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“You care.” She says softly. A fellow donor in the distance smiles and waves so I wave back. When I bring my hand down, Eleanna grabs it. I don’t pull away, thanks to significant effort on my part. Maybe she thinks this is fine because I did it with Gracie. She’s mistaken. Still, I’m supposed to propose soon. I should probably try to hide how much I hate this whole thing.
But fuck.
It’s terribly weird to be touched this much in one day. And damn, her hands are cold. And tiny. She looks down tenderly at where our fingers are joined which is almost enough for me to recoil, but then she smiles at that same suited joker eyeing us. “About the kids. About this facility for them. You care a bit.” I shrug, unsure how to answer that. “So, not totally without a soul, then.” She says with a little fake laugh, looking as though we’re talking about sunshine and daffodils. Hell, she’s good. “I can work with that.”
“An hour of ice cream and toddlers doesn’t change what I said,sweetheart.” I say through a smile. “This is just a financial transaction.”
“Hi, Mister!” A child calls from the swings.
“Hey, buddy!” I call back, using his greeting as an excuse to drop Eleanna’s hand and wave. She waves too, then casually wraps her arms around my bicep, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. It’s absolutely not. At least she’s not touching my skin, but still, I want to pull away. But there are cameras on us. And a group of people waiting for us at the curb.
“Smile at that one,” I mutter. “He’s here from Washington.”
“Which one?” She whispers, looking up at me eagerly.
“The one that looks like the fucking Monopoly man.”
She laughs and follows my line of sight. “Um, you’re way off. He doesn’t have a top hat.” She says, her smile intact.
“You knew who the hell I was talking about.” I say, trying not to chuckle at her. She winks at him, and something stirs in me. Respect, I guess. Because the woman can keep up with me. All day long, smile for stupid, plastic smile.
We’re thanked again and again for coming. Hugs, handshakes, cheek kisses…Eleanna’s persona never falters.
“I wish you could stay longerrrrr,” Gracie whines.
“The senator needs a beauty nap, Gracie. See how pretty he is? And he gets sooo grumpy without it,” Eleanna answers swiftly.
The girl gasps. “Oh! Dat happens to me too!” And all the adults laugh like Eleanna is a damn stand-up comic. We wave and smile as Ric opens our door.
“Thank you all, bye now!” I say with my widest warmest smile before climbing in the car. As soon as the door shuts, I dissolve into my true self. Ric knows me and now Eleanna does too, so what’s the point in keeping up the smirk?
Apparently, my betrothed disagrees. She is still smiling as we drive away.
“The windows are tinted.” I let her know.
“I know.” She says, turning to look out the front. She still looks so poised, regal even. It’s infuriating. She sighs. “All I was saying is since you do have a soul in there, surely you can agree that the arrangement doesn’t have to be hell. We can find a rhythm, become friends.”
“Becoming friendswouldbe hell.” I spit, and finally her happy veneer fades. Good.
After a few minutes of silence, guilt nags at me. This woman is not her father nor her uncle. Is her life paid for by corruption and death? Yes. But did she really have a choice? None of us choose who we’re born to, who raises us. And right now, does she need to accept her reality? Yes. Do I have to be a monster to achieve that? No.
“Next week, we have that auction.” I offer.
“No, thank you,” she says lightly.
“You don’t want to go?”
“Of course, I don’t want to go,” she chuckles. “Doyouwant to go to that?”
I snicker a tiny bit, genuinely, surprising myself. Not many people make me laugh a real laugh. All my chuckles and knee slap reactions are rehearsed, planned, and perfectly timed. Except, that’s the third time she’s done that to me. “No, I don’t. But I should make an appearance.”
“Donate extra instead.” She turns away and mutters. “And heaven knows you don’t need more photo ops.”
“Well, I’m back in town, so—“
“Take me to dinner. Not a date. Just a way to really talk to each other without being interrupted every few seconds. Not even as friends,” She adds quickly before I can talk over her. “Just so we can discuss our terms. A normal dinner.”
I study her. “You and I aren’t the type of people who can have a normal dinner.”
