Page 194 of Restless
“Pass me the rolls and the butter,” Meggie said once Bunny brought the bowl of tomatoes and a knife to JaZuria.
For a few minutes, they worked in silence, each on their own little segment to bring the dinner to life. Roxy opened the bottle of champagne and poured glasses for everyone except Meggie and Mattie.
Between sips, she checked on her bread pudding and texted Knox. Once Jordan finished placing the salad plates, soup bowls, dinner plates, and dessert plates into separate stacks, she stood next to Roxy and spoke in low tones.
“You really should wear that watch more often, Meggie,” Bunny said after she washed the potatoes and set them to boil.
“It is a very nice watch,” JaZuria agreed, draining her glass. “If you don’t care about your budget.”
“She don’t,” Roxy barked.
Setting her knife aside, JaZuria sat straighter. “Budgeting is an excellent discipline, no matter your tax bracket or professional affiliation.” She coughed and patted her chest delicately. “Or, er, associations.”
Meggie pasted a smile on her face. “Christopher gave me the watch for my thirtieth birthday. Mostly, he adheres to a budget, but he does celebrate milestones.”
“How admirable.” JaZuria smiled. “I’ll turn forty in June. I want to go on a trip around the world, and Mr. Davis is taking the girls and me as my birthday present. Mr. Davis spoils us.”
“You call your husband Mr. Davis?” Bunny asked in confusion.
“Of course not, madame. I expectyouto call him Mr. Davis.”
“In your fucking dreams,” Roxy said.
“I make one mistake and you hold it against me, Mrs. Harrington,” JaZuria complained. “When I looked at you, I would never have associatedyouwith Knox.”
“You aren’t making me like you any better,” Roxy said.
“I don’t care if you like me or not.”
“Then do us a favor and shut the fuck up,” Roxy said. “Stop trying to explain the reason for your bullshit.”
“We moved to the area years after your wedding, Mrs. Harrington. The night I met you, you were you. Loud and brash while Knox is so elegant and reserved. I thought you wore a knock off designer dress and got lost in the VIP section on your way to a purchased table. I only sought to offer extra money.”
“Instead of lording it over the less fortunate, live a little and splurge on yourself,” Roxy said. “Your savior complex is a pain in the fucking ass.”
“Better to be savior than saved,” JaZuria retorted, then smiled at Meggie again. “You do have a very beautiful house. Mr. Davis’s company has been struggling recently. Luckily, we were wise enough not to purchase such a huge house. The upkeep must be incredibly expensive. Keeping up appearances for the sake of ego takes a toll.”
“You’re right, so I’m glad you don’t have to subject yourself to such a duty,” Meggie said calmly, hoping tonight’s efforts weren’t for naught.
If JaZuria Davis only had reservations about CJ’s close ties to the MC, Meggie might be more optimistic. A little time spent with the family could ease her fears, no matter how rough around the edges they were. However, JaZuria’s attitude went beyond such concerns. She was showing herself to be a snob, plain and simple.
Meggie wished to aid her son in his efforts to dispel Jaleena’s misguided perception of him, but if her mother was anything to go by, that wouldn’t easily happen, if at all.
In her experience, Meggie found patience and resilience were the most effective when dealing with difficult people. But her continued recovery lowered her tolerance for combative folks. As the dinner preparations continued, she prayed the rest of the Davises were more receptive to her family’s overtures.
Intending to complete the gift wrapping as quicky as possible to show Jaleena her room, Rebel led the other girl and her two sisters to Momma’s office. If Jaleena wanted a dick measuring contest, Rebel was happy to engage. Her parents had instilled in them that money wasn’t everything and it wasn’t necessary to flaunt your net worth.
She rarely wore the jewelry Momma, Daddy, and Diesel gifted her. Most of her clothes were expensive, but not so ostentatious as to be remarkable. She chose outfits to blend in, not stand out. Her mother had luxury vehicles. However, anyone with a downpayment and decent credit could own a Lexus SUV and a Corvette.
Their house, however, revealed everything, although few outside of family and very close friends ever received invitations past the clubhouse. Molly was an exception. And, now, Jaleena.
She had Momma so up in arms, she’d chosen her very expensive Rolex watch and diamond earrings and allowed Rebel to not only dress like a grown up but to purchase an entirely new outfit. The cost of the dress, shoes, makeup, and jewelry made Rebel’s eyes water, and she considered herself a professional shopper.
Momma still wasn’t feeling one hundred percent, so Aunt Kendall blew out Rebel’s hair, helped her with her makeup as well as the press on nails with elaborate art.
Opening the door to Momma’s office, Rebel flipped open the overhead light, although the outside Christmas lights offered more than enough illumination. At Jaleena’s intake of breath, she smirked.
Momma had moved her office a couple years ago from an interior room to one with three walls of windows. Her desk sat between the west facing ones, while a window seat overstuffed with pillows dominated the south facing. The wall between the north facing windows held a smaller desk. In the middle of the room, a sofa stacked with unwrapped gifts sat in front of a coffee table where gifts bags, wrapping paper, tape, and scissors were. Gifts also sat on the two chairs on each end of the coffee table.
