Lunch with Lily [Closed - Lily Middleton]

[bewitchinghaze]

 To say she'd been surprised when an invitation to lunch with Lily Middleton had shown up in her mailbox would be... an understatement. Val didn't get invited out by prestigious members of the community. She got invited to their homes to spruce up their flowers, or to plot out their gardens, but never to their country clubs for lunch.

She had no idea what this could be about and was anxious beyond belief to talk to the woman but you did not turn down Lily Middleton. Not unless you were on your death bed and even then, it would be rude not to at least invite her to say goodbye. So that afternoon, she sent a reply that she would meet her there, scoured her closet for something nice to wear, and called a cab to bring her into town.

By the time she arrived, her stomach was roiling. Everyone here was rich and she was so very not. But a quick word to the host, letting her know whose guest she was, and she was shown to a small table on the veranda. Gulping down a few deep breaths, she took her seat and waited for the Middleton matriarch to arrive.

Comments

[grantmiddleton]

"Were you?" A waiter appears, passing menus to the two of them. Lily points at the wine list and the man knows immediately what she wants. "Order whatever you want, dear, my treat."

She decides not to keep the girl hanging, not too much. Obviously she's curious about why she's here. Lily doesn't invite just anyone to lunch, and as far as the town scope is concerned, Val Jung should be completely off her radar. If not for her son, and Val's older sister.

"I received an invitation from a Ms. Riley Jung yesterday. She's your sister, yes? Very sweet girl. She hand delivered it herself. Will you be going?"

[bewitchinghaze]

As much as she appreciates the offer, Val sticks to ordering just a glass of water and a small pasta dish. The idea of ordering something expensive when being treated is just too uncomfortable.

"Oh! Her auction? Yes, definitely. I've been helping her out with it, and I plan on donating some baskets of my vegetable and fruit crops," she answers, silently wondering why she would be asked out to dinner if its about Riley's auction.

[grantmiddleton]

Lily glances over the menu, more just for something to do--she already has it memorized. Finally she orders a chicken salad and takes the glass of wine offered to her, sipping it thoughtfully.

"Do you help your sister often?" She takes note of everything. Of course she's aware of Val's business, and she's noticed the silly little plant Grant carries around, though he won't admit out loud where he got it.

[bewitchinghaze]

"I try to," she answers, sipping at her water to stem her awkwardness. "Riley's taken care of me for most of my life so its important to me to help her out when I can. I've been doing some of the carpentry in the new museum for her recently. She's so grateful to your family for your generous donation, by the way. You have my thanks for that as well."

[grantmiddleton]

Ah, the museum. The huge chunk of the reason why Lily is even at this table right now.

"Good for you two. Sisters need to stick together, to help each other." She sips at her wine, placing the glass on the table again. "I'm a little sister too. Has Grant ever told you about his Aunt Ruby? She's a lawyer and will rip into anyone who messes with me all the way to Sunday, my own son included. If he steps over a line, just tell him you'll rat him out to his aunt, and guaranteed, that boy will shut his mouth."

Lily smiles and brings the conversation back to the original topic. "It's our pleasure. Middletons like to give back to their community. And I like Siren Cove's community much more than I liked that God-awful place my husband had us in for almost ten years. It's part of keeping up our appearances, but I do like to see this place in particular grow and take care of itself. What does have me curious though is why Grant is so involved in this museum. Usually we donate and that's that. Grant likes to throw money at things and never have any other responsibility for it. But now he's invested, become a partner. I don't know how much your sister tells you about the workings of starting a museum, but she needed a board. And who's heading that board? My own son." She raises her eyebrows like she's still in disbelief. "Not only does Riley have his financial support, but she has him by her side in meetings with other donators. Fighting to keep this project afloat, not just through monetary needs but through his charisma and promise of its success. I have never seen him take to a project before in his life. Which has me very curious, you understand."

[bewitchinghaze]

Val can do nothing but blink for a minute, completely taken aback. "I, um... I didn't know that. I only knew he was helping fund it," she admits, fiddling with a piece of hair. "I honestly didn't think he'd be up for something so big. He doesn't come across as a big commitment guy, no offense."

[grantmiddleton]

"He's not," she agrees. Their food comes out and Lily thanks the waiter before she takes a bite of chicken. "Grant was a difficult child, I know, hard to believe," she jokes. "He doesn't tell you what he's thinking or how he feels. He tells you when he's not happy, sure, but anything more he's awful at articulating. He deflects and makes a joke of things. He shows how he feels." Lily looks up from her salad, giving Val a meaningful glance and hoping the girl isn't dense.

[bewitchinghaze]

She pauses, a piece of pasta halfway to her mouth. It takes her a moment to understand what she's going for, and then a sharp 'ha!' of laughter slips out. "Sorry, I'm just... Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're implying here," she chuckles, shaking her head. "He must have done it for his own interests. Or your family's. He barely tolerates my company."

[grantmiddleton]

Oh this child. Lily goes back to her salad. "He barely tolerates your company but he's been carrying around a little plant for months, especially when a certain cruise ship went missing."

