A Family Affair - First Born (3 page)

After a short moment of reflection, Kane looked at Ellen thoughtfully. “I guess the problem is that the girls I like don’t seem to like me back.”

Ellen made a sad face in his direction, not believing a word of it. Who wouldn’t like Kane? He could have his pick of women.

Kane laughed. “Well, Ellen – if I’m so hard to resist, why don’t you want to date me?”

“Come on.” Kane was well aware of her upcoming wedding. The wedding was the main reason she had started going to the gym. “I’m not single.”

Kane ignored her comments. “Of course, I’m not allowed to date clients, so you’ll have to sack me as your trainer first.”

Ellen laughed, and gave him a punch. “There are a lot of lovely
single
women in this city to choose from, Kane. A lot of lovely single women.”

“Well, if you change your mind about that old guy you are dating.”

“We’re not dating. We’re engaged.... and he is
not
old.”

Kane smiled. “Whatever.” After a short pause, he continued mumbling in the same train of thought. “You’ll have to move him into a nursing home before too long, you know.”

“He’s about your age.”

“Is not.”

Ellen laughed. Her age difference with Tom had never been an issue. Perhaps it had been in the early days to Margaret – Tom’s mother, but not so much even with her now.

“In all seriousness,” Kane continued. “I don’t want you to go through with something that you might regret later on in life.”

Ellen stared at Kane in surprise. He didn’t appear to be joking, which only made his statement even more strange. Deciding to marry Tom was the easiest decision she’d ever made. “You don’t need to worry, Kane.”

“You haven’t known each other very long. You took a modelling contract with his company, and then all of a sudden he’s in love with you. Doesn’t that seem a little strange?”

“We’ve known each other long enough to know what we want.”

“Have you?” he asked slyly.

Ellen looked at him with a new understanding. “I know what you are doing, you know.”

“What am I doing?”

“Well, you’re my friend, so you think that you should challenge my thinking. You want to make sure that I know what I’m doing in my own head; that I’m confident in my choices. I can see that you are just looking out for me, so I’m not annoyed by what you just said. But I am confident... I promise you that. I love Tom. He loves me. We balance each other’s personalities. I feel protected and loved when I’m with him. We belong together. He makes me laugh. It was meant to be, and all that.”

“Other men can offer you the things that he offers - other men, who are closer to your age.”

“Age is just a number.”

“I worry about the sort of man who in his late thirties decides to marry a nineteen-year old girl.”

“I’ll be twenty soon.” Ellen paused to think through her feelings more. “Have you ever just known something to be right? It’s hard to explain, but... I feel that we were meant to be married. It’s as if I was made to fit perfectly with him, and he with me. To be honest, we find it difficult to be away from each other these days. I miss him so soon when we’re apart, even though I try and have my own life... and not crowd him. He is so busy running the company. I’m going to university this year, you know. I’ve enrolled in a commerce degree and am waiting for the new semester to start.”

“I know. You mentioned that before.”

“Now that my contract with Satinol is finished, I will have time to study, while also being a good wife. So, you really don’t need to worry about anything. We’ll be married forever, like those old couples you see around town holding hands.”

“But you haven’t moved in with him yet, have you?”

“No, but what does that have to do with anything?”

Kane shrugged his shoulders. “What happens if you get married and then you discover you can’t live together very happily?”

That seemed unlikely to Ellen. “He wants me to move in now, you know. We talk about it all the time. I don’t know though... I think it’s nice to save something exciting until after the wedding. Maybe I will move in before then, I don’t know. It would make certain things easier, since I stay there all the time as it is.” Being in the apartment where Chloe had jumped to her death was not easy in any case. Ellen would probably never step onto that balcony again.

Kane turned his head away, and Ellen wondered what he was thinking.

“I’ll be moving in as soon as we’re married, and I can’t wait to live with him. Besides, the house is too big for us to get on each other’s nerves. Everything is going to be fine; you don’t need to worry about a thing.”

“I’m worrying, because I care about you.”

He’d never said anything about his feelings before. “I know.” Ellen felt close to him too. Their friendship had always felt so natural.

“I know I’m just your trainer, and well... probably shouldn’t say anything like I just did, but I can’t help wanting the best for you.”

