Elyse shook away her stray thoughts and looked down at her fingernails, noting how badly she needed a manicure, not that she went for them often."I don't know.She was bitching about Dad taking care of the yard, telling me he's too old for that, he should hire someone.I didn't agree.I said let him do it.He enjoys it and it keeps him active, gives him something to do.That's when she changed her story."She filled Dave in on the rest of the conversation, and the migraine afterward, skimming over that she'd slept for more than twenty-four hours straight.Instead she said only that she'd slept through some messages and had been annoyed enough that she still wasn't responding to Mom.
Dave turned and watched her a moment, then went back to his cooking.
"Is that all?"
"All that involves Mom."
"Have Mom and Dad met John McClane yet?"
Elyse rolled her eyes at yet another name for Mac.At least this one was kind of close, only in that it was a Mc name."No.I'm not sure we're there yet.You wouldn't have met him if you hadn't come in here in the middle of the night and scared the shit out of us.You know, you could have just called.My annoyance with Mom doesn't extend to you, or anyone else in the family."
"Really?Mom made it sound like half the family had been calling and texting for days and you were ignoring them all."
Elyse bit the inside of her lip, closed her eyes and counted to ten before responding.There were days she wished she'd been born into another family, any other family.Those days had been frequent as a teenager, but were less so now, so they only happened when Mom was being particularly trying."You're thirty-two.I would think by now you would have figured out how manipulative Mom is and to take everything she says with a grain of salt."
"You're right.I should have called.Have none of the others even tried to contact you?"He turned to look at her.
"I sent Connor a text but haven’t heard back yet.Have you heard?I'm pretty sure he's engaged.That was part of the whole thing with Mom.She was nasty about Becca, asking me if I wanted to know about the latest.That was when I'd had enough."She reached for her phone to make sure she'd remembered to hit send on her message congratulating her brother.She was known for typing up texts and forgetting to hit send, then wondering why someone hadn't gotten back to her.Sure enough, there it was waiting to go out.She hit send then typed up a message letting Conner know she'd forgotten to hit send before.He'd get back to her when he had time.
While she was sending the message to her brother, her phone vibrated in her hand.
Just got out of work, don't have to be back for a few hours.Good time to come over?
She stared at the screen a moment then replied.
Sure, love to have you.
After setting her phone aside, she looked up to find Dave watching her again.
"Who was that?"
"It started out as me messaging Conner, but Mac texted while I was doing that, so I replied.He's on his way.It could be thirty seconds or thirty minutes, depending on where he was."
"Thirty seconds?"
"Didn't I tell you?He lives next door.That's how I met him."Her phone buzzed again.She picked it up and found a message from Connor.
Mom can’t keep a secret worth shit.Yes, we’re engaged, thank you.I’ll call soon with more details, love you.
Elyse showed the screen to her brother then shook her head and set the phone aside once more.
"No, you didn't tell me."Dave asked a few more questions about Mac, while still never calling him by name, but at least he didn't call him any other ridiculousthing either.Less than five minutes after she set her phone down, the doorbell rang.
"That must be him."She stood, eager to see him.
"What, he doesn't let himself in?"
"Not usually," she called over her shoulder as she went for the door.
Excited to see Mac, she opened the front door without checking to see who it was first, "That was quick—" she cut herself off when she realized it wasn't Mac standing on the doorstep.Instead, it was Mom, in person.
"Well, are you going to invite me in?"
Elyse stood there a moment, staring, before she thought to step back and let her mother inside.
"Come in, I wasn't expecting you, Mom, how are you?"She tried to cover up that she had been expecting someone, hoping Mom would let it go.
"I'm okay, no thanks to you or your father.Who's in the kitchen?"
