I'd like to thank you all as always for the lovely reviews and alerts.
I'd also like to thank everyone who has bought my books and reviewed them on Blushing Books or Amazon.
Becky's Last Chance and An Unexpected Husband.
The reviews really help with the sales and on Blushing it helps to get me and keep me on the Most reviewed list. I really appreciate those that took the time. Big Hugs.
For this chapter I would like to give a BIG thank you to GibbsFan who had a lot of input into this chapter :)
I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
Chapter 32
Harm's eyes focused on Mac first with a look of confusion before they found Mattie. Mac was clearly angry and Mattie was flushed. Yep Mattie had managed to piss Mac off again this morning it seemed. Without saying a word Harm shifted over leaving a space between he and Mac. He pointed to Mattie and then to the space.
"No." Mattie muttered scornfully in a what she imagined was a whisper.
In a silent church though it was more like a low hiss. The woman behind Harm tut tutted and his face flushed with embarrassment and not a small amount of annoyance. The hard stare that he gave the sulky teenager did the trick and she moved into the spot between her folks without another argument. She did however slink down into the seat with her arms crossed. Harm turned and gave the tutting woman a half smile and she grinned smugly. It was almost enough to make Harm send Mattie back where she'd just come from, but not quite. Instead he tapped her leg and made her sit up. Self preservation having left her body when she was deprived of all the sleep she thought she needed, Mattie turned and popped her gum.
Mac opened her purse silently and produced a tissue which she held out to Mattie with narrowed eyes. Mattie slowly and deliberately took out the gum and dropped it dramatically into the tissue.
Chloe looked at Josh with wide questioning eyes. His answer was to roll his eyes and shrug. This strange new world of females was more than he try and figure out. They were all just crazy sometimes.
Harm sighed with relief as the last hymn wound down and the preacher moved to the back of the church to farewell the parishioners.
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
They were no sooner out of the church and on their way to the car when Mattie started on for her Harm had made a beeline to unlock the car so they could get the hell out of there before they out on any more of a show.
"Can I have my phone back now?" she asked.
"Nope." Mac said.
"Why?" Mattie whined. "It's not fair. You said I could have it back after church."
"That offer was on the table before you said that I 'sucked ass'."
Mattie glared at Mac.
"I didn't say the last bit out loud...well I didn't mean to."
"Go get in the car Mattie and not another word about your phone".
"But I need it!" she said. "I was going to see Max this afternoon."
"Was going to, is correct. You won't be seeing Max today Mattie." Mac said sternly with a look that told Mattie there would be no more correspondence entered into.
Like she cared about that with the mood she was in. "I hate you." she said as she climbed into the car in a sulk.
"You get in." Josh hissed to Chloe.
"I don't wanna sit next to her." Chloe whispered back. "She's got steam coming out of her ears."
"Get in the car!" Harm said finally losing his patience. "he had no idea what was going on between Mac and Mattie but he knew he'd had enough of it. He just wanted to get home and find out off Mac what had happened in the bathroom.
Mattie stared out the window in disgust.
XXX
As the angry young girl watched the cars and the trees flying past the window on the trip home, it occurred to her that she may need to change her tack a little if she had any hope at all of getting her phone back and resurrecting anything of her afternoon.
"Mac?" she said sweetly.
"Yes Mattie?"
"I'm sorry. I just haven't had enough sleep ok?" she said.
"Thank you Mattie." Mac said. "I accept your apology."
"Now can I have my phone back?"
"No Mattie." Mac said. "I'm happy that you're sorry but that doesn't mean there are no consequences for your actions."
"But..."
"But nothing." Harm said interceding on Mac's behalf. "Mac's the adult and she's spoken so enough."
"You both suck and I'm not sorry." Mattie said. Poor timing she realised when Harm pulled into their driveway.
As soon as the car stopped four doors swung open like a car arriving at the scene in a police drama. Mac wanted to get her hands on the little brat that had been giving her grief all morning ...Chloe and Josh were keen to get out of the line of fire and Harm wanted to get to Mattie first. He did. He swung her sideway and popped her bottom hard. "Get up stairs to our bedroom and wait." he said.
The other two made themselves scarce and Harm grabbed Mac and pulled her into his arms. "Hey." he said. "You need to calm down."
"I am calm." Mac said testily.
"No...I don't think that's true."
Mac took a couple of deep breaths. "It's ok I'm ok." she said. "She has just been SUCH a brat this morning."
