Page 4 of Mary had a Little Harem

"Thank you, my dear," Mrs. Smithfield croaked, waving her arthritis riddled fingers at her grandson. "Have you met my grandson? Louis, come here and say hello to this nice girl."

Reluctantly, Louis closed the door, accepting the Mary girl wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

"Stand up straight, dear!" his grandmother lovingly scolded, bending down towards Mary. "He's still single. And isn't he handsome looking?" she whispered loudly, nudging towards an embarrassed Louis.

"Nan!" he exclaimed, his ears turning red. He didn't need Mary to know how pathetic his love life was.

"He's a tad messy and he leaves his socks lying about, but dear, he's such a great hugger!" Mrs. Smithfield added, ignoring any of Louis' protests. Mary grinned at his discomfort, nodding along with anything the elderly lady said.

"That's enough, Nan!" Louis quickly yelled, grabbing the kettle. "More tea?"

"Oh, of course. See, he's a sweetheart. You should go out with him," she nudged Mary, effectively wiping the smirk from her face. After he so blatantly rejected her, she'd rather not go on a date with him. But her apprehension was lost on Mrs. Smithfield. She happily suggested a small bistro downtown, managing to make both parties awkwardly glance at each other.

"Umm..." Mary muttered, glaring at Louis. This was his grandmother, he should deal with this awkward situation.

Louis glanced at the angry brunette, briefly wondering how he could piss her off more, and grinned. "I think that's a great idea, Nan. Mary, you agree, right? We should go on a date!" he cheerfully whistled, watching her face fall as she realised they’d backed her in a corner.

"I..." she mumbled, glancing from grandmother to grandson. They were both smiling sweetly at her, the same Cheshire grin on their faces. Definitely related, Mary noted.

"Fine. A date. Of course, a date. Sounds fuc...bulous. Fabulous."

---