Page 11 of The Bride
“Of course I’ve looked at her.”
“No, have youlookedat her. She’s growing up, Jake. She’s not an adult, but she’s not a girl either. Tall, thin, long brown hair, perky little breasts.”
I saw red. “Tell me you’re not suggesting that I would take advantage of an underage girl. Of Ellie.”
I could see her back up, but it was too late.
“You think that of me?” I asked her. “You think that’s who I am? Then what the fuck have you been doing with me for two years?”
She reached across the table to grab my hands, but I pulled them back out of her reach.
“Of course I know you’re not that guy. But think of the visual, Jake. You’re a strong attractive man, she’s growing into a beautiful young woman. You’ll be married, living together.”
“She’s like my fucking sister,” I snapped.
“But she’s not,” Janet said, gathering her purse. “People will talk.”
“I don’t give a shit what they say. You’ll know the truth. That’s all the matters.”
“I need to think about this,” she said, scooting out of the booth. “I love you, Jake. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with you, so I’m not ready to give up on us, but I need time to process this.”
I nodded. “That’s fair.” I needed time too. Time to think about what it meant that Janet was actually jealous of Ellie.
It was absurd and ridiculous. And wrong.
* * *
Iwalkedinto the house and made my way back toward the kitchen. Ellie was sitting on a stool at the center island, working on her laptop.
“Homework?” I asked. Because even after everything she’d been through, life still went on. She’d already missed a week of school and I knew her teachers had sent her some work to help her try and keep up.
She lifted her head and I tried tolookat her. Janet was right. I hadn’t really thought about Ellie in any particular way other than as Ellie. This girl who was in my life, who was part of my family.
She had grown up. And she was very pretty. Long honey-brown hair. She had her dad’s eyes. Dark blue. Her mom’s chin, a little pointy. She was taller than most girls in her class, which I knew she hated, because it also meant she was taller than a lot of the guys. She’d once informed me, as if it were a biological fact, that guys did NOT date girls taller than them.
Would people talk? I didn’t think so. Too many people knew our story. My dad dying, then her mom, now her dad. People would talk more if I let anything happen to her.
No, it didn’t matter that she’d turned into this young beautiful woman while I wasn’t looking. I knew me. I knew Ellie. I knew what we were to each other. Janet’s jealousy was unfounded.
Only now I had to worry about the guys who would eventually come sniffing around her.
“How did she take it?” she said, not answering my question.
“Not great.”
“Figured.”
I walked to the fridge and took out a beer that had been left over from the wake.
“Why did you figure?”
“Jake, she’s twenty-seven. Around here that’s almost ancient to be married. She’s waiting for you because you’re the best. Only now you told her she has waitanotheryear. You had to assume she was going to be upset. You shouldn’t be mad at her.”
“Why would I be mad at her?” I was.
“Because you think she should understand. You know, because I’m an… ugh… orphan. Except you made a choice to put me above her. That was going to hurt no matter what.”
When the hell had Ellie become so damn smart?
