The Favour

Chapter 22. Broken Rule

[22]

Sydney

I clear my throat.

"Mrs Thompson, I am not pregnant with Tyler's baby or anyone else's baby," I say loudly, sitting up more in my chair. I will not allow her to think of me like that. As if I was knocked up by Tyler and I was attached to him because of his money.

The way she was looking at me was as if she was thinking exactly that.

"That's enough, mom," Mrs Ritcher speaks, sending her mom a narrow glare.

"Anyway, sweetheart, how did you two meet?" Mr Ritcher speaks to me, setting his glass of wine down.

"Uh..." Tyler began and the panic inside of me increased, fearing that Tyler will tell them we met because I broke into his room to steal a sock.

"Apart from going to school together," I began, "I met Tyler after I started tutoring him. And after that, we couldn't stop meeting up. Then he invited me to one of his football games and asked me out. Of course, I couldn't be any happier and I accepted straight away."

There are a couple of awww's coming from around the table, and Tyler too gave me an awed look at how talented I am at lying.

Give me my Oscar award already!

"I like her, you can keep her," Nana Ritcher smiles at Tyler.

"I wasn't looking for your permission to keep her, grandma," Tyler chuckles.

"Nonsense, boy. As long as I'm alive and breathing, I have to approve of who you date. It's a grandma thing."

"Besides," she turns to me, lowering her voice, "I never approved of that Meredith child, and I told Tyler, but of course, he's a hard-headed boy who doesn't listen to anyone but himself."

"You are unbelievable, grandma," Tyler shakes his head. I can't hold in the laugh escaping my lips.

"Can you see this boy? He hasn't any manners at all," she waves her hand at Tyler disapprovingly with a smile on her face.

"Oh, I've got to disagree with you on that one. He's very much of a gentleman around me," it wasn't a full lie.

"Oh, that's only because he's trying to get into your panties, hon. Unless he already did and he wants more," she gives me a serious look before picking up her glass of wine and drinking the last bit of liquid from it.

"Grandma!"

My face turns red, and I throw my head back, joining the laughter around me.

"What, sweet Tyler? I know the men of my family very well," she shrugs.

The rest of the dinner carried on, as people made small conversations with each other, except for the usual occasions where people all over the table would ask me questions.