Page 117 of Whiskey Wednesdays

We put our luggage away, and Connor gave me a tour. Elodie followed us until we got to her bedroom. The room was painted a soft blush color, and the furnishings were tasteful and white. It looked like Connor had hired a talented interior decorator to furnish and decorate it.

“Hello bed, hello stuffed animals. Hello chair. I missed you.” She walked around the room and greeted her things.

That evening, we ordered gourmet pizza and watched a little TV, then called it an early night. Connor did some work in his office, and I was fast asleep when he finally came to bed.

The next morning, Connor let me know that Elodie’s aunt, Geneviève, planned to pick her up to go see her Mémé.

“Doesn’t Amelia live with her?” I asked.

“Yeah, but Geneviève isn’t anything like Amelia. And Elodie adores her.”

Connor worked in his home office most of the morning, so I did Elodie’s hair. She asked for braids, so that’s what I gave her.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later, and Elodie ran to unlock it while I waited behind her. The woman on the doorstep wore stylish cold-weather clothes. She was tall and lean, and gave me a penetrating look.

Then she smiled down at Elodie and opened her arms for a hug. “There’s my favorite niece. I missed you, bug.”

“Aunt Genny!” Elodie cried. “Where have you been? I missed you too.” She wrapped her arms around the woman’s waist and squeezed.

I smiled, but my heart clenched a little. Connor and Elodie had a life here, with friends and family who loved Elodie.

The woman patted Elodie’s back. “I’ve missed you too.” She glanced at me, and her eyes cooled. Straightening, she looked me up and down.

Connor walked into the foyer. “Hey, Gen. Thanks for taking Elodie to see Mémé.”

Geneviève smiled and kissed Connor on the cheek. “It’s no problem. I’m happy to spend time with her. How are you doing?”

“We’re good. How about you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, you know. Mémé is looking forward to seeing Elodie. Is it alright if I take her to lunch, and maybe over to my house afterward?”

Connor tensed. “Lunch is fine, but bring her home after that.”

He hadn’t introduced me, and I thought he might want some privacy.

“I’ll grab Ellie’s coat.” I looked at Geneviève and was about to say it was nice to meet her, but I hadn’t officially met her, so I just lifted my hand. “I’m Isabella Cruz, by the way.” I glanced at Connor, then quickly walked down the hall.

Elodie ran after me and grabbed my hand. “Do you want to go with us?” she asked tentatively.

For the first time since I arrived in Vancouver, I smiled. “Thank you for inviting me. But I think your dad just wants youto spend time with your aunt and see your Mémé. But I’ll be here when you get back.”

Elodie walked with me to her room to grab her coat. I hugged her and sent her back alone. Heading to the kitchen, I poured myself another cup of coffee, and sat down at the kitchen bar.

Connor walked in a few minutes later, his brows furrowed. “You didn’t come back.”

Setting my phone down, I studied him. “You didn’t introduce me. I got the feeling you wanted some privacy.”

He rubbed his neck. “She’s a good aunt, but she can be a bitch sometimes. I’ll make sure I introduce you from now on.”

I nodded jerkily. “It didn’t seem like you were happy about having Elodie go home with her.”

“If Amelia is at her house, then fuck no. The custody arrangement states supervised visitation with an approved adult present. So far, that’s a professional supervisor or me.”

“That makes sense.”

He studied me. “I have a few things I need to take care of while I’m here. Will you stay here and be home for Elodie if she gets back before me?”

I kept my shoulders relaxed and my face neutral, but I felt out of sorts and anxious here. “Sure. I can work on my clinical writeups.”

---