Walk the Line (Man of the Month 12)

"You'll see him coming and going," Selma said.

"And you can ask Faith about him," Hannah added.

Elena paused on the way back to the fridge to gape at her friend. "I am not hitting up a five-year-old for information on the guy I'm crushing on."

Hanna and Selma exchanged significant glances. "At least she's admitting the crush," Hannah said.

"I never denied it. You guys are just pulling my chain now."

"Maybe a little," Hannah admitted.

"Well, stop it. I'm already stressed out enough simply from the idea of working that close to him."

"Except he won't be there," Selma pointed out. "Well, he'll be there at night when he comes home, and who knows where that might lead?"

She broke into a laugh, and Elena could only shake her head. "You're both terrible friends," she said.

"Nah, you love us," Selma said.

"Actually, I wonder if that's what Jenna was thinking."

Elena turned toward Hannah with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you know how she likes to play matchmaker. And she had to know that Brent would be coming home late. Maybe even wanting a drink before he goes to sleep. Oh, the possibilities..."

Elena frowned as she put an entire stick of butter into the skillet and turned the heat on low. "No way. Besides, why would she? You said I'm not that obvious, and Brent's not even interested."

Selma started humming under her breath as Elena diced the onion and peppers. "Maybe he is. If anyone would know, Jenna and Reece would. They're total besties."

Just the though

t caused butterflies to do aerial acrobatics in Elena's stomach. "I'm going to burn the butter. Give it a rest, you two." She cast a stern look in both their directions, then used the edge of the knife to slide the onions and peppers into the hot, liquid butter. The mixture sizzled, and she breathed in the enticing aroma as she used a wooden spoon to stir the mix.

"What's going on with Easton and your parents?" she asked Hannah, mostly to change the subject. "And Selma, can you grate the cheese?"

Hannah scrunched up her nose as Selma moved around the bar. "They finally turned the money over to me."

"That's fantastic," Selma said, looking up from where she was rummaging in the fridge. "Matthew didn't tell me. The jerk. And, I'm sorry. I know they're your parents, but my brother is the nicest, most awesome guy in the world--except when he's being a jerk, and you and I are the only ones allowed to think that. And your parents are such total--"

"Selma." Elena cut her friend off with a sharp word as she cracked the twelfth egg into a bowl, then gave the onions another quick stir.

Elena totally agreed that Hannah's mom and stepfather had been vile in the way they'd treated her. Years ago, her birth father had died, earmarking a significant chunk of money for Hannah. But her mom remarried, and Hannah's stepfather later refused to give her the money. Elena didn't know the whole story, but she did know that it came to a head when Hannah fell in love with Matthew Herrington, a high school dropout who had made a success of himself by opening and running a series of popular gyms in the Austin area.

That kind of success wasn't good enough for Hannah's stepfather. Or, apparently, her mom.

"Easton threatened to sue," Hannah said, referring to Selma's fiance and Hannah's law partner. "Of course, I have no case. My real dad named my mom as the beneficiary and only said he wanted it to go to me in some notes he left her. But since my stepfather is so concerned about his reputation in the business world, he caved. We agreed not to sue or talk to the media. He handed over the funds."

"And you and your mom?" Elena asked. She stirred the eggs, then signaled for Selma to bring over the cheese when she was done.

Hannah shrugged. "My family's here." She shot Selma a quick smile, then broadened it when she looked to Elena. "Matthew and you two and everybody at The Fix. And Shelby and my other friends from my old job." She lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. "It's all good."

"And now you have the money for the law firm, right?" Elena asked. She remembered one night over drinks where Hannah had said that she wanted to use the money her dad left her to help finance the law firm that she and Easton recently opened.

"Still debating," Hannah said. "That was the original plan, but now the money just seems icky. I've got it in a money market until I decide. But that's definitely up there on the list. Of course, so are a vacation to Australia and some home renovations. So I guess we'll see."

"Well, it's a good problem to have." Elena hesitated, but then focused on adding the cheese to the eggs as she asked, "And you and your mom?"

"Yeah, right now I'd have to say that there is no me and my mom. But I'm okay with that. Not every problem gets solved and wrapped up with a silver bow. But I know that I have the money my dad wanted me to have. And that makes me happy."