Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(104)

Elli really should have rethought the heels, yes, they were super beautiful, but her feet already hurt, and it was just the beginning of the night. As they made their way up the walkway to the door, Shea held Elli’s hand, running his thumb along the back of her hand. She was starting to think he was lying about not being nervous.

The door opened before they even reached it, and Grace stood with her hands on her hips.

“I mean people around here do like to eat,” she said with a huff.

“Be quiet; we’re what, fifteen minutes late?” Shea said, kissing her cheek before pulling Elli past her and into the house. He let go of her hand when who she guessed was his dad came into the room, with grin on his face that was as big as Shea’s. “Hey, Dad!” Shea said wrapping his arms around his dad, giving him a back slapping hug before pulling back. Shea reached for Elli and she came willingly to his side, smiling up at his dad.

“Dad, this is Elli, this is my dad, Mark.” Elli held out her hand, and Mark took it eagerly, grinning ear to ear at her. Mark was a good looking man, tall like Shea, not thick but not skinny, he was a good healthy size. Shea and Grace must have gotten their nose and eyes from Mark, since his eyes were the exact same color as Mark’s.

“Hey, how are you?” she asked with a nervous grin, Mark started laughing, looking over at Shea.

“You weren’t kidding about the country accent, it’s thick,” he looked back at Elli as she turned deep red, “I’m fine, thank you, and you?”

“Good, thank you.”

“It's about damn time!” Elli turned to see Shea’s mother coming in the room. Elli had remembered Shea saying that people thought she was Grace’s sister instead of her mother, and it was the truth. She didn’t look a day over thirty. When she set her eyes on Elli, she grinned so fully that Elli thought she was gonna be blinded by the whites of her teeth. “Well, hello! I’m Jenna Adler, you must be Elli.” Elli nodded as Jenna took her hand in hers, shaking it slowly, looking Elli over.

“Yes, ma’am I am, it’s nice to meet you.”

Jenna grinned widely up at Shea, and Elli saw where Shea got the one dimple from. Jenna had hers on the exact same cheeks as he did, and it made Elli smile.

“Shea told us you were Southern, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so thick, I like it, though.” She added quickly.

Elli smiled, “Yes ma’am, I’m country to the core.”

Shea smiled, wrapping his arm around Elli, “I love her accent.”

Both his parents beamed and Elli looked up at him, biting her lip. He smiled down at her, before bring his finger to her lip, pushing it out of the hold her teeth had it in.

“Obviously, can we eat?” Grace said. Shea looked over at her, glaring.

“Grace, what’s your deal?”

“I’m freaking hungry!”

“Obviously. God!” Shea complained as he put his hand on the small of Elli’s back and walked into Grace’s dining room as everyone laughed.

They all sat down as the people Grace hired came to bring the food out. Elli slowly slid her shoes off, running her aching feet along the hardwood of Grace’s floor. The floors were so cold that it soothed Elli’s feet and she found herself sighing in pleasure. Shea cut her a questioning look.

“You okay?” he asked, leaning over towards her.

“My feet are killing me.”

He gave her a cute little smirk before his mother started talking, “So Elli, you take pictures for a living, right?”

“Yes ma’am. I’ve been doing it for almost seven years now.”

“I’ve seen some of your work. You’re very good, I must say.”

“Thank you,” Elli gushed with a grin; Jenna smiled sweetly before reaching for her fork.

Elli looked over at Grace, and she was giving her a sweet smile. “I meant to tell you Elli, I love your shoes.”

Elli smiled back, “Thank you, they are Christian Louboutin, and let me tell you, they hurt like the dickens.” Grace started laughing as the rest of the table joined in and that’s when Elli felt comfortable.

The rest of the dinner went without a hitch. Elli adored Mark and Jenna. They were amazing, she had never seen two people love their children, or even their son in law, the way Mark and Jenna loved Shea, Grace, and James. Jenna teased Grace and Shea lovely, and not hatefully the way Elli’s family teased her. Mark would always make it a point to talk to James; he would smack him on the arm, or ask him about work. Elli’s mom never talked to Adina or Lauren, only time she ever acknowledged them was when she needed to know something about the kids, but not Mark and Jenna, they loved James like he was one of theirs.

They even treated Elli like that, and she had just met them. Jenna fired questions all night, even Mark did. They wanted to know everything, and it wasn’t to have information on Elli, like her mother tried to have on Shea, it was to get to know her. Elli actually felt like Mark and Jenna liked her for her, not because of her profession or because of who her uncle was, but because they liked her.

And it was such a refreshing feeling.

After dinner, everyone went into the living room for coffee and cake. James was in the middle of a story about one of his co workers when Elli leaned over to Grace asking, “Hey where’s Amelia and Ryan?”

Grace smiled, “They are staying with a friend of mine. They attack my parents, and mom wanted to get to know you, so I had my friend take them.”