A Year Of You

Excerpt:
McKendrick insisted on a family dinner at a posh restaurant when they got back from the hellacious shopping excursion.
�We have important things to talk about, Matilyn and Emeline.� Emeline groaned about having to cancel her plans, but Mattie was utterly relieved.
The gut-gnawing sense of anxiety returned when the Towncar pulled up in front of the kind of place Mattie had only seen in movies. Once inside the dimly lit, expensively furnished dining room, Mattie felt so out of place. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Felt like everyone was staring at her in her simple black dress, as if they all knew she�d gotten it for three dollars off a clearance rack at an outlet store. She didn�t know what brand it was since the store ripped the tags out, but she was sure every Chanel-and-Gucci-suited patron knew what brand it wasn�t.
Soft conversation filtered through the low-ceiling room. Every once in a while, somebody clinked a glass or laughed aloud. Not too loudly, though.
A man impeccably dressed in a formal suit hurried toward McKendrick. Emeline bounced forward and gave the man a hug and a polite little kiss on the cheek.
�The owner,� West whispered in Mattie�s ear. She jumped a little, startled out of her reverie. She nodded in acknowledgement. The owner led them to a table in the back, tastefully shielded from the general view by a low wall topped with flowering green plants.
West frowned and subtly inspected the greens. �Plants are dying,� he remarked to her, even though she really didn�t care. �Damn expensive things too.�
�Brant, wonderful to see you,� the owner said genially. �Wonderful job on my sister�s lawn, by the way. She loves the roses.�
West grinned. �She�ll have the best lawn on the street. Oh, and you might want to get some fertilizer for these babies here.� He fingered a leaf. �They�re tropical.�
Emeline sighed dramatically. �Come sit down and quit molesting the man�s plants, West.�
The owner shook West�s hand. �I�ll keep that in mind. I�m sure you can help me with that�?�
�Sure. I�ll swing by tomorrow with some.�
Emeline waited until West pulled her chair out before she sat down. McKendrick pulled Justine�s chair out. Guess I�m on my own, Mattie thought. She tugged the heavy chair out from under the table and sat down. The damn thing was too far away from the table.
In the process of scooting the chair closer, she bumped the table and jostled the water glasses. Justine and McKendrick both shot her irritated glances.
�Sorry,� she mumbled.
A waiter bustled over and recited a long list of mumbo-jumbo. It took Mattie a second to figure out it was a wine list. The McKendricks and even West ordered, all using flawless accents. The waiter turned expectantly to Mattie.
Her mouth went dry. She didn�t know anything about wine, other than the cheap grocery-store stuff she bought once in while. �Um�uh��
The waiter�s eyebrow twitched slightly. Smug bastard, Mattie thought.
West saved her by ordering for her.
�Way to go, Borat,� Emeline said.
�Bite me,� Mattie replied.
McKendrick cleared his throat. �Girls, please. Mattie, don�t embarrass me.�
�Sorry,� she said again. Having to spend too much time with this family was going to get real old, real fast.
The wine arrived. Serving it was a process that quite possibly could have sent Mattie into an anxiety attack, had she not had West sitting next to her, quietly coaching her on the right way to drink it so she wouldn�t look like a total idiot.
Justine sat on Mattie�s right. She turned toward her and gave her a weak, insincere smile. �So, Matilyn, how have your first few days as a McKendrick been?�
�Oh, um, wonderful, Justine. It�s great to be here.�
McKedrick leaned back in his chair, wine held in one hand, reminding Mattie of an insane brooding tyrant. �Just realize that everything isn�t final yet. You aren�t the first woman to claim to be my missing daughter.�
�I understand that. Ruth Ellen told me as much.�
�Grandmother thinks she sees Elaine in dreams,� Emeline scoffed. �She�s always begging me to go dig up West�s orange grove.�
Mattie forced out a laugh along with everyone else, who found it to be the funniest thing in the world. On her left, West pushed out a single chuckle and busied himself with his Blackberry until they were done laughing.
File that one away, Mattie thought. West didn�t hold Ruth Ellen in contempt like her actual family did.
Mattie�s heart flip-flopped when she saw the waiter approaching again. She hadn�t had a chance to look at the menu, although she was pretty sure she wouldn�t be able to understand it anyway.
Once again, the waiter spoke in French, detailing the specials of the day with a passion in his voice that vaguely made Mattie feel like she should be aroused. Emeline placed her order. A heartbeat later she excused herself. She hurried to a table across the room and fell into the more-than-friendly embrace of another guy.
Scandalized, Mattie wondered why West was letting her do it before she realized he had his back to that table. He�d even adjusted his chair when he sat down so his back was squarely to that table.
Why had he done that?
Emeline sat down at the other table, leaning all over the other guy. The girl sitting across from them had an unhappy expression on her Barbie-like face.
West leaned over and whispered, �Chicken, fish, or steak?�
Relieved, Mattie sighed, �Chicken. As normal as possible.�
He bit back a smile and nodded. It floored her when he spoke French back to the waiter, pointing at the menu, gestured towards her, and back to the menu. When the waiter moved on to take Justine�s order, Mattie poked West in the leg, subtly so she wouldn�t draw attention to herself.
�You don�t seem like the type to speak French,� she said softly.
�I�m a man of many talents,� he replied.
McKendrick and Justine made small talk until the first course arrived. Emeline reappeared, not even speaking to West. Mattie noticed his slight scowl, and her heart went out to the guy. Mattie unrolled her napkin and managed to knock one of the many spoons lined up beside her plate to the plush carpeting.
Emeline giggled and made some inane comment that made Mattie want to smack her. She wasn�t sure whether she should leave the spoon or pick it up. She wasn�t sure what she would do with it once she picked it up, but she didn�t want to look uncouth by leaving it lying there. She decided to compromise and move it under her chair.
As she leaned down to move it over, the table cloth shifted and s he saw Justine�s foot rubbing her brother�s ankle, all the way above his sock. Her hand was on his thigh.
Eww. Oh man. Mattie forgot the spoon and sat up straight, trying her best not to look at Justine, who sat prim and proper, like nothing at all even slightly disgusting was going on under the table.
West gave her a funny look. �You all right? You look a little pale.�
She nodded. �Yeah, just sat up too fast.�
After the main course was finished and cleared, McKendrick steepled his hands on the table top. �Now, Matilyn. As I said, you aren�t the first woman to claim to be Elaine. Most of them I know right away can not be Elaine. You, on the other hand, bear a striking resemblance to my mother-in-law.�
West shifted in his seat and narrowed his eyes at her, studying her. Mattie stuck her tongue out at him. He stifled a laugh and rolled his eyes at her.
McKendrick cleared his throat again. Reluctantly, Mattie broke eye contact with West and turned her attention back to the other man.
�I�ve ordered DNA tests and my private investigators will be researching your background. If you�ve got anything to hide or that you don�t want brought to light, I suggest you leave now.�
�I have nothing to hide, Mr. McKendrick.�
�We�ll see. If you do prove to be my daughter, you�ll be awarded three different trust funds from my mother-in-law and her late husband. There are stipulations that must be met before you can have any of them, but I don�t believe any of them will be an issue for you. They total over three million dollars.