“Easy,” I mutter once more to her.
But the moment we cross the threshold and Lola enters our view, it’s hopeless.
“Oh my goodness.” My mom’s happiness is apparent asshe zeroes in on Lola. Elodie swings her gaze to my mother, unsure of what to do. “She looks just like you.”Lola looks up with her pony toy in hand and stares peculiarly at the woman.
Thankfully, my mom reins herself in, resisting the urge to dive talons-first and snatch time with her grandchild.
Clearing my throat, I gently tap her arm. “Uh, how about we get a drink in the kitchen?”
She looks over her shoulder at me and grasps my clue. It’s only when I lead her straight to the counter at the open kitchen that she pauses when she sets her purse on the stool. Blinking a few times, she finally notices Elodie. I make no mistake, and notice her giving Elodie the once-over, and Elodie smiles politely through the process.
“This is my mom, Colleen.”
“Hello, it’s great to finally meet you.”
My mom gives her a genuine smile. “Likewise.” She takes a few steps in Elodie’s direction. “So you are the one to give me a granddaughter.”
“That’s me.”She smiles nervously.
Oddly enough, I know better than to interfere; I brew tea and watch—quiet, calculating.
My mom glances at Lola, then back to Elodie. “There is a resemblance. Both, I mean, you and my son.”
“I think so.”
“My son is a good father?”
The way Elodie breaks out in a giant goofy grin weakens me. “He is amazing at it,”she gushes with pride.
“Would have been great if he were around from the beginning?—”
That’s my cue to intervene. “To make tea. Camomile is fine, right?”
“Lovely.” Everybody gives their attention to Lola, our princess, who will break the conversation if needed.
“I’m hungry. Bunnies hungry.”Lola speaks up as she stands.
“Her stuffed bunnies,” Elodie clarifies as she crouches down to wait for a tottering Lola.
“Dinner sounds good,” I say.
“Doesn’t it? We can really talk and get to know one another. I’m assuming you and my son missed that memo a while back when you first met,”my mother quips.
Elodie’s jaw goes slack, and I wince from that sudden turn. “Wow.”
She looks between us all. “I’m joking!” But she still mutters something under her breath.
Elodie and I ease but still might need an extra second to recover.
“We start from today, okay? We’ll have all evening to get to know one another and breakfast, too,” my mother adds.
“Oh, I won’t be here at breakfast. Lola will stay here tonight so you can have one-on-one time with her. I’m going home later,” Elodie explains. It’s a disappointment I already knew, but I also get it. We are in unknown romantic territory, and my mother’s presence adds an extra element. Elodie doesn’t live here and has the option to escape this overwhelming situation before tomorrow’s big dinner.
My mother begins her exaggerated cackle. “Really? You two are… Don’t feel the need to leave on my account. We are past the waiting-for-marriage part. I just assumed that you two are shari?—”
“Subtle,” I comment as I see Elodie’s face bloom red.A smile begins to etch on my face because, truthfully, as much as my mom is questionably witty today, it’s good to see. I haven’t seen her this way since before my dad passed.
Elodie begins to bounce Lola on her hip. “Okay, dinner for the princess.”She turns her attention to my mom. “I hopeyou don’t mind that we’re keeping it simple. She eats early, and we figured it’s better to stick to routine as everything is a lot. Maybe more for the adults than her. Don’t worry, the mac n’ cheese is for her, the orzo bake is in the oven is for us.”