She’d messed his hair up even worse than it already was. “Sucks to be human, huh? Well, you’d better shape up, as the song says, or I’ll have to look elsewhere for my superheroes.”
“Funny,” he’d said, and pulled her into his body in a crushing hug. She’d put her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in whatever strength she could (and a little Vicks) before facing the staring eyes of the cameras out front.
“That’s all well and good,” interrupted Charlotte now. Ellen sighed again and took a sip of her tea. “But why are you in the papers? Why are they interested in you?”
This was the tricky part. “They’re not, really. They like him. His company’s a bit of a fixture around here. And the fires at his mills have made him even more interesting.” She didn’t mention the other, more famous girlfriends, but if her mother had been online...
“But, dear,” her mother insisted, “you know, it’s really not the done thing to get yourself all over the papers. I thought you’d value your privacy more.”
“I haven’t ‘got myself all over the papers,’ Mum,” Ellen said hotly. “We didn’t choose this. Well, Kane did, before now, but now he’d much rather be left alone.”
“So why on earth are you going out with him? He doesn’t look like your sort at all.” Meaning he looked nothing like Edward. “I just don’t understand, dear.”
“No.” Ellen blew out a long breath. “I didn’t think you would.”
“Is this why you didn’t come home at Thanksgiving?”
“No, Mum. I told you: I tried to book it too late, and all the flights were full.” It was a lie, but the best she could come up with at the time. “I’ll be home for Christmas instead, and for longer.” She cleared her throat. “Actually, I was hoping I could bring Kane with me.”
She heard her mother give a little snort and say under her breath, “Kane.” Out loud, she said, “I thought you didn’t get much holiday time over there.” That was another excuse she’d handed them, to explain her infrequent visits. Ellen didn’t say anything. “And can he take that much time off?” Charlotte added.
“He owns the company, Mum. I think that means he can take as much time as he needs.”
“One of these jetsetters, is he? Too much money and nothing to do but spend it?”
Ellen fought to control her voice. “No,” she explained, proud of how calm she sounded. “He hardly spends money at all, if you must know. He drives an old car and his apartment is...” She thought about it. Okay, bad example. “Well, it’s not the penthouse. Though I’m sure he could afford it.”
“Yes, well... there are more important things than money.”
Ellen’s mouth fell open; her calm evaporated. “You just said...! And anyway, that’s not what you said when you were telling me how much money Edward’s family had!”
“I did nothing of the kind, Eleanor. I don’t talk about that kind of thing. I merely mentioned that their family was a good, established one. You thought so too, at one time.”
“Well, Kane’s family has been here since about 1773, so I’d say that makes him pretty established too, wouldn’t you?” She’d made up the date, just needed to snap something out.
“There’s no need to get snippy, Eleanor,” Charlotte said quellingly.
“Are you all right, darling?” Andrew said, again breaking over his wife’s voice, as if he couldn’t stand them arguing. “You sound a bit out of sorts.”
That tends to happen when your mother questions every single decision you’ve ever made, and treats the man you love as if he works on the docks.But to her father, she said, “I’m all right.” She took a couple of breaths. “Look, I don’t like those pictures any more than you do, but...” She faced it even as she said it. “I like him more than I don’t like the photos.”
There was a pause at the other end. “It’s serious, then?” Andrew said, more quietly now.
Ellen’s heart was hammering a jazz beat in her chest. “Yes,” she almost whispered. “For me, anyway. Yes.”
“Ah,” said Andrew. “Right.”
Silence fell again.
“But what about your work, darling?” said Andrew. “We thought you might be getting moved again soon. Isn’t that what you told me they’d be doing with you next year?”
Ellen gripped her cooling mug. She’d told them that months ago, long before her life had changed beyond all recognition. “Yes, I know. Usually, it is.”
“Usually?” Charlotte came back. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t really know what I mean. I... haven’t figured that out yet.”
“‘Figured that out?’ I think you’ve been in America quite long enough!” said Charlotte. Then she gave a horrified squeak. “Oh, Lord, you’re going to marry him so you can stay in the country, aren’t you?”