[bewitchinghaze]

Val's laugh turns a bit desperate. Grant doesn't like her... He can't. She's a witch. "Oh, we have a bet about the plant," she says, waving off the argument. "He needs to keep it alive or I win, so that explains that."

[grantmiddleton]

"When was that bet supposed to end?"

[bewitchinghaze]

"Ah... The end of the month?" she admits, scratching at her ear, clearly awkward.

[grantmiddleton]

"The end of this month or last month? We're already in September, dear." She delicately cuts a piece of chicken and chews it, stopping a passing waiter to tell him how divine the food is.

[bewitchinghaze]

"Last month," she clarifies, taking a gulp of water. Lily Middleton is... incredibly intimidating. Val isn't actually sure she's trying to be, but she's intimidated nonetheless. "We started at the beginning of August."

[grantmiddleton]

"I wonder why it hasn't ended then," she muses. "He's busy, of course, but Grant isn't one to be late. I taught him better than that, even if it's for a bet."

[bewitchinghaze]

"I've... been busy myself. With work and helping out Riley... I just, he can't like me. He can't. I'm..." Val takes a deep breath, steeling herself. She's not normally uncomfortable about revealing this part of herself but she doesn't know how the matriarch of Grant's family will feel about it. "I'm a witch."

[grantmiddleton]

This isn't news at all to Lily and she sips her wine with just a slightly raised eyebrow. "And? My son is biased, I admit, he made friends with the Thorntons and fell into the silly rivalry as a teen, believed the warnings people gave him. James was never too bad. He believed what his father said, what other people of influence said. Grant was the same. But once he got away, Grant changed. Times changed. I have dealt with bigotry all my life and I tried to shelter my son from it. But Grant lived it as well. He saw more of it outside of Siren Cove than he cares to let on. Moving back here and joining their department though...it's riddled with anti-witch mentality, as you know. Suddenly surrounded by the same mentality he was as a teen, that's never good for keeping those thoughts in the past. I'm not making excuses for him. What I am saying is that he has different views now and he's finally starting to open his eyes to the magically inclined. You may not see it, but I do. He's growing up. And he needs to learn. And I think he'll listen. To you."

"Besides, if that was a deal breaker, he wouldn't even speak to you." She adds the final remark with a bit of a laugh. Because Grant Middleton knows how to give someone the silent treatment.

[bewitchinghaze]

Val blushes, pushing her pasta around the plate with her fork. "...You really think he likes me?" she finally asks, glancing up as she bites her lip nervously. The fact that Grant's mother thinks he would listen to her about witches... well. That means a lot to her.

[grantmiddleton]

"I've seen how he looks at you and how he pesters you. I've seen how mad he gets when you ignore him. I think he likes you, but he's too much of an idiot to even admit that to himself."

[bewitchinghaze]

"Heh... I figured he was just an attention hog," Val admits with a chuckle. "And I guess... I mean. I guess I like him too?"

[grantmiddleton]

"He's very needy, but you bug him especially." She levels a look at Val. "You only guess?"

[bewitchinghaze]

Her blush deepens and she finds it hard to make eye contact, something very odd, for her. "It's weird to admit it to his mother, okay? Especially since I haven't even admitted it to myself. Yes, I like him."

[grantmiddleton]

"Good," she smiles. "Then I have to warn you about the auction. I'm putting Grant up for bidding."

[bewitchinghaze]

Val pulls a face. Why would she get her to admit all that and then tell her she's putting him up for auction. It's not like Val could afford him. "I'm... I'm not sure what you want me to do with that information," she admits. "I'm not exactly well off, and there will be plenty of people bidding on him, I'm sure. And it isn't like I have a claim on him or anything..."

[grantmiddleton]

"You're both too damn stubborn for your own good," she tsks. Lily grabs her purse from the other chair and pulls an envelope out, sliding it across the table. "It's for a good cause."

[bewitchinghaze]

Picking up the envelope, she peeks inside and gasps. "I can't- You- I can't accept this! You can't give me this!" Val stammers, baffled.

[grantmiddleton]

"It's for your sister's museum, dear. It's going to be donated either way, might as well get a bonus from it."

[bewitchinghaze]

"Mmmm... Thank you. I wish I was better with words but thank you. On my behalf, and on Riley's. This will mean so much to her," she says, her gratefulness plain in her voice.

[grantmiddleton]

"You're welcome. Just don't be so hardheaded next time, hm?" The waiter comes by, taking Lily's credit card. "There won't always be a charity event I can use to my advantage."

[bewitchinghaze]

"No guarantees, but I'll try," Val laughs, tucking the envelope away in her purse. "And thank you for lunch, as well. It was delicious."

[grantmiddleton]

"Anytime. Now I need to go make sure said son didn't blow up my house while I was gone. He's such a baby sometimes." She chuckles and takes her card back from the waiter, tucking it into her purse.

[bewitchinghaze]

Val grins, shaking her head and getting to her feet. "It was nice to meet you properly and to get to talk to you, Mrs. Middleton. I look forward to seeing you at the auction."

[grantmiddleton]

"The pleasure was all mine," she says with a smile, reaching out to shake Val's hand. A few members of the staff come over, one taking Lily's arm to walk her out to her car. She gives Val a final wave before she's off.