Chapter 15 - Grandma

Delilah and Kelsey arrived at a garden restaurant around 10:30 am. Mason left for work at the same time as they left for their brunch. Delilah's chauffer drove them there and Delilah didn't need to reserve a spot to be seated right away. She would come there once in a while to have tea with her friends.

"Mrs. King, welcome!" A cheery lady that looked about in her late twenties came and greeted them. She smiled at both of them but eyed Kelsey a little longer than expected. "The usual spot, ma'am?"

"Yes, Zoey, please lead the way." Delilah said leading them to the table near the fountain. The view was amazing. It was colourful due to the flowers surrounding the garden and the air was very refreshing.

Once they were seated, Kelsey couldn't help but asked, "Do you come here often?" She wondered.

"Only when my friends invite me for tea. I don't usually come here but the staff here knows me well." Delilah answered as they both placed their napkin on their lap.

"I see." Kelsey responded as she felt nervous. She wondered why exactly Delilah asked her for brunch. She wondered if Delilah would ask her to stay away from Mason or even worse, call her names for accepting Mason's offer in exchange of money.

"Here's the menu. I'll be right back with the tea." Zoey said handing them the menu and left.

They looked over the menu and Delilah would occasionally glanced at Kelsey. "You seem to be a really nice girl, Kelsey." She started as Kelsey looked up at her. "But I wonder, why did you accept my grandson's ridiculous proposal?" She asked.

Kelsey gulped and took a deep breath. "I did it for my family. I have to pay for my little brother's hospital bills." She honestly answered.

"Why is your brother in the hospital? If you don't mind me asking."

"He was diagnosed with leukemia cancer a year ago. He's still undergoing chemotherapy." She simply explained and Delilah paused as if her words were sinking in her head.

Zoey came back with their tea. She carefully poured some in their cups and placed the pot in the middle of the table. "Ready to order?" She asked and Kelsey and Delilah told her their order. She grabbed the menu and left to get their food ready.

"How did you find out that Mason hired me?" Kelsey asked in wonder.

"It's an understatement to say that I was shock to see the newspaper this morning announcing that my grandson is getting married. I knew something was up since I was only arguing with Mason a week ago telling him to start settling down." Delilah briefly explained.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have accepted the offer but I really needed the money." Kelsey quietly said as Delilah simply nodded her head in comprehension.

"You don't have to apologize, dear. Actually, I want you to do the end of your bargain." She told her.

"What do you mean?" Kelsey asked with knotted forehead.

"Marry my grandson." She simply answered as she took a sip of her tea.

"You still want me to marry him?" Kelsey questioned as she nervously played with the napkin on her lap.

"I am not gonna get any younger. I want to see my grandson walking down the aisle and settling down. I am afraid for him, Kelsey. I am afraid that one day he will be alone and lonely because he was undecided to have a family. I want my grandson to be happy, I want him to feel loved."

"But we'll be having a fake marriage. There will be no love involve or even making a 'family'." She reminded her but Delilah only smiled hopefully.

"I know that very well. But I can tell you are not hard to love, my dear. And my grandson can be cold and a snob at times, but when you see the other side of him, I know you'll fall for him too." She said and Kelsey couldn't quite wrap everything around her head. Sure, Mason was good-looking and he could be understanding at times, but falling for him was something she wasn't ready on doing. When she agreed to this arrangement, she new that love was completely out of the equation, so having to think that she might fall in love with Mason was very hard to comprehend.

"I'm not quite sure about that, ma'am." Kelsey honestly told her biting her lip in anticipation.

She only sighed and smiled at her. "Just give it a shot, dear. I'll talk to Mason. I'll be telling him that the wedding is still on. Besides, it is all over the news that the two of you are getting married anyway. Just stick to the plan and I'll handle everything." She announced and Kelsey couldn't say anything else.

~ * ~ * ~

When Kelsey got to the penthouse, she was shock to hear the faucet running in the kitchen. She knew that Mason had already left for work so she wasn't expecting anyone at home. Home. Why was she suddenly calling it home?

She ignored her thoughts and slowly opened the door to the kitchen and saw a woman washing the dishes. The woman turned her head towards her and smiled. Kelsey studied the woman. She looked around 50 years old since her hair were mostly white and her skin were a little crinckle but she still looked beautiful.

"Hi." The woman greeted as Kelsey entered the kitchen when she knew that the woman meant no harm.

"Hi?" She greeted back but it sounded more like a question.

"You must not have been expecting me. Mason probably didn't tell you about me, did he?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"No, not really." Kelsey answered briefly.

"I'm Georgia." The woman said as she closed the faucet and dried her hands with the dishtowel so she could shake Kelsey's hand. "Mason's nanny."

Kelsey shook her hand and grinned when she learned that Mason still had a nanny. "I'm Kelsey. I didn't know that Mason still have a nanny."

The woman laughed and Kelsey already grew fond of her. She thought that she was a really great and caring woman. "Actually, he hates it when I introduce to others that I'm his nanny. But I find it funny when he gets so embarrass but cannot get mad at me." She said earning a chuckle from Kelsey.

Georgia stared at the girl in front of her. It wasn't the usual women Mason took home whenever he felt like having a play date. The girl in front of her wasn't as slim and tall as the others and she seemed descent and kind. Georgia suddenly felt comfortable with this girl. She actually wanted Mason to end up with her.

"Something wrong?" Kelsey asked as her smile turned into a frown. The woman was staring intently at her and Kelsey felt a little intimidated.

Georgia shook her head and laughed. "Don't mind me, sweetheart. I'm getting old, sometimes I just zone out." She said as Kelsey nodded in understanding. Georgia went back to washing the dishes and starting another conversation with her. "So how is it like being my boy's fianceé?"

Kelsey smiled when the woman referred to Mason as her boy. They must have had a very close relationship, she thought. "I'm still getting use to the idea." She honestly answered the woman. It seemed as if she couldn't lie to her. She knew she couldn't tell her about the truth but she didn't want to lie either so she tried to say the most honest thing she could say.

Georgia chuckled again and shook her head. "Don't worry, once you get to know him, you'll see the real him and love him." She casually commented. Kelsey squinted her eyes at her as if asking Georgia if she knew about the proposal. "Mason told me. That boy can't hide anything from me."

That got Kelsey thinking. She felt as if everyone knew about the proposal. She was getting nervous of the idea all of sudden. She just didn't want the whole world to know that she was hired to be a billionaire's wife. She suddenly felt ashamed of herself. Her self-esteem descended faster than a roller coaster.

"Just try to bare with him. I know he's not the perfect guy and he can be the most distant and coldest person in the world. But once you get to break his walls down, you'll be able to see the gentle side in him. Don't give up too easily, Kelsey. He needs you." Georgia said rubbing her shoulder in comfort.