Page 14 of Matched By Mistake
“Thanks, I think. Who else is coming to a family meeting?”
“Cecily,” her mom said. “Dad wants to make sure you’re good.”
Cecily Meachum was one of the Del Rio Group’s lawyers and acted as their family attorney when needed. She was about eight years older than Maggie. Curvy and feminine, she used her looks to her advantage, as many people underestimated her because of them. Cecily was a ruthless attorney.
“I will be. You know I’m not going to let anyone walk all over me.”
“I do, but you know your father.”
“Is that Maggie?”
Her father entered the foyer and opened his arms. Maggie went to give him a hug. There was a bit of stiffness and formality to the hug. She knew her father loved her but he had always been more interested in running Del Rio Group than anything else.
“Morning, Dad.”
“So you’re online dating now?”
She kissed his cheek and then stepped back. “Yes. I thought you didn’t want to discuss me dating.”
“I don’t but online dating... That seems sort of iffy.”
“Iffy?”
Her mom came over rolling her eyes as she looped her arm though Maggie’s. “He thinks you should meet a boy at the Cattleman’s Club or at work.”
“It worked for us,” he said. “Let’s go into the den so we can discuss this.”
“Is he serious?” she asked her mom as they followed her father.
“Always.”
When they got into the den, she saw Preston, who smiled at her, and then Cecily, who was looking at her phone and only put it down after they entered and waved at Maggie.
“Now that we are all here, we can get started,” Dad said.
Maggie took a deep breath. She realized unless she spoke up now her father was going to dictate the terms of whatever he’d decided about her future. She’d never really been one to toe the line and she wasn’t going to start now.
“Thanks, everyone, for coming,” she said. “I know you are concerned that I’m going to be dating a Winters but that’s what’s going to happen.”
“We haven’t decided that yet,” her dad said.
“I have. Listen, I know it’s going to cause tension for both families. I talked to Jericho last night and we thought it might be nice to have a Del Rio and Winters meeting to make sure we’re all on the same page. I reached out to Preston and we’ve asked Jack Chowdhry to mediate it.”
Her father was obviously surprised that she’d beat him to the punch on this, but he nodded. “I like it. Good idea. Cecily, you can go with her to make sure our family interests—”
“Dad, do you really think I won’t represent the family?”
“I know you will but you also have your mother’s kind heart. I don’t want that Winters boy taking advantage of it.”
“Then why don’t I bring Preston? Even though he’s mylittlebrother and I was the one who had to defend him on the playground,” she said.
“Hey,” Preston said. “You’re mad at Dad, not me.”
She swallowed and looked at her mom. “Maggie doesn’t need anyone to protect her, Fernando.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Maggie said.
“But I agree with your dad that Cecily should go with you. We just don’t know Jericho Winters. If he’s like his father, then he can’t be trusted. The past has shown us that the Winters family will use anything to their advantage.”
