The Convenient Marriage

Chapter 40

Gracie

"You're awfully distracted by your phone." I noted.

Steve looked up from his phone. "Oh! sorry." He tucked his phone back in his pocket and started eating.

"Who was that? It couldn't be business since you've never answered your phone whenever you're with me."

"Just..." He shook his head. "No one."

I smiled teasingly. "Some girl?" I paused. "And you're crazy about her, you couldn't even wait till we finished to text her?"

Steve stared at me hard. "No. It's no one, Gracie. And stop prying. I'm not gonna tell you."

I made a face. "Jerk." I started on my food.

"Anyways what were you saying again about Matt?" He asked, changing the topic.

"Oh I'm going to Hawaii with Matt next week."

"What?! No, he's not going anywhere. It's busy in the office right now. He's needed in there. Did he say he was going with you?"

"No. I was going to tell him today."

"Well I'm sure he'd say to leave it till summer."

"Summer starts next week!"

Steve looked me in the eye again. "What's with you? It's crazy busy in the office. Matt can't go away anytime soon. Ask one of your girlfriends to Hawaii if you seriously want to go."

"But I want to go on holiday with Matt. And you're gonna tell him that it's okay to leave the office, or else he wouldn't be going."

"Exactly. Because he knows he can't leave the office and play with you."

"You're such a jerk, Steve."

"Excuse me?! Why are we doing this? And how old are you? Stop being a baby, Gracie." He started on his food again. "You're being too clingy to Matt these days. If you haven't noticed that." He added.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I just noticed that there was never a day you never mentioned him. Matt this. Matt that."

"I told you we talked and now we're very good to each other. I like him now more than ever. I don't have to ask you what he does behind me - he tells me everything."

He chuckled. "What, he doesn't sleep around anymore? Coming over to his ex's house on some nights?"

"Nope. He and Shelley are just purely friends."

"How do you know that? You know that they still meet up, right? I told you."

"Yeah, so? We go out too and it's never a problem."

"Gracie, they were "fucking" each other." He stared at me hard.

I frowned at him. "They're not anymore. Matt told me he's seriously giving this marriage a try, and I do too. I trust him. And what's with you? You're being antagonistic to Matt and Shelley."

"I don't trust them especially that...." He cleared his throat. "That Shelley woman. There's no way she got over Matt that fast. Their relationship goes way back in high school."

I sighed. "It will be hard to break that kind of bond. I admit. We have that too, only purely platonic. But this time I'm going to trust Matt and try to make this marriage work. Steve, I'm happy right now."

His face softens and smiles lightly at me. "And that is all that matters to me."

"So are you gonna tell Matt for me?"