Page 6 of Not So Very Sensible

“Sounds like you had quite a few adventures on your way home.”

She yawned. “It certainly wasn’t the smooth trip we imagined. But it was kind of cool to see Azerbaijan. I’ve never seen an airport in the middle of the desert like that before.”

“Always looking on the bright side, aren’t you?” Gran said with affection.

Well, she tried.

She offered her grandmother a smile as the conversation continued. It had been nice to spend time with her, to know Gran really did love her, even though her words might sometimes seem a little harsh. Previous video calls had made her wonder if her English grandmother was as judgy about Ellie’s coloured hair as Ellie could be about Katie’s boy madness. Time in England had confirmed that as true.

“Why do you colour it?” Gran had complained. “You’d be such a pretty girl if you didn’t.”

Ouch. She’d tried—once again—to explain about creative expression, but Gran didn’t seem to understand. And to be fair, part of the reason for her hair colour and style was to showcase a side of her that her personality seemed to lack the strength or energy for. But by dyeing her hair and getting it cut in this asymmetrical style, people assessed Ellie differently. They didn’t simply take her for granted, as her quieter voice and lack of demonstrative behaviour might suggest. In fact, she’d seemed to inspire EJ to get a sassy new bob last year. It made a nice change to be the sister others were inspired by, rather than the one others felt they needed to drag along.

“Now, I know you’ve only just been here, but I realised that it’s somebody’s birthday, and I wanted to do something special.”

Ellie’s heart pricked. The only person with an upcoming birthday was herself. She’d be twenty-seven in a few weeks’ time.

“So, I thought to celebrate that, and to celebrate the fact that Katie has finally finished her university degree, it would be a nice opportunity to do something special for you both.”

“You don’t need to do that, Gran,” Ellie protested. “We had such a great time in England with you. You letting us stay with you and use your car to see places was more than enough.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Gran said. “You both spent so much money flying out here that it was the least I could do. Especially when you did all that work on Hartbury Hall’s website, Ellie. For free.”

She shrugged. She didn’t mind. Helping others gave her joy. A sense of purpose, at least. And if it involved using her creative skills, all the better. Even if EJ had said that helping others pro bono all the time was scarcely the way one should run a business.

Katie grabbed the phone and beamed at Gran. “Hi Gran! I think it’s an awesome idea to keep the celebrations going. And you know me. I’m always up for nice opportunities to do something special.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Gran, you really don’t have to—”

“Gran,” Katie interrupted. “I’m really happy if you want to—”

“Now, girls, that’s enough,” Mum said, smiling. “Let Mother do what she wants to do, okay?”

Gran was nodding. “So, I thought, especially considering the terrible journey you had home—”

“I felt like I needed a holiday from my holiday,” Katie complained.

“Well, that’s exactly why I thought you might enjoy a little stay away.”

Ellie’s head tilted. “I beg your pardon?”

“There’s a little something on your beds that your mother printed out for you both. Well, go on. Have a look.”

Ellie hurried to her bedroom and saw an envelope on the bed. Huh. Stealthy Mum. She hadn’t seen that earlier. She snatched it up, then returned downstairs.

“You can open it now if you wish.”

Gran wasn’t one of those people who insisted on Ellie waiting until her birthday to open special somethings. She used her fingernail to pry open the envelope and pulled out a card. She smiled. Maybe it made her just as emotionally immature as her sister, but she’d always gotten a kick out of her birthday.

She read the card, even as she could hear Katie shrieking in excitement. Okay, whatever it was, it must be pretty good for Katie to carry on like that.

She glanced up, tapped the card. “Thanks, Gran.”

“You’re welcome, love.”

Ellie blinked as unexpected emotion heated the back of her eyes. Weird. She wasn’t the emotional one. Ever. In fact, she’d often felt like the odd duck in this family, with only her father having a personality like hers. The fact that Gran, of all people, seemed to understand this and accept her, felt … special.

She unfolded the piece of paper that had been in the envelope, then felt her eyes widen.