Jim watched as she reached out to her father and said, “Sir. Nice to meet you. I hope you had a good flight.”
“Please. Call me Tim,” his father said, surprising him slightly.
Elle smiled, then turned to face his mother. “Ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Patrice, honey,” she said, as she pulled Elle into a hug.
Who in the hell are these people and what have they done with my parents, Jim asked himself. He’d expected impeccable politeness and zero warmth. This was just confusing.
An hour later, they pulled into Jim’s driveway. The car ride had been filled with chatter. Elle had asked his mother about her charity work. That had easily filled up forty minutes of drive time. There was nothing his mother liked more than to talk about herself.
Sighing inwardly, he realized that he probably wasn’t being fair. She’d been on her best behavior so far. She’d been nicer to them both than she’d been to him in a long time. Maybe he wasn’t giving her enough credit.
Once his parents had settled in, they moved out to sit under the pergola on his back deck. They each had a glass of lemonade. They chatted about mindless things for a while, until his father finally broached the subject of the baby.
Looking at them both, he said, “So I understand congratulations are in order.”
They had both responded with somewhat sheepish nods.
His father grinned and said, “When should I expect to become a grandfather?”
“They’re saying it could be a Christmas baby,” Jim said, unable to suppress the grin on his face.
He saw the look on his father’s face soften slightly as he asked, “Wouldn’t that be something?” as he looked over at his wife.
As the afternoon went on, they continued to discuss the baby. Both of his parents seemed to be taking everything in stride. They seemed to be asking questions more out of curiosity and interest, than any desire to judge. This was definitely a new experience for Jim.
Looking over at Elle, he saw that she was relaxed now. She chatted easily with his mother. His mother actually seemed to be enjoying herself. Smiling, he made a mental note to call her the Patrice Whisperer at first opportunity.
He hadn’t gone into things with Elle because he wasn’t particularly proud of his lacking relationship with his parents. Based on today’s events, you wouldn’t be able to tell there was much of a rift between them. Hopefully this was a sign of better things to come in the future.
Turning his attention back to his father, they continued to discuss work. He listened while he talked about his practice. He’d apparently opened another office in the next town over. He worked harder than anyone he’d ever met. Between the other offices and his other obligations, he wasn’t sure when his dad slept.
When he voiced that opinion, his father had just laughed and said, “I’ve been known to nap during lunch.”
They ended up having some of Elle’s lasagna for dinner. It was even better on the second day. They’d all sat around the table in the kitchen. It was a refreshing change, but he was still slightly worried that this was for show.
Around eight that night, Elle got ready to head home. He walked her to her car and asked, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Jim’s father had asked to go to one of the theme parks in town tomorrow. Elle had begged off, which he acknowledged was probably for the best, considering she couldn’t ride any of the rides. That would be something he’d love to do with her in the future though.
Elle nodded, and said, “Absolutely. Call me when you’re making your way back in to town. I can cook something if you like?”
“I probably won’t ever say no to that, but don’t feel like you have to, honey. I can throw something together when we get back.”
“Uh, you’re probably going to be exhausted. Do they like chili?”
“Yeah,” he said, “I think so.”
“Green chili with chicken it is.”
“You’re the best, Elle,” Jim said, putting his arms around her.
Grinning up at him, she said, “Damn right. Now kiss me. I’ve been wanting your lips on mine all afternoon.”
“So demanding,” he teased as he lowered his lips to hers. He nibbled at her lips gently for a moment, then regretfully raised his head.
“I should get back inside,” he said. “I bet my parents are both out for the count. It’s almost midnight, their time. Call me when you get home?”