A Sibling's Dilemma

by Molly V. Lovell

  When Ellie walked by him, he was tempted to place his hand on the small of her back and guide her down the hallway but he decided against it. He stuffed his hands in his pockets instead and walked besides Ellie, occasionally glancing down at her.

  “How’s a Cobb salad sound?” Edric asked.

  “Oh, that sounds good to me.”

  The petite woman followed the tall man down the maze of the penthouse, looking around and taking everything in. Edric smiled to himself when he saw Ellie taking in the surroundings. He liked seeing the awe and wonder on her face; it made him feel proud and like he did something right, even if it was just hiring the right decorator.

  They arrived at the kitchen. Two maids were sitting down at the table, chatting animatedly amongst themselves. “Kendra. Kari.” Edric said, introducing the two maids.

  The two maids looked at Ellie as if like she had two heads. Edric immediately knew why: it was the first time they’d seen him with a female in the middle of the day. Usually his ‘lady friends’ would arrive at night, leave in the morning, and they certainly never sat down and had a meal with him in the kitchen.

  “Hello. Um. I’m Mr. Kensington’s assistant. My name is Ellie.”

  The two maids exchanged glances and then extended their hands.

  “Kendra.” The taller woman in her thirties with black hair answered.

  “Kari.” The younger, shorter woman in her twenties answered. She was about Ellie’s height.

  “It’s a little late for you to be having lunch, Edric. What’ll it be?” Kendra asked.

  “Two cobb salads, please.” Edric sat down at the kitchen table and gestured for his assistant to sit across from him. She quickly sat down.

  “What time is it anyway?”

  “Three o’clock.”

  “Three?”

  Eleonore and I talked for that long? I thought we just had a two-hour conversation. It was more like a four-hour conversation. Unbelievable.

  “Owen should be home any minute.” Kari said.

  Well, shit. Edric grimaced. While he usually looked forward to seeing his younger brother, he knew that Owen would see Ellie and make a fuss.

  Kendra chopped away at a head of lettuce and boiled an egg on the stove.

  “Oh, um. Do you want me to help?”

  Kendra spun around. “Oh, nonsense! Just take a seat, Ellie.”

  “Thank you very much for making my lunch.”

  “It’s quite all right.”

  Within the next ten minutes, Kendra whipped up two delicious-looking cobb salads and placed them on pewter bowls and then sat them in front of the couple sitting at the table.

  Edric nodded his head and smiled at his maids. “Thanks.” His assistant muttered a barely audible ‘thank you’ under her breath and blushed.

  Kendra and Kari exchanged knowing glances and quickly walked out the room. Once they were out of eye-shot, Edric could hear the two of them laughing. He knew exactly why they were too. He also knew that his assistant had no idea why and that she assumed the giggles were aimed at her expense.

  “They’re not laughing at you, they’re just like that.”

  “Oh, good.” She smiled. The blush started to subside. He smiled back and then turned his attention to his lunch, glancing up at Ellie occasionally to observe her. He noticed how she ate her salad slowly. She cut her egg into small bits and cut her cherry tomatoes in half.

  “I’ve never seen anyone do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Cut cherry tomatoes in half.”

  Ellie laughed. “When I was a kid I choked on a grape.”

  “Really?” He laughed with her. “What happened?”

  “Cassie didn’t know what to do, so she punched me in the stomach and I threw it up.” Ellie giggled. “It worked.”

  “I’m surprised. You lucked out there.”

  “I sure did. Have you choked on anything?”

  Edric laughed again. “No, I can’t say that I have. I’ve never been asked that question in my entire life before either.”

  The young woman shrugged her narrow shoulders. “A lot of people choke. It’s a valid question.”

  “So it is.”

  Edric liked this version of Ellie—the laughing, chatty version of her that asked odd questions and cut cherry tomatoes in half.

  “Are you going to cut your lettuce leaves in half too?”

