Page 41 of Baby I'm Yours

“Have a good night! And great to meet you Elaina, don’t be a stranger,” Abe says, beaming as we head toward the elevator bank.

Once the doors close behind us, Elaina whispers, “Don’t worry. I know you’re actually a very bad man. I haven’t forgotten.”

I narrow my eyes her way. “Are you patronizing me, Ms. Murphy?”

She blinks innocently. “Me? Never. Wouldn’t dream of it, Mr. M.” The doors open on the fifth floor, and we start down the hall, Elaina smoothing the front of her dress as we walk. At my mother’s door, she pulls in a deeper breath, letting it out slow. “Okay, I’m ready. We’re in love. You’re the best. And I’m determined to make a good impression on your mother. I’ve got this.”

Before I can assure her that she does indeed have it, the door opens, revealing my mother in the doorway. She’s thinner than the last time I saw her ten days ago, I notice with a pang, but she’s wearing her favorite peach pantsuit, and her green eyes are bright with anticipation.

“Welcome, welcome!” She smiles at Elaina as she extends an arm my way. I bend down to give her the usual, gentle hug, conscious as I always am these days of how fragile she’s become.

When I pull away, I motion to Elaina. “Mom, this is Elaina, my friend from Maine. Elaina, this is Margaret, my mother.”

“So great to meet you Mrs. Mendelssohn,” Elaina says, her smile warm and genuine. “Thank you so much for having me.”

“Please, call me Margaret. Mendelssohn is such a mouthful.” My mother loops her arm through Elaina’s, leading her inside.“Now tell me all about yourself and how you met my boy. I want to hear everything.”

As we move into the small dining room off the kitchen, where I used to do homework after school, Elaina fills Mom in on our agreed backstory. How we met while I was in Sea Breeze for business last year, formed an instant connection, and have been dating ever since, dealing with the distance between us as best we could until we decided we were ready to take the next step and move in together.

I serve the soup course from the covered pot in the center of the table as Mom settles into her chair. “How exciting. And such a big change of pace for you. How long were you in Maine? What does your family think about this move to the big city?”

“I lived in Sea Breeze my entire life actually. It was just me and my mom, growing up, but we had a lot of support from our friends in town,” Elaina says, thanking me for the bowl I set before her before continuing, “but I don’t have family in Maine anymore. My mother passed away recently.”

My mother’s expression softens. “I’m so sorry to hear that. That must have been hard.”

“It was.” Elaina’s voice hitches slightly, making my chest tighten. “It still is. I’ll always miss her.” She glances my way, her eyes shining. “But I know she’d be so happy that I’ve found someone like Hunter. Someone who really sees me and supports me and makes me feel so special.”

Damn, she’s good…so good I’d believe her myself if I didn’t know better.

I reach out, taking her hand and holding it for a beat, hoping I’m doing half as good a job as looking ridiculously in love.

“I’m sure she would.” Mom sounds surprised, but pleasantly so, and when I glance her way, she’s beaming. “I’m so happy for you both. I see great things ahead for the two of you.” She sighs as she sets her soup spoon down, clearly finished though she’sbarely taken five bites. “So, what can I do to ease your transition to city life, Elaina? I know what a big change that can be. We lived in the country on a farm before we moved here when Hunter was in junior high.”

Elaina swallows, running her tongue across her lips as she reaches for her napkin. “Itisa big change. But I like it. I just don’t know what to do with myself. It’s my first time without a job since I was fifteen. I own a café in Sea Breeze, but I haven’t sorted out what to do with myself here in the city just yet.”

Mom nods, casting a quick smile my way as I collect the soup bowls. “Thanks, honey, the ribs are in the oven. I left them in there to stay warm. And the carrots and potatoes are on the stove. You just need to give them a stir before you serve.”

Elaina pushes her chair back. “Let me help serve, I?—”

“Don’t be ridiculous, dear,” Mom cuts in. “Stay right where you are. We need to visit, and Hunter needs to remember how to use his hands. He has so much hired help, I sometimes worry he’ll forget how to wipe his own bottom.”

I arch a wry brow at the women as they laugh. “My cleaning company doesn’t offer that service at the moment, but you never know…”

Leaving them laughing, I head into the kitchen to assemble our plates, feeling good about the visit, thus far.

Good and…horrible.

My mother is so happy, which is exactly what I wanted. And it’s all a lie, which is troubling me more than I expected.

Reminding myself that her happiness is what matters most, I return to the dining room with our plates in time to hear Mom extolling on the benefits of going back to school. “I didn’t get my paralegal license until I was thirty-five, but I still had time for a wonderful career. And the bump in income changed my life.”

“I actually never went to college in the first place,” Elaina says, looking a little embarrassed by the confession. “I openedmy business right after high school. I had a little inheritance and I just…jumped right in. I was too young and stupid to know what a gamble it was.”

“But it paid off,” I add before turning to Mom. “And she’s done very well for herself. She has excellent business instincts.”

Mom nods. “That’s wonderful. Then a new business maybe? What are your interests?”

“Well, I obviously love baking, but I don’t think another café is in my future,” Elaina says. “I’ve had enough of getting up at five a.m. to make scones. I’m okay with that part of my life being over for now.”

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