To Elise, that was worth more than ten pounds of gold.
Our entire family dynamic was a joke, but I was glad Elise and I managed to hold ourselves together and keep our relationship intact throughout everything.
I rang the doorbell to her house and when Dan answered, I opened a box full of treats from the bakery.
“Why are you knocking, Emily?” Dan asked.
He reached into the box and took a glazed donut.
“You’re going to spoil your dinner,” I said.
“Don’t tell Elise,” he said. “She’ll kill me.”
“Dan? Who was that?”
Elise’s voice echoed through the house.
Dan stuffed the donut into his mouth and moved out of my way.
I closed the box and carried it to the kitchen.
“It’s just your pain in the aaaaa…” I looked at Henley as she stood on a stool next to Elise. “Hey, Henley.”
“Pain in the aaaaa?” Henley asked.
“Don’t listen to Aunt Emily,” Elise said. “Why don’t you go find Daddy to get washed up, okay?”
Henley jumped off her stool and ran to me for a hug.
I crouched down and opened the box of treats again.
I snuck her half a chocolate chip cookie and winked.
She ran off, happy.
“If she doesn’t eat, I’m going to be mad at you,” Elise said.
“That’s my job as the cool aunt.”
“You think you’re cool?”
“I’m wicked cool,” I said. “I brought dessert.”
“You brought leftovers from your bakery,” Elise said.
“So… who pissed in your wine glass?” I asked.
“Sorry. Long day.”
“Everything good?”
Elise sighed. “Dan and I are fine. You need to relax sometimes, Emily. I know things have been bad with our family, but I’m not going anywhere. Neither is Dan. Neither is Henley. Nobody else is leaving.”
I swallowed hard. “Sorry. It’s just my habit. Things got…”
“I know,” Elise said.
“That’s why I took the bakery,” I said. “I felt guilty. I felt like it was my chance to keep things together.”
Elise shook her head. “You know that was a bad idea. I told you that too. You didn’t listen.”
I waved my hands. “Why are we talking about this? Blah. I want to be here and be happy. Let’s get crazy.”
“My version of crazy these days is staying up past ten. Or having sex in the morning before Henley wakes up.”
“Thanks for that,” Dan said as he walked into the kitchen.
I looked at Dan. “Party animal, huh?”
“I’m not talking about this with you,” he said to me.
“Why not?” I asked. “You’re banging my sister. Sometimes in the morning. Sometimes past ten at night.”
“Christ,” Dan said. “Thanks for this, Elise.”
I laughed. “Hey. You’re getting laid more than I am right now.”
“That’s your own fault,” Elise said. “You get attached and then it blows up and you don’t know what to do.”
“What did you do to her today?” I asked Dan.
“Me?” Dan asked. “Nothing.”
“Did she find out about that donut you ate?”
“Damn, Emily,” Dan said.
“You ate a donut before dinner?” Elise asked. She pointed a knife at Dan. “I’ve been cooking this chicken parm for how long?”
“Sorry, dude,” I said to Dan. I slapped his back. “I needed her daggers off me for a minute here.”
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus,” Dan said.
“Anytime.”
I pushed from the counter and Dan smiled. “You know… Jeff was talking about you again.”
I froze. “I don’t care.”
“What did he say?” Elise asked.
“It doesn’t matter what he said,” I said.
“He’s got it bad for you, Emily,” Dan said. “I heard you’re looking to get out of the business?”
“No,” I said. “No. It’s not like that…”
“He said he would find a way to get you out of that horrible lease you signed with your so-called best friend… and then he could buy the building and do something with it. All that just for you.”
“Lies,” I said.
“Emily,” Elise said. “That’s a big gesture.”
I frowned. “Really? That’s a gesture? He can’t get me flowers or flirt with me?”
“I’ll tell him to do that,” Dan said.
“No!” I yelled. “Fuck no!”
“Aunt Emily…”
I turned my head and saw Henley standing in the archway to the kitchen.
“Shit,” I said. “I mean, shoot. Crap. Darn. Dang. Fudge.”
“That’s a bad word,” Henley said. She shook her head. “Such a bad word.”
She was like a mini Elise on my ass.
I looked at Dan.
He winked.
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus,” I whispered to him.
“Payback, sister-in-law…”
When we finished dinner, Elise looked at Henley.
“Ten minutes to play,” she said.
“Yes!” Henley yelled. “I love when Aunt Emily is here. She curses and I get to stay up late!”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
Henley ran out of the kitchen.
“Sorry about that,” I said.
“No worries,” Dan said. “She’ll just grow up cursing like a trucker and never make it far in life.”
“That’s harsh,” I said.
“I think you need someone like Jeff in your life,” Dan said. “He’ll calm you down.”
“Will you give it up on the Jeff thing?” I asked.
“Why?” Elise asked. “What’s so bad about him?”
“He’s just not my type,” I said. “He’s dorky. He’s… I don’t know. He’s like Dan.”
“I’m a dork?” Dan asked.
“You’re a total dork,” I said. “But I love you as a brother-in-law. My sister loves you enough to let you inside her after ten at night. There’s a difference, right?”
Dan slowly nodded. “Wow.”
“Come on,” I said. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”
“Okay, fine,” Elise said. “I’ll stop talking about Jeff. I’m just thinking what’s best for you. You never know what could happen. And at the very least, you could get out of that horrible business and move on with your life.”
Dan stood up. He looked down at me. “I’m an awesome dork.”
“The best dork I ever met,” I said.
“Just wait until ten-oh-one,” Elise said. “I’ll show you how much I like your dorky ass.”
“Nice,” Dan said. “I’m getting laid tonight. What about you?”
I laughed. “Me? Not a chance. Have fun with my sister later.”
Dan collected the dirty plates and took them to the sink.
Then he disappeared.
“You know, in some families, this thing between you and Dan would be
