Page 130 of Muted

Flashing my teeth at her with as warm a smile as I can muster, I reach in again and grab the box of glasses. My eyes roam over the bottle and I raise a brow, then look at Ronnie. “You’ve got great taste.”

Ronnie puffs out his chest and sits at the four-person kitchen table tucked in the corner of their kitchen. “It does the trick. Sit down. I’ve got some questions for you.”

Susu’s uncle isn’t particularly intimidating, but I find his direct gaze on me a bit unnerving. He’s not much taller than Elaine, round around his stomach, and his hair is receding slightly.

Straightening my shoulders, I nod once and make my way to the table casually and join him.

“Be nice, Ronnie,” Elaine hisses through her teeth. She fills a large cup with ice to bring to the table, then drops some cubes into the ‘nice’ glasses. “Why don’t you pour, dear? I’m not sure how much you’d like, but I’d guess it’s probably not as much as Ronnie likes.”

I chuckle when he huffs in annoyance, then laugh louder when he grabs the bottle and fills his glass to the top. His eyes fly to mine, stopping me mid laugh, and I gulp.

“Who are you to my niece, Vance Stoll?”

I won’t be cowed by him. If he’s going to be direct, then so will I. “I’m in love with her.”

Elaine’s lip tilts up at the corner into a small smile, but Ronnie’s heavy brows drop lower as he studies me. “Sheknow that?”

Gripping the back of my neck, I take a sip and let the burn fill me with confidence I’m not feeling. I’ve never had to do the meet the parents before, and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting this conversation tonight. I figured we’d be too focused on figuring out where Susu could have gone.

“I haven’t said the words. She knows I care deeply for her, but there are… other factors which have been holding me back for now.”

Elaine eyes me curiously, her head leaning to the side as she takes a sip, studying me. “What factors are you referring to?” With the way she’s looking at me, I suspect she knows more than Ronnie and what I’m referring to.

I also can’t help but notice even more similarities between her and her niece. It’s obvious they’re related, both with light blonde hair, although Elaine’s has hints of gray sprinkled throughout. And Elaine’s eyes are a shocking light green, unlike Susu’s amber-colored eyes. She must have inherited her eye color from her father’s side of the family.

“I’d like to know the answer to that,” Susu’s uncle adds, pulling me from my thoughts.

Meeting Elaine’s eyes, mine widen when there’s a hint of mischief dancing across her face. Her sly smile has me frowning. “Did she tell you?”

“Tell us what? What the hell are you talking about?” Ronnie’s voice grows in volume as he looks between the two of us.

Elaine simply shrugs before saying, “I know some things. Cool your jets, Ronnie. We don’t need your blood pressure going up.” Pointing at me, she adds, “You can tell him.” There’s a gleam in her eye when she takes another sip, murmuring into her glass, “This should be fun.”

“You’re just as sassy as she is.” I don’t say it in a teasing way, just as fact, but the way she lights up, I know it’s been taken as a compliment.

“Sassy and sweet, that’s our Susanna. She’s always been my sweet girl.”

“What the hell is going on?” Ronnie shouts, his chest rising and falling rapidly in irritation.

With a deep breath, I resolve myself to inevitably piss this man off. Thank God I’m sitting on the outside of the table for an easy escape.

“Susu—”

He interrupts me. “Why do you call her Susu?”

They both seem confused by the name, which surprises me. Slowly, I tell them, but it comes out like a question. “That’s how she was introduced?”

“Ridiculous,” he huffs out. “Sorry for interrupting. You can continue.”

Nodding once, I cup my glass between both of my hands to steady myself. “Susu, Susanna, and I have recently started dating. But she’s also interested in, well, in two other men as well. We’ve all been dating her, in a sense.”

If someone dropped a pin, it’d sound like a bomb going off with how quiet the room gets. Elaine is watching Ronnie for his reaction, who’s only staring at me like he’s waiting for the punch line.

“How old are you, Vance?” His tone is low, full of warning, like I need my answer to be exactly what he wants to hear.

Swallowing hard, I ignore Elaine as she covers her mouth to smother a laugh. “I’m 31. 32 next month.”

“I see…” he says, trailing off. Then, leaning forward on his forearms, he stares me down. “That’s a little old for my 23-year-old niece, don’t you think?”

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