“I didn’t do any such thing. Now if you’ll excuse us,” Elli said, turning the other way, but Victoria kept at her.

“Mom says she will make you talk to her. She wants to meet ‘Shea Adler’,” she said, making air quotations around Shea’s name.

“You would die if she showed up with him, huh?” Harper asked, “Shit, El, you might have to do it, just to rid us of Vicky here.”

Elli giggled as she pulled out a dress. It was a black tube dress that was tight all over except for the pretty eyelet lace sleeves.

“This is it, Harp,” Elli said, handing her the dress. Harper had a small smile on her face as she nodded.

“It is,” she agreed. She picked out her size and pushed right past Victoria.

“You’re not really dating Shea Adler, so just drop the act, Elli.”

“If I’m not dating him, then why are you still entertaining the thought? Just let it go,” Elli said simply, “Harp, I’ll be in the truck.”

“Sure, babe.” Elli walked past her sister and out of the store. She hated being around Victoria. She was like a poison or something, she was so damn toxic. No matter how much Elli wished she had Victoria’s confidence, she would never wish to have her values and morals. Elli got into the truck, pulling out her phone to text Shea.

You’re real right?

I think so. He texted back, which made her smile. Why?

Just needed to make sure, we’re really dating too?

Oh yeah, we are. Hey, can you do dinner with me and my sister’s family Sunday?

Sure, I would love to.

Awesome, I can’t wait to see you tonight.

Me either.

Elli smiled to herself.

Yes, she was dating Shea Adler, and he couldn’t wait to see her.

Later that afternoon, as Elli was finishing up with an edit on a family shoot, the business line rang. She picked it up with her regular greeting, and then froze in a cringe as her mother’s voice rang over the line.

“Eleanor Ray! I have been trying to get a hold of you for weeks! You left me no choice but to call you at your so called work!”

“Oh, Mother, and you wonder why I ignore your calls. I’m busy working, are you dying?”

“No.”

“Okay, so I’ll talk to you later.”

“You hang up on me, and I will tell your father!” Olivia warned. Darn it, her dad would be so mad at Elli, that’s why she usually just ignored the calls. Elli talked to her father at least once a week. She loved her daddy, but that was probably because he wasn’t crazy like the rest of the family.

“Fine, Mother, I have four minutes before my next appointment comes in. What do you need?”

“I need to meet your boyfriend!”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Mom.”

“So you are making out with random men at the park, in front of my grandchildren?”

“He wasn’t random, Mom. He was just a friend.”

“What, are you a trollop!?”

“For the love of God,” Elli muttered, putting her face in her hand, “Mom, he’s a guy I’m dating right now.”

“What’s his name?”

“Shea.”

“Shea, as in hockey player Shea? The one that covers the walls of that small house you own?”

And people wondered why Elli didn’t answer her mother’s calls.

“Yes, Mom.”

“Victoria says there’s no way.”

“Victoria is a bitch, and I’m not going to defend myself. Believe it or not, I don’t care what you guys think.”

“Such language. Bring him to the house for dinner.”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I subject Shea to you people.”

“Eleanor Ray! You will bring him to dinner. He is the first guy I have heard of since Justin.”

“There’s a reason for that,” Elli commented as she fixed a red spot on the baby’s face in the picture.

“I don’t really like family dinners with you people.”

“Eleanor, you heard me. Dinner, next month, since this month’s was cancelled.”

“Mom, I don’t even know if this will last past this week. Plus, if it does, I don’t know if he’ll be in town,” Elli said.

“Find out and give me a date that he will be in town, sometime next month. You have until next Sunday to give me an answer Eleanor, dear. Or I will get your father on you!”

“Okay, Mom.” Elli sneered. She was not happy and her mother would know it.

“I’m pretty sure I can convince him to drop you from the will.”

“Whatever, Dad loves me more than you, and he wouldn’t do that to me. He would just be mad at me, and you’re lucky that I don’t want that.”

“Whatever you say, darling, love you. Tootles!”

The line went dead and Elli closed her eyes. That woman drove her bat shit crazy just as her sister did. Hell, her whole family did, except for her daddy and the kids; they were the only normal ones. Elli knew she could always call and beg her dad not to make her do it, but then he would want to meet Shea. There was no telling how that would go, since the last time he saw Justin he had pulled a shotgun on him.

Well, hells bells.

“So, killer,” Elli looked up to see Harper leaning against the doorframe. “How was last night? You seem extra happy this morning.”

“It was nice, I guess.”