Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(47)

“Ah, it’s the wicked bitch of the west! Run, Elli!” Harper yelled. Elli rolled her eyes as she went back to looking for a dress.

“Just ignore her,” Elli grumbled, turning her back to her sister, but that didn’t stop Victoria. She came around, facing Elli.

“So, I think it’s totally pathetic that you convinced our nieces and nephews that your dating Shea Adler, I mean, really, Elli, like he would ever look at you twice.”

“I didn’t do no such thing, now if you’ll excuse us,” Elli said turning the other way, but Victoria kept at her.

“Mom says she will make you talk to her, she wants to meet ‘Shea Adler’,” she said making air quotations around Shea’s name.

“You would die if she showed up with him, huh?” Harper asked, “Shit, El, you might have to do it, just to rid us of Vicky here.” Elli giggled as she pulled out a dress. It was a black tube dress that was tight all over except for the sleeves; they had pretty eyelet lace on them.

“This is it, Harp,” Elli said handing her the dress. Harper had a small smile on her face as she nodded.

“It is,” she agreed, picking out her size, and walking right past Victoria.

“You’re not really dating Shea Adler, so just drop the act, Elli.”

“If I’m not dating him, then why are you still entertaining the thought? Just let it go,” Elli said simply, “Harp, I’ll be in the truck.”

“Sure, babe.” Elli walked past her sister and out the store. She hated being around Victoria, she was like a poison or something, so damn toxic. No matter how much Elli wished she had Victoria’s confidence, she would never wish to have her values and morals. Elli got into the truck, pulling out her phone to text Shea.

You’re real right?

I think so. He texted back, which made her smile. Why?

Just needed to make sure, we’re really dating too?

Oh, yeah, we are. Hey, can you do dinner with me and my sister’s family Sunday?

Sure, I would love too.

Awesome, I can’t wait to see you tonight.

Me neither.

Elli smiled to herself.

Yes, she was dating Shea Adler, and he couldn’t wait to see her.





Later that afternoon, as Elli was finishing up with an edit on a family shoot, the business line rang. She picked it up with her regular greeting, and then froze in a cringe as her mother’s voice rang over the line.

“Eleanor Ray! I have been trying to get a hold of you for weeks! You gave me no choice but to call you at your so called work!”

“Oh, mother, and you wonder why I ignore your calls. I’m busy working, are you dying?”

“No.”

“Okay, so I’ll talk to you later.”

“You hang up on me, I will tell your father!” Olivia warned. Darn it, her dad would be so mad at Elli, that’s why she usually just ignored the calls. Elli talked to her father at least once a week. She loved her daddy, but that was probably because he wasn’t crazy like the rest of the family.

“Fine, mother, I got four minutes before my next appointment comes in, what do you need?”

“I need to meet your boyfriend!”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, mom.”

“So you are making out with random men at the park in front of my grandchildren!”

“He wasn’t random, mom, just a friend.”

“What, are you are trollop!”

“For the love of God,” Elli muttered, putting her face in her hand, “Mom, he’s a guy I’m dating right now.”

“What’s his name?”

“Shea.”

“Shea, as in hockey player Shea? The one that covers the walls of that small house you own?”

And people wonder why Elli didn’t answer her mother’s calls.

“Yes, mom.”

“Victoria says there’s no way.”

“Victoria is a bitch and I’m not going to defend myself. Believe me or not, I don’t care.”

“Such language, bring him to the house for dinner.”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I subject Shea to you people.”

“Eleanor Ray! You will bring him to dinner; he is the first guy I have heard of since Justin.”

“There’s a reason for that,” Elli commented as she fixed a red spot on the baby’s face in the picture. “I don’t really like family dinners with you people.”

“Eleanor, you heard me. Dinner, next month, since this month was canceled.”

“Mom, I don’t even know if this will last past this week. Plus, if it does, I don’t know if he’ll be in town.”

“Find out and give me a date that he will be in town, sometime next month. You have until next Sunday to give me an answer Eleanor, dear. Or I will sic your father on you!”

“Okay, mom.” Elli sneered. She was not happy and her mother would know it.

“I’m pretty sure I can convince him to drop you from the will.”

“Whatever, dad loves me more than you, he wouldn’t do that, he would just be mad at me, and you’re lucky I don’t want that.”

“Whatever you say darling, love you. Tootles!”