Page 19 of Four Dates and A Forever
“Did you see how small his hands were?” Elsie whispered conspiratorially.
“Small hands don’t necessarily equate to a bad lover. Buster had small hands and his doodle was divine.”
Elsie put her hands over her ears. “La, la, la. I’m not listening.”
“You’re such a prude.”
“Who’s a prude?”
Elsie turned around and sighed when she saw Faye, dressed in navy palazzo pants with her hair down and flowing, held back with a polka-dotted colored scarf, looking ethereal and chic and sensuous, like Ingrid Bergman.Faye might dress as if she were from a 1960s movie set, but she didn’t look a day over forty and had the effortless beauty that gave her a Mrs.Robinson factor.
“I didn’t think you’d be here,” Elsie said, glaring at Harriet. Harriet shrugged her innocence.
“I couldn’t miss your first post-divorce date, could I?” Faye said. “I’m doing a video chat at seven, but until then I’m all yours.”
Faye hadn’t been all Elsie’s since she, well, ever. Faye was a renowned speaker and author on overachieving and was beloved by all. Except Elsie—she was holding a grudge that she couldn’t seem to let go of.
“How’s work?” Faye asked Harriet as though there wasn’t a giant elephant in the room that needed to personal-grow its ass right out the door.
“Last night I DJed a bachelor party, which is where I met Huey,” Harriet said, as if that were the perfect place to pick up a date for her granddaughter.
“You invited some stranger to family dinner?” Elsie asked.
Harriet pulled them in for a group hug. “Look at us, one big happy family.”
One big family. Happy? Elsie wasn’t so sure. Her mom had made sure that happy wasn’t an item on tonight’s menu.
Huey stepped back into the room with three beers in his tiny hands. Harriet cleared her throat in reprimand and that’s when Elsie realized she was staring.
“I am so excited about tonight,” Faye said, then introduced herself.
Huey nearly tripped over his own tongue. “Had I known we had another visitor I would have brought another beer,” he said, as if this were his house and he was greeting Blake Lively. “Let me go grab you a… ?”
“Gin and tonic would be lovely.”
“Gin and tonic it is.” He set Elsie’s beer, forgotten, on the coffee table and went to the small, well-stocked bar on the side of the room to make a gin and tonic like he was a bartender from the Ritz. “For you, beautiful.”
Elsie rolled her eyes, but Faye ate up the attention.
“Huey, would you be a dear and take a photo. Family dinners can be so rewarding,” Faye said.
His gaze snapped from Faye’s body to her eyes. “Absolutely.”
“Thank you.” Faye took off her headscarf and tousled her effortlessly tousled hair, then turned to Elsie and ran a hand to smooth down her curls, which rebelled and sprang every which direction like a bouquet of Slinkies. Faye pinched Elsie’s cheeks. “This is practice for when you’re famous.”
“The only thing I’m famous for is the most contentious divorce on this side of the continental divide.”
“You just wait. Your time will come. If you can believe it, you can achieve it.”
“Well, isn’t this a moment,” Elsie said, and Harriet pinched her thigh.
“None of that.” Harriet smiled and handed Huey her camera, then pulled Elsie to one side and Faye to the other.
Huey looked at the screen. “Hang on. Let’s shift a little. How about you sit on the arm of the couch,” he said to Faye. “And Elsie, why don’t you sit on the cushion with Harriet standing beside you both.” They all shifted, bumping into each other and when Elsie was seated, she realized she was partially blocked by her mother’s shoulder.
Faye struck a sultry pose and Huey snapped the photo. Harriet looked at the picture, beaming with pride. “My girls. Now, Huey, why don’t you help me set another place at the table, so these two can catch up.” Harriet leaned in. “You know the rules, no negative energy in my sanctuary.”
When they disappeared into the kitchen, Elsie whispered, “Why are you really here?”
