“And she just happened to come in here to have a few drinks?”
“Seems it to me,” he said.
He didn’t have any other explanation. It’s not as if he got her number.
Though he could find her if he had to.
The same as she could with him. Just like she had.
Could be she was playing some game.
The princess coming out of the castle to mingle with the workers of the land.
“Nothing is ever what it seems,” his grandmother said. “The sooner you realize that, the easier life will be.”
She turned on those parting words.
Life hadn’t been easy for either of them and he never expected otherwise.
8
LIVE A LITTLE
“Congratulations,” Jocelyn said, giving Elise a hug. It was the first she was seeing her sister-in-law since the news. “Here.”
“What’s in the bag?” Elise asked, taking it.
“Just a little care package I put together. Where is Gabe?”
“Running errands. He’ll be gone a few hours, I’m sure. He had a list of things he had to take care of.”
“Perfect,” she said. “Then we can chat.”
Because she had to talk to someone about what she’d done last night and it wasn’t as if she’d call one of her casual friends for this.
Some girls she’d gone to high school with. Even if they remembered Chance, they’d have something negative to say about him.
Other friends of hers, she wasn’t so positive she wanted their opinions.
She walked to the back of her brother’s house, then sat on the couch, Elise next to her.
Her sister-in-law pulled out the tissue paper, then the first item. It was a tiny teddy bear that said “baby’s first bear” on it.
“Aww. This is adorable. And so soft,” Elise said.
“I couldn’t resist. The rest is for you.”
Elise removed, one-by-one, chocolate, a cute coffee mug, some of her sister-in-law’s favorite teas, a few other snacks, then lotions for stretch marks and slippers.
“This is great,” Elise said. “Thank you. I’m going to make Gabe rub my feet with the cooling lotion when I get too fat to bend over.”
All the things she’d hoped for in her life one day too.
“He’ll do it.” Her brother was considerate like that.
“He better,” Elise said. “I told him he has to sing to the baby. He has been.”
Her bottom lip came out, her eyes a little glossy. Her brother had such a beautiful voice. She wondered if he could have done something with it as a career, but he’d always said it was more for fun.
