MassaHJ
patreon
Chapter 45: Dinner With Evelyn
🕑 Added 2025-04-16 19:07:21 +0000 UTCAlan muttered under his breath as we walked up to Gramma Evelyn’s front steps, “We’ll eat, we’ll go.”
“No coffee, no dessert,” Charlie added quickly.
“We can’t be rude,” Alan snapped, just as I reached out and pressed the doorbell.
The faint sound of jazz trickled through the door.
We exchanged glances.
A moment later, Evelyn opened the door, perfectly composed as always.
"Hi, Mom," Charlie said, giving her his best innocent smile.
"Better late than never," Evelyn replied dryly.
"We’re right on time," Alan said, checking his watch.
Evelyn smiled thinly. "I was referring to the big picture."
I raised a brow and said, half-joking, "We’ve had vacation together for more than two weeks, Gramma. That’s pretty big picture, right?"
Evelyn’s expression softened just a little as she looked at me.
“Jake, you came,” she said with something surprisingly close to affection.
Then, tilting her head, she added, “Jake, darling, tonight… don’t call me Gramma.”
"Okay, Evelyn," I replied, half serious.
She gave a small nod, then glanced behind me. "Oh, look, you didn’t bring wine. Good. Too many people bring wine," she said, her voice dipped in sarcasm.
Without a word, Uncle Charlie slipped a folded $100 bill into my hand.
I turned to him with a smug grin and gave him that classic 'I told you so' look.
Just then, Evelyn turned slightly and gestured toward the man waiting behind her.
“Tommy, darling, I’d like you to meet my sons.”
She stepped aside to reveal Tommy—an older, tall man in an immaculately tailored suit, standing with perfect posture and a polite half-smile.
“This is Charlie,” Evelyn said.
“Charlie,” Tommy repeated with a nod.
“Hi, Tommy. How are you?” Uncle Charlie said.
“And this is Alan,” Evelyn continued.
“Hello,” Alan said, trying to sound welcoming.
Evelyn’s smile stretched wider. “And this is Jake.”
Tommy extended his hand with calm confidence. I stepped forward and took it.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” I said, shaking his hand firmly.
“Pleasure’s mine, Jake,” he replied with a nod and a surprisingly warm smile.
His grip was strong, his suit impeccable, and he smelled faintly of expensive cologne and old books.
“There you are,” Evelyn said, turning toward the hallway. “Boys, this is Tommy’s daughter, Olivia.”
A young woman stepped forward—elegant, confident, and beautiful.
“Hello, Charlie,” Olivia said with a cool smile.
“Hi there, stranger,” Charlie replied, eyebrows raising.
Tommy glanced between them. “Do you two know each other?”
“I thought I knew him,” Olivia said, folding her arms lightly.
“Oh no,” Evelyn muttered under her breath.
I leaned in slightly, murmuring to myself, “Operation: Charm the Stepsister… already completed.”
That earned me simultaneous side-eyes from Evelyn, Charlie, and Alan.
"Okay, who would like a drink? I would like a drink," Evelyn declared, already moving toward the kitchen. "Charlie, come help me make a drink," she added, pulling him by the arm before he could escape.
Then she turned to me, her voice suddenly sweet. "Jake, honey, talk to Olivia."
"Me?" I said, surprised, glancing between her and Olivia.
My eyes were twitching. Okay, Gramma, I know Dad's not exactly reliable, but you can't just throw me under the bus like that.
Oh man, I thought, I don't remember many of the episodes. Is she one of the crazy ones? Well... at least she's gorgeous.
I cleared my throat and turned to her.
"Olivia. Nice name. Reminds me of Twelfth Night, from Shakespeare."
She smiled, a little amused. “You’ve read Twelfth Night?”
“Bits and pieces,” I admitted. “But enough to know Olivia is one of the more interesting ones.”
“Well,” she said, raising an eyebrow, “I’ll take that as a compliment. I’ve been told I have a flair for drama… but in a good way. Usually.”
“Good to know,” I said, matching her tone.
Then something clicked in my mind, and I murmured to her, "You knew he would come here, didn’t you?"
She tilted her head slightly, her smile not fading. “Let’s just say… I had a feeling.”
Feeling my ass
Before I could say anything else, Evelyn returned to the room with two glasses in hand and sat down near Tommy. They both looked unusually cheerful.
“We took one of those little cruises to Alaska,” Evelyn began, swirling her drink delicately. “Glaciers and whales—I didn’t quite see the point of it all.”
Tommy chuckled beside her, clearly amused. Olivia walked to Charlie
“But during the evening,” Evelyn continued, “there was this karaoke competition.” She paused for effect, lifting her chin slightly. “And as you know, I’m no stranger to the stage.”
Meanwhile, across the room, things were heating up in an entirely different way.
“You said I was very special to you,” Olivia said, arms crossed, facing Uncle Charlie.
“You were,” Charlie replied, casual as ever.
“Yeah, me and three other women,” she snapped.
“I said you were special, not unique,” he tried to explain.
“Drop dead, you bastard,” Olivia hissed.
“Excuse me!” Charlie raised his hands defensively. “In my defense—”
And that’s when Olivia, without hesitation, threw her drink straight into Charlie’s face.
The room fell silent. Even Evelyn stopped mid-sip.
Everyone turned their eyes to Charlie, who stood dripping and blinking.
He lifted a hand, trying to recover some shred of dignity.
“In my defense...” he started again, then dropped his hand with a sigh.
“Oh, Screw it...”
Comments
Cajun sS
Wasn’t Tommy a con man or was he the one with a heart attack I forgot.. been years since I’ve seen the show
