her shoulders rose in a quick shrug. She didn’t turn around.
“Hey, what?” Nell urged.
“I just don’t want either of you to get hurt,” Gwen muttered, her back still to Nell.
“We’re both big kids. We’re not going to hurt each other.”
“I still wish you hadn’t lied.”
“Well, it’s a little late to worry about that. Can we change the subject? You’re making me feel like I’m doing a bad thing.”
“Maybe you are.”
Nell drew in a deep breath and held it in, before releasing it slowly. “Yeah, I could’ve told him who I really was. He would’ve worked hard for us, I’m sure. And that would’ve been that.”
“Which would be a problem, how? Why wouldn’t he ask you out? You’re not acting any differently than you usually act.”
For a long moment Nell stared at her sister’s back, stunned. She really had no idea. “You seriously don’t know.”
Gwen swung around to face her again. “Know what? Why are you being so mysterious, Nell?”
“You really have no idea what school was like for me? I know you weren’t in high school with me, but you couldn’t see how miserable I was?”
Gwen didn’t reply, just looked confused.
Nell sighed again. “Eli’s friends were horrible to me in high school. I mean really, really horrible. His ex was even worse. You think he’d want anything to do with me if he knew my real name?”
“Eli? You’re not serious.”
Her sister’s shock surprised Nell. “Of course I’m serious. He was ‘Mr. Popularity.’ I was the fat kid. That bunch made every day hell for me.”
“I . . . Nell, I had no clue.”
Nell saw tears welling up in Gwen’s eyes. Wow, she truly didn’t know. “Come on, it’s not worth crying over,” she said gruffly. She didn’t want her sister to get all weird about it. “It was a long time ago. I’m over it. Actually, it made me what I am today. But that doesn’t change the fact that if he knew my real name, well . . . he sure wouldn’t be taking me out tonight or any other night. And there’d definitely be wouldn’t be any ‘playtime.’”
Gwen sighed and turned toward her daughter. “Autumn, go tell Daddy that dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”
The little girl nodded and jogged out of the dining room. Nell watched her go, wondering if Gwen sent her off because she didn’t want the child to witness the rant that was about to come.
But Gwen didn’t launch into a rant. She stirred the bubbling spaghetti and quietly stressed, “He’s not like that. If he was in high school, he’s not anymore. Seriously, he’s the nicest guy I know, next to Mark, of course. Maybe he was a jerk all those years ago, but he coaches for Special Olympics and, well, you’re going to have to take my word for it, Nell, he’s just a regular guy, a great dad, and he tried his hardest to be a good husband. This bully image just doesn’t fit him any longer. If you changed so much over the years, why couldn’t he?”
Nell sank into a chair at the table and fiddled with the napkins. “Guess that makes sense.” After all, he sure didn’t fit the ‘jerk’ category she’d expected. And as Gwen had stressed, he’d been blessedly regular. She hadn’t thought about it that way, and suddenly felt a little guilty.
But that didn’t mean she was ready to put aside her plans. Nice guy or not, she was still going her separate way at some point in the near future. Nothing was different.
“What’s done is done,” she told her sister and stood quickly. She took the spaghetti spoon out of Gwen’s hands. “Go relax. I’ll finish up.”
Throughout dinner Nell stayed quiet and caught Gwen giving her several covert glances while trying to maintain the semblance of a normal conversation with Mark. Nell didn’t taste much of the food because the more she thought about lying to Eli, the worse she felt. But she clung to knowing that after she finished up here, she’d have no reason to see him anymore. He’d move on and so
“Hey, what?” Nell urged.
“I just don’t want either of you to get hurt,” Gwen muttered, her back still to Nell.
“We’re both big kids. We’re not going to hurt each other.”
“I still wish you hadn’t lied.”
“Well, it’s a little late to worry about that. Can we change the subject? You’re making me feel like I’m doing a bad thing.”
“Maybe you are.”
Nell drew in a deep breath and held it in, before releasing it slowly. “Yeah, I could’ve told him who I really was. He would’ve worked hard for us, I’m sure. And that would’ve been that.”
“Which would be a problem, how? Why wouldn’t he ask you out? You’re not acting any differently than you usually act.”
For a long moment Nell stared at her sister’s back, stunned. She really had no idea. “You seriously don’t know.”
Gwen swung around to face her again. “Know what? Why are you being so mysterious, Nell?”
“You really have no idea what school was like for me? I know you weren’t in high school with me, but you couldn’t see how miserable I was?”
Gwen didn’t reply, just looked confused.
Nell sighed again. “Eli’s friends were horrible to me in high school. I mean really, really horrible. His ex was even worse. You think he’d want anything to do with me if he knew my real name?”
“Eli? You’re not serious.”
Her sister’s shock surprised Nell. “Of course I’m serious. He was ‘Mr. Popularity.’ I was the fat kid. That bunch made every day hell for me.”
“I . . . Nell, I had no clue.”
Nell saw tears welling up in Gwen’s eyes. Wow, she truly didn’t know. “Come on, it’s not worth crying over,” she said gruffly. She didn’t want her sister to get all weird about it. “It was a long time ago. I’m over it. Actually, it made me what I am today. But that doesn’t change the fact that if he knew my real name, well . . . he sure wouldn’t be taking me out tonight or any other night. And there’d definitely be wouldn’t be any ‘playtime.’”
Gwen sighed and turned toward her daughter. “Autumn, go tell Daddy that dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”
The little girl nodded and jogged out of the dining room. Nell watched her go, wondering if Gwen sent her off because she didn’t want the child to witness the rant that was about to come.
But Gwen didn’t launch into a rant. She stirred the bubbling spaghetti and quietly stressed, “He’s not like that. If he was in high school, he’s not anymore. Seriously, he’s the nicest guy I know, next to Mark, of course. Maybe he was a jerk all those years ago, but he coaches for Special Olympics and, well, you’re going to have to take my word for it, Nell, he’s just a regular guy, a great dad, and he tried his hardest to be a good husband. This bully image just doesn’t fit him any longer. If you changed so much over the years, why couldn’t he?”
Nell sank into a chair at the table and fiddled with the napkins. “Guess that makes sense.” After all, he sure didn’t fit the ‘jerk’ category she’d expected. And as Gwen had stressed, he’d been blessedly regular. She hadn’t thought about it that way, and suddenly felt a little guilty.
But that didn’t mean she was ready to put aside her plans. Nice guy or not, she was still going her separate way at some point in the near future. Nothing was different.
“What’s done is done,” she told her sister and stood quickly. She took the spaghetti spoon out of Gwen’s hands. “Go relax. I’ll finish up.”
Throughout dinner Nell stayed quiet and caught Gwen giving her several covert glances while trying to maintain the semblance of a normal conversation with Mark. Nell didn’t taste much of the food because the more she thought about lying to Eli, the worse she felt. But she clung to knowing that after she finished up here, she’d have no reason to see him anymore. He’d move on and so
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