  “No, I’ll cut up the egg though.”

  “So, just the lettuce doesn’t get cut up.”

  “And the shredded carrots.”

  “Well, good, you don’t want the lettuce to get lonely.”

  Ellie giggled and blushed. This blush looked a little different than how she looked when she was nervous. Edric smirked; he took pride in getting the young woman across from him to laugh a bit and lighten up. He knew that it was no easy feat; before that morning she didn’t even look at him without turning bright-red.

  “Bro! I’m home!” A voice called out in the foyer.

  Shit. Owen’s going to cause a scene when he sees Eleonore here.

  “I’m in the kitchen.”

  Resting his head on his fist and closing his eyes, Edric sighed. Please don’t say something stupid, Owen. Please don’t say something stupid.

  Edric could hear the pitter-patter of a young boy rushing through the house. His brother, dressed in a navy suit with an undone tie, arrived in the living room out of breath.

  “Who’s this?” Owen asked. Edric stood up from his seat to stretch and he moved over to stand behind Ellie. For some reason, the position seemed natural to him.

  “This is my assistant, Eleonore Kent. This is Owen.”

  Ellie smiled and reached out to shake Owen’s hand. Owen’s eyes widened. “Oh. Eleonore. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Fortunately for Edric, he was standing behind Ellie so she couldn’t see the glare that he was giving his younger brother. Owen smiled lightly and he had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  “What brings you here today, Eleonore?”

  “Oh. Um. You can call me Ellie. If you’d like. You don’t have to.”

  “So, what brings you here, Ellie?”

  “Um. This morning I heard that Mr. Kensington was sick so I was worried and stopped by.” The petite woman fidgeted with the hem of her pink suit jacket.

  “That’s very kind of you. I’m glad someone’s being nice to him. He’s the best brother in the world.”

  Edric continued to glare at the boy.

  “He’s always looking out for everyone else so it’s good that someone’s looking out for him. Some could say that—”

  “Owen.” Edric said in the most cheerful voice he could muster as he clapped his hands together. “Don’t you have homework to do?”

  “I already did it at school.” He waved his hand dismissively. “So anyways, my brother has always had my back. When I was a baby and our father died and my mom ran off, Rick raised me even though he was only twenty at the time. And he looked after Violet—”

  “All right, Owen. I’m sure that Eleonore isn’t interested in hearing our whole family history.”

  “Oh. Um. I-I-I don’t mind. Um. I don’t want to intrude or anything.” By the time Ellie got to the end of her sentence, her voice was barely audible and she started to clam up. When she spoke again, she sounded a lot more audible. She said, “You two should have family time. Speaking of family, I ought to get home to my sister.”

  “Take care, Eleonore.”

  “Nice to meet you, Ellie!”

  She smiled back at Edric and blushed. She tucked a strand of her white hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Mr. Kensington, for lunch and the conversation.”

  “Thank you, Eleonore. I’ll see you at the office on—Monday.”

  “It was nice to meet you, Owen.”

  “And you, Ellie. Feel free to come back whenever. Maybe next time Violet will be home with Patches—Edric’s quite good with birds.”

  Edric glared at his younger brother.
/>   Ellie sheepishly waved at them both and exited the room quickly.

  Right after Ellie left the room, Edric placed his hands on his hips and glared at his younger brother, who smiled up at him in turn. He paused for a minute to ensure that Ellie was completely out of earshot.

  “What the hell was that about?”

  “A favor.” The boy responded in a chipper tone.

  “How the hell was that a favor?”

  Owen rolled his eyes and made a slight ‘tsking’ sound. “It’s obvious. You just don’t get it, little bro.”

  “All right, enlighten me, wise one.”

  “I’m clearly your best characteristic.”

  “And how do you figure that?”

  “Must I explain everything to you?”

  Edric rolled his eyes. “For argument’s sake, let’s say you do.”

