She waves. “Hey, you made it. Was traffic bad?”
“Not really,” I say, sitting across from her. I smile, hoping she can’t sense the tension from my meeting with Dennis less than half an hour ago. “I had to be downtown anyway.”
“Well, then. Perfect.” Her brown eyes warm. “You look good.”
“So do you.”
“I’m relieved.”
“Oh?”
“I was worried about you and your sister after Tiffany dumped champagne into the punch.” The corners of her mouth turn down. “None of us had any idea she’d do anything like that. If I had, I would’ve kept an eye on her.”
Elizabeth’s words stun me. It’s the last thing I expected her to say when she asked me to meet. “Oh. Well, um… Don’t worry about it. I was the hostess, so that should’ve been my job.” I think. I really don’t know much about high society protocol.
“But she’s our stepmother.” Elizabeth sighs. “Sorry. It’s a little embarrassing.”
“Please, don’t. I’m the one who owes you an apology.”
“For what?”
“The scene.” I flush. “I should’ve controlled myself better.”
“You absolutely did not overreact. I would’ve done exactly the same. Maybe worse.”
Her voice is so understanding, it almost brings tears to my eyes. “Thank you. I’m so relieved you feel that way.”
“Oh, it isn’t just me. You should’ve heard Ryder and Blake talking about it.”
The tight knot in my chest eases. I’m absurdly grateful for her kindness. No wonder Elliot is so sweet with her. You’d have to enjoy running over ducklings to be mean to someone like her. “I’m actually thinking about redoing the dinner.”
“Really?” She blinks. “Are you sure?”
“Well, yeah. I mean…” I clear my throat. “It’s a good way for us to get to know each other, right?”
“I see. Is this your idea or Elliot’s?”
“Mine. I haven’t talked to him about it.”
“Mmm. You know, you should do what makes you feel comfortable. Don’t try to act a certain way just for him or us. You guys could have the dinner at a restaurant rather than trying to do everything at home. All of us would be perfectly content with that.”
“I just thought…” I focus on the steam rising from my tea. “It was supposed to be sort of like a post-wedding reception because, you know…we never had a real, like, wedding wedding.”
“Right.”
I squirm. “And I wanted it to be perfect.”
“Of course.” Elizabeth reaches over and squeezes my hand. The gesture is gentle, yet so unexpected I almost flinch.
“If you like, I’d be happy to help you plan it,” she continues in that same soothing tone, the smile never leaving her face. “I forgot about your not having a proper ceremony.” She shakes her head slightly. “I’m sure this whole situation wasn’t like anything you imagined. Elliot can be a bit…obtuse sometimes, but he means well. He’ll do his best to be a good husband for as long as it lasts, Gigi.”
My skin crawls at the name. Maybe it’s seeing how hiding his identity has come back to bite Dennis in the butt, or maybe it’s because I’m feeling like a fraud. Elizabeth is so sincere that I can’t bring myself to let her go on, for her not to know who I really am. “Elizabeth…that’s not my name. It’s really Annabelle. Annabelle Key.”
“Oh. I thought… Did I mishear at La Mer?”
“No. It’s just…Elliot decided he’d rather call me Gigi.”
“He’d rather—? Lord in heaven, what is he thinking?”