"I know." Harm said. "I'll fix it. You need to tell me though what I'm fixing and why."
"I don't need you to fix it." she said grumpily.
"I think maybe you do this time." Harm said. "You're upset and angry...not saying you don't have a reason, but that doesn't change the facts."
"Ok."
"Then you need to tell me what happened."
Mac retold the story as it happened and Harm's eyes widened at the language and the didn't know what was eating Mattie but what ever it was it was no excuse...in church of all places!
XXX
Mattie sat on the corner of her bed. How had this day gone so wrong? She'd been in a bad mood from the very beginning and she didn't know why. She'd just wanted to sleep. She didn't mind church, not really. It was just that it was so should make it later...about lunch time...There'd still be time to sleep in and then still time to do stuff in the afternoon. Sunday was supposed to be the day of rest after all! Nobody understood. They were all so OLD and unreasonable. Allowing her to send a few simple text messages in exchange for having dragged her out of bed at such an ungodly...ok Godly hour. NOT much to ask at all.
She jumped when the door suddenly opened and Harm stepped in. She was happy to see that he was holding her phone.
"Finally." she said. "I knew you'd understand." She tried to swipe her phone out of Harm's hand but he was quicker and held it out of her reach.
"Not so fast. Sit." he said.
"Oh Come on!" she said. "Really? You're on Mac's side? But it's so..."
"Hey!" Harm said. "You're in trouble here."
"Harm it isn't exactly the 'unpardonable sin', it's just a phone!" she said saucily.
"Hush." Harm said. "What you don't realise Miss is that the phone is just a symptom of the major problem."
Mattie flopped back on the bed. Now a lecture! Could this day get any worse?
"Sit up." Harm said. He sat on the bed beside her and pulled her arm until she was sitting up beside him. "Now I hate to tell you but I didn't bring your phone in here to give it back to you."
"Huh?" Mattie said incredulously. "You brought it in here to tease me with it?"
"Of course not." Harm said. "I'm a fair person Mattie and so is Mac."
"Mostly." she said grumpily. "Why'd you bring it in here then?"
"So that you can message Max and tell him you need a rain check."
"NO!" Mattie wailed. "PLEASE!"
"Sorry."
"I'll apologise to Mac I promise."
"You WILL apologise to Mac anyway and after you send your message to Max telling him you have to reschedule, you'll pass it back to me without attitude." Mattie didn't realise but it was a test. Harm thought he would see how this punishment worked. If she gave the phone back without anymore attitude and she apologised to mac nicely he would leave it at that...
Mattie rolled her eyes. "You know Harm you used to be a really cool guy. When did you become such a control freak." she said with a roll of her eyes.
One eye roll too many she realised as she found her self suddenly draped over Harm's knee.
"Sorry Harm!" Mattie said suddenly having a complete change of heart...must be the church kicking in at last. "I have SEEN the LIGHT!" she cried. "Comedy Harm... a bit of a laugh to break the tension...maybe?"
"Nope." Harm said brusquely, although that last couple of statements did nearly crack him up. Still, he was the Dad and he couldn't allow himself to be wound in to her feeble attempt at avoiding what she had sorely earned. He tipped up her skirt easily and spanked her hard on the seat of her boy shorts. Church had made something easier that morning it seemed. At least she was wearing a dress.
"Ouch Harm that hurt!" she yelped.
Harm landed several hard smacks in the one place and then moved to the other cheek, giving it the same treatment.
"Harm!" Mattie wailed. "Please!"
"Is your attitude GONE?" Harm asked while he continued to spank Mattie's wriggling bottom hard.
"Yes. Yes!" she panted. "It's GONE, I swear!"
Harm spanked a few more times on the underside of each cheek and then stopped. He righted the now sniffling teenager and gave her a big hug. "That could have gone so much easier." he said.
"I know...I'm so..rry." she sniffed. "I was just in a bad mood."
"You need to learn to control that honey or I'll have to help you to control it."
"Are you still taking my phone?"
"Yes. For the rest of today."
"Ok. You still want me to message Max?"
"Yes and then you know what else you have to do."
"Uh huh."
"And you better mean it."
"Ok."
Harm held out his arms and she fell into them.
"I love you Harm and I love Mac too. I will mean it when I say sorry."
Harm hugged her tight. "So let's hope church goes better next week huh?" he said.
Mattie's eyes widened with surprise. "We're really gonna do this next week too?"
TBC