Touch of Love by Ellen Wolf Read Free Book Online Page A

with that. If you could handle the calls and explain the situation without going into too much detail, I’d be so very grateful.’ She’d had enough of their moping. They seemed to think they had been cheated out of the perfect wedding and the happily ever after. What about me and my shattered dreams?
    ‘Are you absolutely sure that’s what you want?’ At least her father was calm. He might always worry about money, but he stuck to the facts. No emotional blackmail there. ‘I mean, sometimes things look bad and all, but you could talk it out.’
    ‘ There is nothing to say, Dad.’ She slipped off the kitchen stool and walked over to the french door leading to the garden. She could just make out the sparkly surface of the pool surrounded by potted plants. A few strategically placed rocks broke up the severity of the mostly paved landscape, and large ceramic pots filled with greenery added some much-needed life. Still, it was all very controlled and perfectly planned. Not a single leaf as much as stuck out from the immaculate hedges.
    Just like my parents. Reliable, calm, and predictable. Not a bad combination. She guessed that was why they liked Brad so much. He fit into their rigid ideas of what life should be like more than she ever had.
    ‘Well, why don’t you sleep on it ?’ Surprisingly, her father didn’t push it any further. She was grateful as she walked up the sweeping staircase to her room at the end of the hall. Like everything else in the house, it was perfect and spotless, more so than it had been when she’d lived here. She plopped on the pristine, pale-yellow coverlet and closed her eyes. She was tired of keeping it together, first in the cab and later on when she’d arrived at the house, surprising her parents halfway through their afternoon coffee and cake. Her father worked from home, where his successful design business allowed for flexible hours.
    She was still wearing her office clothes. They were completely dry, but her skin felt cold and clammy as the shock finally set in. She didn’t want to cry—not yet. She would have to see her parents for dinner, unfortunately. They insisted on her joining them at the table, and she would be damned if she appeared with red, puffy eyes, which would be nothing but perfect ammunition for her mom’s argument that she’d acted prematurely. So her pain would have to wait, however hard it seemed to keep it together. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Eating was really rather low on her list of priorities, but it would offer some distraction and maybe even fool her parents into thinking she was fine.
    On impulse, she decided to go downstairs and grab something. In a breeze, she changed into a pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt, glad to get rid of the clothes that felt soiled by what happened back in her apartment. She walked back down the staircase, her fingers caressing the carved rail as she reached the lower level.
    ‘Yes, she ’s here.’ Her mom’s voice stopped Elly in her tracks, the excitement making her cringe in premonition. ‘No, I don’t think you should call right now. Give it an hour or so…’
    There was a long pause, while she waited breathlessly, safely hidden from her parents’ sight.
    ‘I don’t know if it’s such a great idea, Brad.’
    Her worst expectations were confirmed. She wanted to storm out and grab the receiver from her mother’s hand. Throwing it into the pool seemed like a reasonable option. Maybe it would finally drive home the message that she wasn’t interested in reconciliation.
    ‘ We’ll have dinner at eight.’
    S he gasped in outrage, realizing that her mom was practically inviting him in. Could she be so obsessed with the wedding that she would trample her daughter’s feelings? Did she even care how Elly felt? Apparently not enough to take my side and remain loyal. Wasn’t that what families were supposed to be all about? Sticking together in times of