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“I’ll tell you what,” Gloria said, clearly interpreting my silence as agreement. “I’ll book them both in at Mane Street salon and take them shopping for some new clothes.”
If it would get her off my back and was one less thing for me to do—great. “Thank you, Gloria. I’m sure they’d enjoy that.”
“Excellent.” She clapped her hands together and smiled, clearly pleased to have gotten her way. I was more than happy to let her believe that. Though her expression soon darkened. “If only Eleanor were so easy to persuade.”
“Eleanor?” I asked, wondering what Tessa’s younger sister had done to disappoint Gloria now.
As far as I knew, Ellie was attending college in Australia. Before I could ask about Ellie, Doc Allen and Linda joined us, along with Harper and Enzo. The conversation turned to other matters, but my mind was stuck on Ellie.
“Doc,” Gloria said, shaking his hand. “How are you?”
“I’m good. Nice to see everyone for such a happy occasion.” He gave me a kind smile, and I wondered if he was thinking about Tessa’s funeral. All of Alondra Valley had shown up to pay their respects.
“Yes. Such a lovely couple,” Gloria said, almost absent-mindedly. “My Teresa was such a beautiful bride.” She sniffled and procured a handkerchief from her purse to dab at her nose.
“She was,” Linda said, giving Gloria’s shoulder a squeeze. “How’s Ellie?”
Enzo drew me into a discussion about the latest improvements we’d made to his winery using the software developed by my company. He’d been an early investor, and I appreciated all his support during launch and as we continued to grow. He was business savvy and enthusiastic. More than that, he’d become both a great ally and a good friend, especially after Tessa’s death.
He’d traveled his own path of grief after losing his father. Since Tessa’s death, Enzo had shared his journey with me, and I valued his friendship. I appreciated his willingness to listen.
I knew him well enough to suspect he was trying to distract me. And as enthusiastic as I was about the winery’s progress, I was more interested in the conversation between Linda and Gloria. They were speaking in hushed whispers, something about “screwed up” and “student visa.” Along with the words, “so irresponsible.”
Ellie had always been close to Tessa, but I hadn’t talked to her in years. Not since she’d graduated high school and moved to Australia. It had always seemed so…sudden. Unexpected, even. I knew she’d been applying to colleges across the country. But to move across the world? I couldn’t ever imagine doing it myself. The AV was home.
“As usual,” Gloria sneered. “Eleanor screwed up, and now she expects me to fix it.”
I frowned, my protective instincts kicking in. Tessa had always watched out for Ellie; so had I, by extension.
Perhaps it was the thirteen-year age difference. Or maybe it was the fact that Ellie had been adopted by Gloria and Dan. But no matter what else was going on, Tessa had always looked out for her sister. Now it was up to me.
Between two kids, a hedgehog, and one crazy dog, didn’t I have enough to worry about?
Tessa’s blue eyes swam in my vision, and I sighed and turned to Gloria. “What happened?”
“Eleanor’s visa was revoked, and now she’s being deported.”
I jerked my head back. Holy shit. “Deported?”
“She’s losing her nanny job, her place at the university, and she won’t be able to finish her degree.” She shook her head. “On top of all that, she needs a place to live until she sorts herself out. Though who knows when—orif—that will ever happen,” she added under her breath.
The way Gloria talked about Ellie grated on me. I didn’t understand how she could be so callous and cruel to her own child. Ellie could never match up to Gloria’s exacting standards, and she’d never attempted to hide her disappointment.
The more she talked, the angrier I grew. Until I found myself blurting, “She can live with us.”
“Oh no, no, no.” Gloria frowned, though the movement was barely perceptible thanks to all the work she’d had done over the years. “You have enough going on without adding Eleanor’s circus.”
“But she’s been working as a nanny, right?” I asked, the idea taking shape in my mind. This was perfect—I would get some much-needed help with the kids, get Gloria off my back, and Maddox and Savannah would be thrilled. Win-win-win.
“Yes, but—”
“And you suggested I need help with the kids.” And I did—at least when they were out of school for the summer.
“True, but—”
“Then it’s settled.”
Gloria’s cheeks puffed out like a balloon before all the air leaked out of her in a slow, steady stream. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen her speechless. She was trapped, and she knew it.