  “Look.” Owen pulled out the chair that Ellie was just sitting in and sat down. The elder brother plopped back down in his chair. “Ellie’s a sweet girl. You’re not going to win her over like you do the other girls by buying her stuff. You need to show your sensitive side and I’m your sensitive side.”

  “For the millionth time, I don’t like Eleonore.”

  “All right, fine. But I just did you a huge favor.”

  “Owen, she just left.”

  “She left because she felt awkward being stuck in the middle of our family drama.”

  Edric rubbed his temples. “I think my migraine is coming back.”

  “Too bad Ellie isn’t here to comfort you like earlier.”

  The businessman stood back up. “I’m going to take a nap.”

  “Too bad you won’t be cuddling with Ellie.”

  “Whatever.”

  When Edric did retire back to the couch to nurse his migraine, he wished that Ellie were there next to him chatting cheerfully about symbolic logic and meticulously cutting her cherry tomatoes.

  Chapter Ten

  Ellie examined herself in the dressing room. The three-piece skirt-suit she tried on was beautiful. It was light grey and actually fit her, unlike the other baggy clothes that she wore. This suit complimented her figure—it added curve to incredibly thin frame, which she considered to be a miracle, because her chest was nearly flat and her hips narrow.

  To buy or not to buy? I could give this money to charity but I like this outfit. Maybe Edric will think I’m pretty.

  “Ellie? How does it fit?” Cassie called out through the fitting room door.

  “Do you wanna see?”

  “Yeah!”

  Ellie opened the door and stepped out. The elder sister grinned and clapped her hands. Cassie was wearing a low-cut black dress that ended mid-thigh. Ellie assumed it was to see the mysterious man, who she managed to talk about all the time without revealing his identity.

  “Ellie! You look like a bombshell; you look like you could model right now.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. All you need is a good pair of high heels and you’re all set and I have a pair picked out for you.”

  Ellie cocked her head to the side.

  “Are you on the fence?”

  “It’s forty dollars and I could donate the money to charity.”

  “El, it’s a thrift-store suit.”

  “But it’s the most expensive one here.”

  “That’s because it’s designer.”

  “But…”

  “Just get the suit. You look good in it.”

  She pursed her lips together. “I’ll do it.”

  “You just need the shoes now.” Cassie held up a pair of black stiletto high heels. “I know they’re a tad bit high, but I think that you’ll have this whole sexy professional vibe going on with the suit and the heels.”

  “I-I don’t know if I want to look sexy, per se…”

  “The way you’re blushing says otherwise.” The red-haired woman plopped down a pair of sparkling silver shoes and slipped into them. They looked a bit loud and ridiculous and made her about Edric’s height. Cassie looked at the shoes, frowned, took them off, and then looked over at Ellie. “So, who’s the guy?”

  “Why do you think there’s a guy?”

  “Because you’re trying to look cute at the office. So, there’s a guy there.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Cassie laughed out loud. “Because I’m a private detective and your sister. Come on, spill.”

  “Oh, um…” Ellie smiled for a second, but then her smile turned into a frown and she stared out the window. “I don’t have a chance with him so it doesn’t matter.”

  “Aww, El, any guy would be lucky to have you. What’s he like?”

  “He’s incredibly smart, hardworking and strong willed too. The type of person who can do anything that he sets his mind to. He’s a force of nature. He’s sweet and caring too, when he wants to be. We talked on Friday for four hours and it was nice.”

  “Well, good for you. I hope it works out. It’s about time you get your first kiss over with. I mean, you’re going to be twenty-two soon.” Cassie nudged her sister in the ribs.

  Ellie turned bright red. The fantasy of her kissing Edric was already seared into her mind.

  “Now get the suit and the shoes. Wear them tomorrow and strut your stuff.” Cassie ordered.

  “All right. I’m going to do it. I’m getting the suit and the heels, and I’m wearing them tomorrow.”

