“What are you thinking about with such concentration?” Helen chuckles warmly. “Harold was asking how long you and Ethan have known each other.”
“Five years.” The answer slips out automatically before I can stop myself.
She blinks in surprise. “I thought the two of you just met.”
My lips part in panic. “Well?—”
“We knew each other in passing five years ago,” Ethan says smoothly, covering for me without missing a beat. “We only just started working together.”
“I see.” His mother’s expression relaxes visibly. “And how do you like my son, Natalie?”
Flustered, I try to avoid looking at Ethan directly. “He’s—He works very hard.”
Helen laughs with genuine delight. “Oh yes, he does. All my children are hard workers, but Ethan is the most ambitious.”
“Nick works equally hard!” Elisha snaps suddenly.
A hush falls over the table like a heavy blanket.
“Eli,” her husband cautions her, sounding displeased.
“What?” Elisha shakes off her husband’s hand and gets to her feet abruptly. “She’s making it seem like you do nothing all day. This is why I didn’t want to come here!”
Turning on her heel, she storms out, leaving me stunned by the sudden explosion.
Nick sighs heavily and stands up. “Sorry about that. She’s not dealing well with the pregnancy.”
He hurries out after her, and Helen looks sympathetic. “Do forgive her, Natalie, dear. Elisha is very protective of her husband. And it’s the pregnancy hormones. She’s in her second trimester.”
I didn’t even know she was pregnant until Nick mentioned it, but then her dress was loose enough to conceal any baby bump.
I give Helen a polite smile. “It’s alright.”
“Nick works very hard. He has his own tech company.” Mrs. Wilder beams at her children, completely unruffled by the explosion a few seconds ago. “Megan is studying to be a fashion designer. Caleb is in marketing—He does consultancy work.”
“I don’t like being tied to any company.” Caleb stretches his arms over his head with a lazy grin. With his blonde hair and blue eyes, he stands out the most from his siblings. “The way Isee it, we have enough ambitious people in this family. Jake’s running Dad’s law firm. Ethan is obsessed with his companies. Nick is just weird, and Megan is studying like crazy. One of us should be a lazy bum. Why not me? I can take one for the team.”
Ethan looks at him with calculating eyes. “That reminds me. I might need you to do some consultancy work for my new company.”
Caleb’s smile fades instantly. “No thank you. I hate working for you.”
“We’ll see about that,” Ethan says lightly, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“You’re not a bum, sweetheart.” Helen smiles at Caleb warmly. “You work very hard, too. Ethan is just a workaholic. Once he gets his mind set on something, he will forget everything aside from his goal.” She looks at me with meaningful eyes. “When he first started building his little empire, I discovered that he would skip meals regularly. Eating was a chore for him. I had to make sure he was getting three meals delivered a day, and every time, I would have to make sure he actually ate them. At least Nick takes care of himself. Ethan is just hopeless. I worry about him all the time.”
“I’m right here, you know,” Ethan reminds her irritably. “I’m not some helpless child, Mother.”
“You are my child,” Helen tells him firmly. “I have every right to worry about you. But now that you have Natalie, I’m sure she’ll look after you when I can’t.”
“I think—” I look between Ethan and his mother desperately. “I think there’s some sort of misunderstanding here. Ethan and I are just colleagues.”
“Oh sure.” Megan leans her cheek against her palm with a knowing smirk. “I also make out with my colleagues regularly.”
“Megan!” Ethan growls at her.
“Stop scolding your sister,” his mother chastises him. “There’s no need to hide your relationship. We’re all family here.”
“That was—” My face is burning with embarrassment.
