Page 26 of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
“Define ‘normal.’ ”
“No waitresses or supermarket cashiers or farmers, you know what I mean, honest jobs. Jobs you graft at.”
“Oh my god, you sound like my dad!Youare an inverted snob, my friend,” said Nory. “Let me just stop you in your bullshit tracks right now.”
“I don’t see that,” Isaac blustered, clearly a little deflated at being called out on his workingman spiel. The old rough-diamond routine might work on the usual female guests at the castle, but it didn’t wash with Nory. She’d been raised by Jake Noel; he’d practically written the inverted-snobs rulebook.
“You assume that because their labor isn’t manual it doesn’t count. That’s inverted snobbery. I should know, I’ve been dealing with it on one side or the other for most of my life. Graft comes in many forms, you know. My friends work bloody hard, all of them. You don’t get to belittle them because they don’t go home with mud beneath their fingernails!”
“Okay, okay!” Isaac held his hands up in surrender but then added, “You were obviously brainwashed by the Braddon-Hartmead education system.”
“I was not brainwashed! I can think perfectly well for myself, thank you very much, and I probably have a much more rounded view of things than someone who has spent their life nursing the giant chip on their shoulder.”
Nory began to walk away. She had enough of this shit from Thomas, she didn’t need it from Isaac as well. Maybe she was being oversensitive, but she didn’t care. Start as you mean to go on was—after many failed relationships—her motto.
“Nory, wait. Please.” He caught up with her beside a row of sprout trees. “I’m sorry. I was joking. Kind of. I guess old prejudices die hard. I don’t really mean it.”
Nory stopped.
“I don’t think I mean it,” he added.
Nory began walking again.
“All right, all right. I don’t. It’s just a reflex left over from an old habit. When you grow up in the shadow of people who look down on you, you learn to mirror back their casual disregard. But contrary to my statements of seconds ago, I am more worldly than I look. I was an academic, for god’s sake. And I don’t think anyone would stand a chance in hell of brainwashing you, Elinor Noel.”
He smiled at her, and Nory felt her anger dissipate.
“But youdidused to chuck mud at me.” He grinned.
“You started it!” She laughed. “And Imaybe a bit touchy about the whole private-school thing. Being back here with everyone... trying to find my place in the dynamic. I guess you’re right: Old habits do die hard.”
They stood, appraising each other as the seconds ticked past. The look in his eyes told her that Isaac didn’t see her as his mate’s annoying kid sister anymore—not the kid part, at any rate.
“Nory!” Her mum’s voice cut through the tension between them. She was standing at the garden gate. “Come on, my girl, I’ve crumpets under the grill. Get in here and let me squeeze you! Hi, Isaac, do you want to come in for a cuppa?”
“Hi, Sasha, no thanks, I’ve got to get on. Is Thom in the office?”
“Yes, love, number-crunching as usual. Go on over.”
“Thanks.” He looked down at Nory. “I’ll see you later?”
“I expect you will.”
“Maybe your admirer will chase you back into my cottage,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“Maybe I won’t need to be chased.”
“There’s a mug of cocoa with your name on it if you find yourself in my neck of the woods.”
“Good to know,” said Nory, smiling.
“Your crumpets are burning!” her mum shouted.
Isaac laughed. “You’d better go.”
“I’ll see you,” she said, and walked through the gate, turning once and feeling intensely pleased to find Isaac still looking after her.
Ten