  ***

  Ellie nervously walked into her work the next morning. She felt like she was wearing some sort of provocative Halloween costume, even though she dressed in a normal suit that was just a little bit tight. It felt odd to Ellie to have clothes cling to her skin. She was used to baggy suits that hung off her and hid her slight figure. The high heels that Cassie picked out seemed to be too much, she teetered back and forth with every step she took.

  Ellie slipped into Edric’s office. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t look over at first. When he did he immediately did a double-take before looking away again. When Ellie noticed Edric glancing at her the second time, she looked away.

  “How are you, Eleonore?”

  “I’m doing quite well.” She responded, glad that Edric was still talking with her. It seemed that her visit on Friday had smoothed things out between the two of them. She was concerned that her long chat with him was a one-time occasion and that he would revert to his cold, taciturn, edgy, self.

  “What did you this weekend?”

  “I volunteered at the homeless shelter on Saturday, Then, I went shopping with my sister on Sunday.”

  “Was it fun?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where do you go?”

  “To the thrift store down the road.”

  Edric laughed. “Do I pay you that little?”

  “No. My salary is more than enough. I would just prefer to donate the money to charity than to spend it on expensive clothes.”

  “Really?”

  Ellie blushed. “I mean, I-I don’t do nearly enough.” Ellie stammered.

  “What charities do you give to?” Edric asked.

  “Um. I try to give most of my money to the Against Malaria Foundation, and to the local homeless shelters.”

  “What about you?” Edric asked.

  “What about me?”

  “What do you get for yourself?”

  Ellie shrugged. “I don’t require much, just a laptop, library card, my sister, and my dog.”

  “That’s not much.”

  “What do you need in life?”

  Edric shrugged. “I never thought of it.”

  “Well, what do you do for fun besides spend time with your family and work?” Ellie asked. She leaned forward at her desk. Edric slowly took off his reading glasses, placed them on the table, and then spun his chair around to face her directly.

  “Well…” Edric leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his combed-back hair. He crossed his legs and pursed his lips.

  “All right, what do you do in a usual d
ay?” She asked.

  “I wake up around four. Then I exercise for two hours, shower, get to the office around seven. As you know, I work until five or six. After that, I go home, see my brother and sister, then sometimes I’ll code for a bit or fly around in my helicopter or build stuff with my sister. Then work a bit more, read, and lastly I go to sleep at around eleven or midnight sometimes.”

  “Wait, you only get five hours of sleep a night?”

  “Yes.”

  “How are you not exhausted?”

  “I just don’t need sleep.”

  “Everyone needs sleep.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You don’t do much for fun.” Ellie frowned.

  Edric scoffed. “All right then. What’s a day in the life of Eleonore Kent like?”

  “I um…”

  “Oh, come on, Eleonore. I’m curious.”

  “I don’t like talking about myself.”

  “You don’t have to tell me. But I do want to know more about you.”

  “Well, I wake up at around seven.” Edric leaned forward and listened with rapt attention. “I get ready for work and I take my dog Spots for a walk. Then I work. Um. Then I get home I take Spots out again. When Cassie’s home, I have dinner with her and we’ll do something like watch a movie or a television show. On days she’s not home I go to the soup kitchen. Then I read until about ten, and then go to bed.”

  “See? You don’t do any more than I do. You just walk your dog, go to soup kitchens, and read books.”

  Ellie frowned as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “You probably think I’m boring.”

  “No, Eleonore.” He laughed. “I don’t think you’re boring at all.”

  “I mean, I don’t fly helicopters or anything like that. I’ve never even been on a plane.”

  Edric shot up from his chair very abruptly and walked over to the door.

  His assistant cocked her head to the side. “Is everything all right?”

  “Come with me.”

  She stood up and followed the CEO. She walked slower than normal, since she had to focus on not falling flat on her face as she swayed back and forth on her stiletto heels. Eventually they made it to the elevator, and Edric pressed the button to the roof.