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“Why wouldn’t I come and visit my sister? And I was curious to see the place that’s caught your attention.”
Elena laughed. “I don’t know about that.”
“Oh, no? Every time we talk on the phone, I notice a change of tone in your voice. You’re sounding happier, less stressed.” Fleur picked up her drink and took a sip. “I thought you were enjoying your time in Wenstown.”
In a way, Elena was. She’d had some misgivings about the town at first — she had lived in cities all her life — but once she had settled down and gotten used to the slower way of life, she had found that it was better for her.
After going at an accelerated pace for a long time, it was a bit of a shock, admittedly. But it was also just what she needed. Sure, she was busy at work, but she actually had a life. She had time to herself to do whatever she wanted. For the first time in years, she had a proper social life.
That and you’ve got a guy to keep your attention. That hasn’t happened in a while.
“Well, I’ve had Mom blocked for a couple of months now,” Elena pointed out. “That’s helped my stress levels.”
“You’ve really had her blocked for that long?” Fleur whistled. “Yikes. At least I know now why she’s pestering me so much.”
“She’s turning her attention to you now?” Elena winced. “I’m sorry, Fleur. I didn’t want to do that to you.”
Fleur shrugged. “You don’t need to worry about me. I left Seattle as soon as I was able to get away from her, remember? Being in another state helps me ignore her better than you.” She peered at her sister over her coffee mug. “Although I was surprised that you didn’t make the move to leave until recently. She really focused her obsession of having a grandkid on you. I thought you were going to snap at some point.”
“I’m surprised that I didn’t.” Elena was getting the feeling back into her fingers with the heat from the mug. Soon, she would forget how cold it was outside. “But I had established myself in the city, and everything around me was familiar. I had a routine that I liked, and I didn’t want to lose it. Mom was an annoyance, but I could handle her.”
“And now she’s got nobody close to her to bother, and you’ve blocked her, she’s turning onto me.”
“Sorry.”
“Like I said, don’t be silly. She doesn’t know where I live, anyway, so I’m not scared about her turning up on my doorstep.” Fleur grinned, her eyes twinkling. “Mostly because I want to see the look on her face when I tell her that I’ve been with someone for three years and I never told her.”
Elena couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Fleur, you’re awful.”
“I know. She can complain all she likes, but it’s none of her business.”
“And you’re going to tell her Dad knew the whole time as well, aren’t you?”
“I’m not that sadistic.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Fleur winked. “Anyway, it’s her fault for pushing things we don’t want onto us. I just wanted to have something without her sticking her nose in. Having a relationship where I keep her at an arm’s length works great for me.”
Elena picked up her mug and took a sip, but the taste of the coffee made her grimace. It didn’t taste as good as it normally did. Then again, a lot of things she had consumed recently didn’t taste the same. She was probably coming down with a cold; with some of the players out of the team due to illness, she wouldn’t be surprised if she’d caught something from them.
“How does Mom not realize that what she’s doing has pushed us away?” Elena said. “I love her, but she’s becoming a nightmare. Being in the same room as her has me on edge. All I want is a loving relationship with her.”
“So do I. But Mom plays to the beat of her own drum. She always has.” Fleur sighed. “It’s best to leave her to it and realize things on her own. If she doesn’t figure out that we only have a superficial relationship with her because of her behavior, that’s on her.”
Elena knew her sister was right, but she still felt a little bad about it. It wasn’t easy to turn off feelings of love towards a parent, even if they were the ones wanting to make their children have an aneurysm. She took another sip of her coffee, and the taste wasn’t any better.
“Are you all right?” Fleur peered at her. “You’ve been making faces. Is the coffee okay?”
“Oh, there’s nothing wrong with it.” Elena managed a smile. “I’m probably just under the weather. Everything tastes odd lately.”
“I see.” Fleur didn’t look like she believed Elena, but she didn’t push it. “So, where are we going to have Thanksgiving? Dad said he was happy to go wherever we wanted him. Do you want to do it here?”
“It might be best. I’ve got to get back to work immediately after, and I don’t want to spend more of my time traveling.”
“What about me? I’ll be doing the same.”
“You know what I mean, Fleur.”
