I have my reasons, and I'm sure Addison could explain them to you. But Meredith had nothing to do with them."
Marta, trembling in her anger, squeezed Addison closer. "I don't believe you. It's obvious to one and all what you've been doing. It's . . . disgusting."
Mary had to figure out what was going on before things got completely out of hand, She didn't want Meredith insulted but she had to admit it all looked very suspicious.
"You two wait here," she ordered Meredith and Derek. She approached John and Marta with no idea of what to say. Damn, she hated to be put into these kinds of predicaments and Derek knew it. She avoided scandal and gossip by taking iron control of every situation.
Once they were well away from the library, John muttered in low, angry tones, "This is incredible, Mary."
Marta added, "He should be horse-whipped or castrated!!"
Mary considered that suggestion. "You know, Addison, it seems to me Derek's just sowing some last-minute wild oats."
Derek and Meredith. The idea of the two of them together was so ….. she was still a little shocked, and a lot disbelieving. There had to be another explanation. "I understand that's typical of young men."
"He's thirty-eight," Addison pointed out, and to Mary, Addison seemed far calmer than her parents.
"True. But…."
"Mary, please. No buts, he does exactly as he pleases. He cancels the wedding, he is immature. For being a brain surgeon, he is so brainless sometimes!" Marta said.
"I suppose," Marta reluctantly agreed. Deep down, Mary respected Derek, too. It was impossible to know him for long and not respect him, she thought. "I think you should fight for him, Addison."
John drew up short before the front door, the epitome of the insulted father. "My daughter does not have to fight for the likes of him. She has her choice of successful men."
"The likes of him, John ?" That was an insult Mary couldn't accept because it reflected badly on her. "Derek is of my own flesh and blood, John. And that's as good as it gets. Or are you trying to denigrate me now?"
John relented. "No, of course not, Mary. It's just that this is all very difficult. I don't like the idea of my little girl chasing any man."
"Addison needn't be blatant about it," Mary soothed, when what she really wanted to do was smack John. "Addison could perhaps flirt with a few other men. That might spark Derek's jealousy."
Marta and John started to object, and Addison cut them both off. "That's a wonderful idea, Mary. I'll give it a try." She hugged Mary tightly, absurdly pleased by the suggestion.
Heart in her throat, Mary returned Addison's embrace. As weak-willed as Addison might be, Mary adored her, and she badly wanted her for her daughter-in-law. Addison was sweet and kind and gentle, and she had an enormous heart. She also went out of her way to make her parents proud—unlike Derek, who seemed to take berserk delight in tweaking Mary's temper.
Together, they would give her incredible grandchildren, and Derek's future would be set.
"All right, then. We still have a little time before the wedding. Not much, but maybe it will be enough. For now, we won't make any announcements."
John looked stiff enough to crack. "We can give it two weeks. But then guests will be arriving if we don't tell them the wedding is off."
"Two weeks," Addison repeated.
Mary watched from the doorway as they went out to John's very expensive car. Marta was already tying a scarf around her fair hair, while Addison sat in the backseat, her face lifted to the sun. Something didn't add up; there was more going on than the obvious.
Mary shook her head and turned away. She could hear Meredith and Derek talking. Now to face down them both.
Sometimes it was hell being the matriarch.
Next update… coming soon !!!
