Chapter Thirteen
Ellen’s week in Sydney seemed to pass very quickly and before she knew it, the work was finished, and Tom and her were returning to Melbourne, closer than ever.
Since moving into their new apartment one month ago, Ellen and Chloe had happily started a new routine of making coffee together in the mornings. The apartment had a built-in coffee machine, which even ground the beans by itself.
Ellen had noticed that Chloe's moods had been more positive since she had started working in Tom's office. Chloe was dressed very well this morning, having maxed out two different credit cards to buy a range of expensive office wear.
“You look happy this morning Chloe,” Ellen said, while biting into a piece of toast.
“I really love this job, Elle,” Chloe said.
“Tom told me that you are doing well.”
“Did he?” asked Chloe excitedly. “What did he say exactly? Tell me word for word.”
“Well, he said that Elizabeth was happy with the pace of your learning, and if Elizabeth is happy, then he is happy.”
“Elizabeth can be a total bitch, let me tell you. She is so bossy sometimes. Everything has to be done exactly as she says. But Tom is just so nice to work with. The other day, he complimented my outfit, and said how nice I look in blue. You know how I like to coordinate clothes and makeup with my eye colour sometimes. Anyway, I think he noticed the colour of my eyes too, because he looked into them for quite a while.”
Ellen felt slightly uncomfortable with the way Chloe was starting to talk about Tom. “You do look good in blue, Chloe.”
“And Tom is really thoughtful at work. The other day, he gave me twenty dollars to buy him a coffee. And he said I could buy myself one too. Wasn't that nice?”
“Yes, very nice.”
“And I thought to myself, he probably won't want the change, seeing as though he is no rich, so I kept it, just to see if he would ask for it back.”
“Tell me you're joking, Chloe.”
There was silence from her friend at first. “Well, Ellen the thing is, he probably doesn't even know how much two coffees cost.”
“Of course he knows how much coffee costs. He's not stupid.”
“He didn't say anything.”
“He probably didn't want to embarrass you. You should go to him and say you forgot, and give it back.”
“Hmm. Maybe. Maybe not. I'll think about it. I mean, he wouldn't have wanted the money back from you.”
Ellen continued to sip her coffee and eat her toast, quite annoyed at Chloe, but not wanting to have a fight. This was the first time that Ellen realised that Chloe might be feeling a little jealous of the increasing closeness between Tom and herself. The two girls had been friends for so many years, having grown up in each other’s pockets. They knew each other's families intimately as well, and Chloe was truly entrenched in her current life in Melbourne. There would be no easy way to end the friendship, even if Ellen decided on that course of action. Chloe's home and job were now tied to Tom soundly. It was best to bite her tongue and go along with Chloe's sometimes bizarre behaviour.
Ellen reasoned that everything around her had changed so dramatically over the past month. It was unfair to expect Chloe to stay exactly the same.
“Well,” Chloe said. “I'm off to work. Are you still staying home today, then?”
“Yes, I've got a clear day for a change. So, I'm going running, then I've booked a facial for this morning. Maybe a nap this afternoon,” joked Ellen.
“Hmm, okay then, beauty queen. Have a good day.”
“Bye, Chloe. See you tonight.”
A Family Affair Page 13
