“I had no idea you had all this equipment.”
“I have to sell my goods.” Elliott scooted around the coffee table to turnon his second light.
“You better be talking about your ceramics. I feel like I’m being interviewed by TLC.”
He chuckled. “I am and I want my parents to be able to see you. Let me show you off in good lighting.”
She beamed, slouching against the back of the sofa.
“Sit how you’re going to be on the call. This has to be perfect.”
“Director, too? There’s so much I don’t know about you.”
His hazel-ish eyes softened as he clipped his phone onto the tripod. “I know, and there’s a lot I don’t know about you. But we have all the time in the world to learn.”
Elliott squatted and fiddled with his cellphone for a minute before his call was answered:
“My baby!”
“There’s our boy.”
“Where is she?”
“Hey, bro.”
“Uncle Elliott!”
“Elliott, Elliott!”
He glanced back at Fern, mildly shell shocked, and mouthed a, “Sorry,” before turning back to the phone. “Hey—everyone. Didn’t expect to see all of you.”
“Younevertalk on the phone,” a woman, probably his mom, said. “We wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“Well then, I’d like you all to meet Fern.”
He stepped to the left as she peeked around his big back, giving a little wave to the conglomeration of faces lumped into frame. Someone with brown curls was cut off, but her pink bow was visible at the bottom of the screen.
“Hi, everyone!” Fern greeted the family.
“It’s wonderful to finally meet you,” Elliott’s dad said.
“We’ve heard so much about you!” his mom chimed in, followed by everyone else.
The call was intense, and she was happy to get their first meeting outof the way in a virtual setting where she and Elliott could go back to quiet once they were done.
“I know you were going to wait ’til November to visit—and tourist season isn’t really your thing, but—”
“Mating celebration?” Danielle asked, a wide smile on her face.
“It’s this weekend,” Fern said with a grimace. “We completely understand if you can’t make it.”
“We’ll be there,” Elliott’s mom replied, overlapping the end of Fern’s statement. “Saturday?”
At her side, Elliott nodded. “Able has space at the Lodge, I already asked. But there’s a human wedding in town.”
“Can we still meet your otter, Aunt Fern?” a little voice asked, and Danielle reiterated the request.
“We can have a big family run,” Elliott’s sister added. “We’ll just have to hike out a ways on two legs before shifting.”
