Save the Date (Complete)

Chapter 4

May pulled into her uncle's driveway four hours later. She knew she had pushed it too far, but she couldn't find the emotion to care. The only thing that was bothering her was that she left her uncle with the insufferable man the whole time.

"Piorret, I'm back," she called as she walked into the house. "Do you think I'm in trouble, Shilo?" She whispered to the dog as she heard her uncle's cane sound on the floor.

"May," her uncle tried to sound stern but May could see the twinkle in his eye. "Are you happy acting like an immature kid?"

"Don't get mad at me, Piorret, I didn't mean anything by it."

"I'm sure you didn't."

May felt ashamed. "I'm sorry. I should have called and told you I didn't want to meet him, so you could have sent him away."

"Philomena."

May knew she was in trouble when her uncle called her by her full name. She lifted one shoulder. "What?"

"Don't make me tell you to be polite."

May slipped out of her shoes and slung her white purse, the only remnant of her wedding, onto the railing. "Well, I wouldn't want to anger him and force him to take my money away."

"Philomena."

"All right," she said quietly. "I'll be polite."

"That's all I wanted to hear. When did you change?"

May glanced down at her new wardrobe. She had ditched her ruined wedding dress for a pair of dark blue jeans and a simple white t-shirt with a little bit of lace on the hem to feminize the usual gender neutral article of clothing. Her hair, professionally done, still had the loose ringlets in it, but now she had unpinned them and allowed them to fall down her back. "I went home before getting something to eat and coming here. I put it with the other two."

"Come into the living room, please," Piorret asked and then left his niece to her own conscience.

"Piorret said I have to be polite, Shilo. You, however, can kill him." She moved up the stairs with her dog on her heals. "Which is why I love you. Don't worry, I'll bury the body."

"Well, Shilo, after you." May waved her hand down the hall towards the living room, but the dog refused to obey. "Chicken," she said quietly and then laughed when he barked.

She still had the amusement in her eyes when she entered the living room. She caught sight of Matthew and almost did a double take, the same thoughts her uncle had crossed her mind. Matthew wasn't an old, balding, fat man. He was the exact opposite of every picture she had in her mind. He was young, not more than ten years her senior. His full head of dark hair showed no sign of receding anytime soon. May's artistic eye easily picked up the muscles under the suit that had been designed to hide such a thing from the less observant.

She cleared her throat and turned to Piorret. "I'm sorry, I'm late. I had a hard day." She chose to sit on the couch as far from Matthew as possible.

Shilo came into the room only seconds after and immediately began growling at the unknown man.

"Shilo," May admonished only because her uncle would have been disappointed in her. Once she was sure she could talk without gawking, May turned to her guardian. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. How can I help you?" Cold sarcasm, she thought, but the meddlesome man deserved it.

Matthew wasn't done looking at his ward yet, so he made no answer. Granted he hadn't given a whole lot of thought about the girl his grandparents had picked out for him to marry, but even when he did he hadn't pictured her like the goddess he saw in front of him. No wonder three men had agreed to marry a woman after only a few dates. She was stunning.