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“I’m sorry, Luke.”
“What are you sorry for?”
Elle sighs.
“I feel bad for having brought you into this mess. You have enough to deal with without me and my crazy relatives.”
She does have a point, but I never thought about it like that. Everyone has problematic family members - myself included - so to bring family drama into a relationship isn’t unusual. I wish I could go to her and assure her that it’s going to be okay, but I’m on my way to a meeting. The bulldogs won’t be too happy if I don’t turn up when it was specially set up for me.
“I’ve got a mad mother, remember? Given what she’s doing, what your dad is up to seems to pale in comparison.”
“Is she still trying to set you up with your ex?” Elle asks.
“If she is, I haven’t heard anything about it since I kicked Hannah out of my building. She knows that she’s in serious trouble, so she’s keeping quiet.”
“Does that mean she’s lying in wait until you’ve calmed down?”
I wouldn’t be surprised if that is what she’s doing. I have heard from Hannah since she attempted to get into my apartment. She is pleading for us to get back together, and that she’s sorry for what she did. Given that Hannah’s low on money due to her excessive spending habits, she needs another cash cow. I am not going to be that. Hannah loves my money, not me.
Also, she’s not Elle. She can never compare.
“Mom will learn her lesson. Dad’s keeping an eye on her.”
“Will she accept us eventually?” Elle queries. “You said you’ve told her about Amy, and while I’m not comfortable being around her given her behavior, I do want her to know Amy.”
“I don’t know, but I am willing for her to meet Amy if she can behave herself and not do anything that makes you and Amy run away.” I hesitate. “That does require you telling Amy that I’m her dad, though. She will get confused if we just introduce my parents without an explanation beforehand.”
“I know. It’s not that easy to bring up in conversation.”
“The longer you leave it…”
“I know!” Elle snaps. “Listen, Grandma’s coming up today, and we’re going to take Amy to the park. I’ll tell her then.”
This should have been done a long time ago. However, I’m not about to get into it with Elle; it’s just going to strain things between us, and I don’t want that.
“Okay. I can come over later to help if you want.”
“I’ll let you know.” Elle sounds tired. “I’d better go. Grandma’s going to be here soon.”
“She’s going to be okay, is she? Given what your dad was doing last night…”
“Dad knows better than to go after Grandma. My family will rip him to shreds, and that’s after I’m done with him. He knows it.”
“Even so…”
“Don’t worry about her. Let me do that.” Elle is silent for a moment, but I can hear voices at the other end. “I’m off. Amy’s ready to leave for the park.”
“Okay. I’m going into a meeting shortly, so I’ll be unavailable for a bit.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve got everything covered.” Elle’s voice softens. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
I almost say ‘I love you’, but I hang up before I do get to say it. That is something I want to do in her presence, not over the phone. Checking my watch, I see that I’ve just about got enough time to get to the stadium for that meeting with the bulldogs. Marcus is joining me by a video link, so everything will be ready once I get there.
I’m leaving the coffee shop when I hear someone calling my name. Looking around, I don’t initially see anyone there. Then I see Ben coming towards me, striding angrily. His fists are clenched, and his expression is tight.
The last thing I need is to have a confrontation with this man, especially out in public. But I can tell he’s not going to walk away and leave me alone, so I wait for him to get to me.
