Grantley
Phoebe Drinkwater kicked fucking ass and it was sexy as hell.
The only person I’d ever seen stand up to Sue-Ann like that was Marcia, and she was mean to most people all of the time. Phoebe wasn’t, so to hear her give my darling mother shit, was a damn revelation.
“Okay, what’s our plan for today, pretty girl?” I asked, drinking Barney’s coffee.
“You’re going to let her assault me and say nothing?” Sue-Ann cried, rolling onto her knees and staring up at me.
“I just said something,” I replied, handing Barney his now empty mug. “I said you’d better keep your opinions to yourself, or did you not hear me?”
“I mean say something to her, for attacking me.”
I looked over at Phoebe who still looked as though I’d just announced we were getting married in an hour, rather than the fact that she was my girlfriend. Her cute little mouth was gaping open and her eyes were as big and as round as plates. It was a shock to her, it might have been to me a few days ago, but after last night and then her kicking Sue-Ann’s butt, and I knew she was the woman I wanted to be with. I’d thought about our conversation the previous day, on what we were to each other, and there was no way we were just friends. She wasn’t my date either, she was more than that. So, it was decided she was my girlfriend. I just had to figure out how we did that once the shoot was over – but that could wait.
“Sounded to me like you deserved it.”
I stretched, feeling as though I’d slept for a week. I hadn’t slept that good for years and it felt amazing. I walked toward Phoebe and stopped in front of her, pushing her mouth closed with a finger under her chin.
“So, you thought about it – what you want to do today?”
“N-no, not really,” she stammered. “I just assumed I’d go home and you’d be busy all day.”
“Grantley,” Sue-Ann screeched from somewhere on the floor. “She hit me. I cannot believe you’re just going to let that go?”
Okay, now I’d had enough of her shit. I turned and held a hand out to her and as she took it, I roughly pulled her to her feet.
“Hey, that hurt,” she complained.
“Good. Now listen to me carefully.” I leaned into her space, almost recoiling at the stench of stale alcohol. “I don’t want you here. I’ve been pretty clear on that, but if you insist on staying, you keep your damn vile opinions to yourself. I like Phoebe. She’s my girlfriend and I will not have you disrespecting her. And before you shoot your mouth off about you being disrespected, don’t. You need to be respected before someone can disrespect you and you do not have even an inch of it from anyone in this room.” I looked at Barney. “Okay, maybe the big guy respects you a little, but that’s only because his momma brought him up to respect his elders, no matter what a piece of shit they are. Is that clear?”
Sue-Ann looked at me warily and finally nodded.
“Good. Now, I don’t know what your little plan is, or why you’ve even deigned me with a visit, but whatever it is, you can forget it. I offered you money and you weren’t interested, so I’d say we’re done and you may as well go back home.”
“I don’t want your money, I told you that.”
“I know,” I responded impatiently. “But whatever you do want, you’re not getting it.”
“You don’t understand,” she cried, taking hold of my bicep. “I don’t want anything.”
“But you do, Sue-Ann. You always want fucking something. You never visit me for any other reason than you need something, so just tell me what it is, so I can tell you no and you can go home and I’ll carry on making a movie.”
“Grantley.” Phoebe’s soft, gentle voice broke through the poison in the air.
I turned to face her.
“Maybe I should go. You obviously have things you need to discuss with Sue-Ann. I can get a train.”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t want you to go. We have a day off and we’re going to enjoy it.”
“Maybe she should go,” Sue-Ann said, not without the tiniest bit of venom.
“Did you not hear me?” I bellowed at her. “I told you -.”
“But this is a family matter,” she interjected. “I know you like her, but you don’t know her that well.”
“What is?” I snapped.
“What is what?”
“You said it’s a family matter, so I’m asking you what is.”
Sue-Ann opened her mouth to speak, but before she had chance, I cut her off.
“No, don’t even say it. If I’m happy to have Phoebe here then you should accept it.”
“Grantley, maybe she’s right,” Phoebe offered.
I turned my gaze to her. “No, I want you to stay. Now tell me, what the fuck is a family matter?”
Sue-Ann looked over my shoulder to where Phoebe was standing and then over to Barney, who had now positioned himself next to me. Her hands started shaking as she chewed on her lip, seemingly deciding whether to give up her reason for the visit. Finally, she spoke. Her voice quiet but determined.
“Your dad needs a kidney transplant, so I’m here to ask for your kidney.”