Looking at Cassie you two pondered your next move. Before you could make a decision, however, Kimberly spoke up.
"I have a few chores I need to take care of myself so if you two need some time to unpack then go ahead. We may have an old shoe box that you can use for your clothes, Jake, or even as a bed if you desire." You were caught off guard, the other girls assumed this was a genuine suggestion from their matriarch but you knew even that was a dig at your stature. She then stood up and sashayed out of the room, her form straining the material of the sundress that she wore while simultaneously reminding you where your fiance got her looks from.
Immediately after Sophie said, "Well it was nice to meet you, I'll be by the pool if you want to hang out some more!" before standing up and literally skipping out of the room.
"Sounds like we're all splitting up so I'm gonna go practice, good to meet you dude I'm looking forward to getting to know you better." Maddie said to you next before tightening her shoe laces and exiting the room as well. You felt good about your first encounters with each of her sisters, but Cassie's mom was a different story. Turning to Cassie you said up to her,
"Welp I'd say that went pretty well! Except for the whole getting squashed flat by your mom but hey all I need is a change of clothes and maybe a shower then it's like that never happened!" You decided to ignore the somewhat cold tone of the interactions with Kimberly, knowing from your years with Cassie that their relationship was very important to her.
"Yeah I think it really did! And sorry about that, Jake, they just aren't used to someone of your size yet but don't worry they will be! Except for maybe Sophie, I'd say be careful around her when she's barreling through the house because she isn't exactly the most observant of us." Cassie continued, "Now I'm pooped how about we unload our stuff and relax a bit?"
The promise of getting time alone with Cassie sounded ideal as it always did to you, but you knew if you had a chance to win over her mom you would need to go the extra mile. So sadly you responded,
"Actually, do you mind taking my stuff to the room for me? I'm going to go see if your mom needs any help with those chores she was talking about?" You said, feigning confidence but in reality sweating with nervousness at the prospect of being alone with Kimberly.
"Wow you really are the sweetest guy in the world, Jake. I'm sure she would love that. I'm gonna go take a nap for a bit then, feel free to come join me if you finish helping out my mom" Cassie said to you before concluding with a wink. Your heart skipped a beat again at the opportunity, but you steeled your focus and simply smiled back. Cassie then stood up and grabbed your tiny backpack as well as her stuff, walking out of the room. You took the moment to stare at her backside bouncing up and down in her jean shorts until she reached the top of the stairs and was out of eyesight. Now taking a deep breath, you hopped off the coffee table and landed on the ground.
Walking around the house you followed the path you saw Kimberly take, passing through a hallway and taking note of the multiple rooms you passed by. Cassie's family wasn't extravagantly wealthy by any means but the quality of this house wouldn't have suggested that. After a minute of walking you reached what appeared to be an office and saw Kimberly sitting at a desk. You took a few steps into the room before speaking up, "Ahem, uhh excuse me Ms. Smalls?" Kimberly turned her head from the computer in front of her and scanned the room before finding your one foot tall form on the ground.
"Ah Jake, hello... is Cassie with you?" The tone of her voice seemed slightly ominous and you were almost hesitant to respond. Mustering up the courage you did.
"Uh no she's actually taking a nap, I was just coming to see if you needed any help with the chores you were talking about?"
Kimberly responded only by standing up and beginning to walk around her desk. Within a few steps you started to notice her stride was headed straight towards you, yet here eyes were on the entryway behind you. A few more steps passed by and eventually her right foot raised up, exposing you to the same sandal that pinned you effortlessly earlier. Absolutely shocked, your mind ran a million miles a sec, figuring that Kimberly must really hate you and was about to crush you once again. However, just as Kimberly planned it her foot merely hovered over your head for a brief second before moving past your body and landing on the ground behind you. As you breathed a sigh of relief she continued her gait towards the doorway you came in, reaching out with one hand and closing both you and her in the room. She then turned and stared straight at you. You had never been more nervous at any moment in your life.
"Jake, I'm going to give it to you straight, alright? I don't dislike you... but I'm worried about how well you match up with my daughter. I mean you seem nice, you really do, but you need to prove to me that you are capable of taking care of my daughter if the need be." Kimberly's matter of fact way of speaking didn't assuage your nervousness.
Choosing your words carefully, you responded, "I understand your concern, Miss Smalls, but I assure you that I am more than ready to take care of any of your daughter's needs!" The confidence you forced yourself to put on with that response elicited a nod of approval at the very least from Kimberly before she continued,
"Well that's good to hear. I do suppose what you lack in physical stature you can make up for in other ways, yes? After all, being one foot tall and malleable, as you put it earlier, means you may have some unique uses. If you can prove this to me then I will surely give you my blessing to be with my daughter."
The conclusion Kimberly came to was disheartening for you to hear. Over the course of your life you had run into your fair share of people who wished to use your special qualities for their own gain. Each and every time you had been able to escape these people and distance yourself from them in order to avoid situations like this, but at this moment that wasn't an option. You couldn't simply tell Cassie about this dark side of her mother, either, as you knew she loved her family more than anything in the world and throwing a wrench in her relationships with them was something you would never do. You steeled your resolve and tried to look on the bright side of this fate. At the very least Kimberly didn't seem outright malicious or sadistic, as certain captors in your past had been, rather just very critical with high standards to meet.
"That I can certainly do. Whatever you or your family needs that I can provide I'll be on it in a heartbeat." Your response for the first time elicited a smile from your future mother in law, something you were rather proud of. Even if that smile seemed to show a feeling of victory in her as opposed to affection for you, a smile was a smile nonetheless and better than you had received thus far.
"That's what I like to hear, Jake. Well for starters..."
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