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“Not that kind of turn!” Elle said. “We’re in bed this morning and things are heating up, all of a sudden guess who pulls into the fucking driveway!”
Sara closed her eyes and said, “Not Earl and Irene. Please, no.”
Nodding slowly, Elle said, “Who else but my mom and dad? Here I am, freshly laid complete with bed hair and they’re banging on the door. My dad actually asked me if I picked Jim up in a bar! A bar! Suddenly, Jim comes out of my bedroom and introduces himself. We get wrangled into breakfast at Pancake Palace. I had to pretend like Jim and I didn’t just have our first date last night. It was so fucking embarrassing, Sara. I thought I was going to die.”
“How did he take it?”
“Surprisingly well. My mom loved him. He even managed to charm my dad. I figured he’d take off as soon as we got back from breakfast. I kind of expected it to be a deal killer but he was fine with it. He even stayed for a bit after breakfast…” Elle trailed off, flushing slightly.
Sara said, “I’m glad he didn’t freak.” She paused for a moment and then asked, “Making up for lost time are we?”
Elle grinned, then said, “If the interrogation is complete, I’m going to work on some paperwork while I’m here.”
“I’m about to make baby quiche. It’s your favorite. Wanna help?”
“Not a chance,” Elle replied, heading back toward her office.
She managed to immerse herself in paperwork for a couple of hours. She got payroll done early, took care of accounts payable and receivable. It had been pretty satisfying to bill JDC for the recent job she’d worked. Having done the kitchen work now, she had a new found appreciation for the billing process in general.
Elle jumped when her cell phone rang. Picking it up, she scanned the caller ID. She wasn’t ready to have a conversation with her mom about Jim yet, so she sent it to voice mail. Feeling immediately guilty, she listened to the message and laughed. She had a new squirrel feeder waiting on her porch. It was for Jim. She supposed that was her mom’s seal of approval.
She got up from her desk with a smirk and walked back toward the kitchens. When Sara looked up, Elle said, “Mom gave her seal of approval. She bought Jim a squirrel feeder for his yard. I hope it was the one that’s shaped like a horse head. I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”
At Sara’s grin, Elle continued, “I’m going to head out. I’ve got laundry and stuff to catch up on. See you tomorrow.”
“You’re sure that you don’t want to stay and help me? It’s almost time to make the rumaki.”
“If I don’t do laundry, I’m coming to work naked tomorrow. Did you not see that I’m wearing a high school intramural volleyball shirt?” Elle asked.
Sara scrutinized the shirt and then said, “Point taken. I’ll see you later.”
Elle stopped at the grocery store on the way home. She decided she’d cook something tonight so she’d have lunches throughout the week. She looked over the meat and seafood counters, then settled on some farm-raised salmon. The ‘fresh’ stuff had looked anything but fresh. Grabbing a few other items, she paid for her groceries and made her way home.
By 7:00, Elle had done some laundry, made dinners and lunches for next week, and called her mother back. She’d been grilled unmercifully about Jim until her cell phone battery had almost gone dead. At least that had been a legitimate excuse to get off the phone.
Finally, she had been able to settle on the couch with a book. She was already a few chapters into a new romantic suspense when her phone rang. She moved to the table where it was charging and picked it up.
Elle felt her heart speed up and a slow smile spread across her face as she read the caller ID.
Grinning now, she said, “Hey, Jim.”
“Hey, beautiful. How was the rest of your day?” Jim asked.
A smile tugging at the corners of her lips, she said, “Not as lazy as I thought. I ended up going into the office and getting some paperwork done. Then ran some errands. I just now settled down for the laziness. What about yours?”
“Pretty much the same for me. Didn’t get as much done as I would have liked though,” he said. “I kept thinking about you all day.”
She could almost see that sheepish smile on his face at his latest admission. Elle felt her face flush slightly.
“I may have had a similar issue,” Elle admitted.
“I had a great time,” Jim said. Then his voice took on a slightly teasing note as he added, “Except maybe next time no parents, huh?”
Elle groaned and said, “Oh jeez. Don’t remind me. That was so embarrassing. My mom called me this afternoon and grilled me some more. At least you weren’t there for that.”
“Your mom wasn’t so bad. I though
t your dad might have been plotting my death at points though,” Jim said.