“Tom is what’s best for me.”

Kane shook his head. “What about that big house he owns?”

“What about it?”

“I just can’t see you living there very happily. How will it ever truly feel like your home?”

Ellen had to admit the thought had crossed her mind. It was larger than any home she had ever lived in, and the many empty rooms could feel rather sterile at times when she visited. Luckily Tom had already considered the issue, and suggested a solution. They were going to redecorate it together. “It will feel more like my home before too long.”

Kane was silent. As Tom was considerate and doing everything perfectly to prepare for Ellen’s arrival, it was hard for Kane to find fault with him. She wondered why he was trying so hard to do that.

“I think we’re done for today,” he announced, standing up. “You can get changed.”

He seemed quite despondent. It was sometimes hard to understand why Kane couldn’t be excited for her the way she wanted. “Thanks for the workout. See you tomorrow, Kane.”

“Yep,” he said, without looking up as she left.

Hayden walked into Tom’s office with determination in his stride. “We need to talk,” he said, shutting the door behind him.

Tom was happy to see his friend and colleague, as they needed to discuss something much more important than business. “Hayden, good afternoon.”

Hayden was pacing backwards and forwards, obviously focussed. “Tom. I need to talk you through an idea I have for improving our cash flow in the European market, and...”

“I’m glad you came to see me today.”

Hayden looked puzzled, and stopped moving.

Tom knew that Hayden didn’t like to be interrupted. “Is it all right if we discuss business later?” he asked with a friendly smile. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something important.”

“Of course, Tom.”

“Take a seat.”

“Do I need to sit down for this?”

“No, but it will make me feel more comfortable.”

“As you wish.” Hayden promptly sat down on the chair in front of Tom’s desk.

Tom looked at his friend directly, wanting to see his reaction. “I want to ask you if you’ll be my best man at the wedding.”

“Oh, of course,” Hayden said, smiling in response.

The smile seemed somewhat forced but Tom couldn’t blame him. His friend had never married and weddings probably weren’t his idea of a good time. “You know that I don’t have too many close friends, Hayden. It will mean everything to me if you are there, standing next to me on the big day.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You couldn’t have found a better wife.”

“I know. I just can’t believe I’m going to be married to Elle soon. Well, this is great,” Tom said, clapping his hands. He stood up and came around to shake Hayden’s hand firmly. “I should have asked you sooner of course, but we’re putting this together at such short notice. The wedding planner is moving very quickly, but these sorts of details are slipping through the cracks.”

“I trust that everything is under control.”

“Yes, there is nothing for you to worry about.”

“I should let you know that I’ve asked Dad to stand next to me too.”

“It will be
a marvellous occasion.”

That statement was definitely forced and it made Tom laugh.

“What?”

He shook his head. “Never mind.”

“How is Ellen handling the pressure? I see the press are increasing their coverage of the event.”

The intensity of the press was starting to worry Tom too. “I’m shielding her as much as possible, so she can just enjoy the time leading up to the wedding. If I have my way, Ellen is going to have the kind of wedding that girls normally only dream about.”

“Hmmm.” Hayden didn’t look convinced.

“There is something, but I’m not sure whether I should worry about it or not.”

“What?”

“Ellen is refusing to ask anyone to be her bridesmaid. She says she doesn’t feel close enough to anyone. So, there will be two best men and no bridesmaids.”

“Does she mind your asking me?”

“No, why would she?”

“She might prefer a smaller private ceremony. No best men or bridesmaids.”

Tom had never actually considered that Ellen might prefer a smaller wedding. Didn’t all women want a grand affair? Oh well, it was too late for that scenario. “Elle is happy that I have a close male friend that I can trust.” Tom slapped his friend on the shoulder. “And of course, I couldn’t get married without the old man there. She understands and supports my decision to have you both there. I’m sure she wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“And what about your lovely mother?”

“Front row.”

“I can’t understand how Jack is still married to your mother.”

Tom laughed. “Careful now. I’ll tell her you want to dance with her at the wedding if you’re not careful.”

Hayden’s face contorted unusually, as he considered that thought. He shook it off. “Anyway, it’s probably for the best that Ellen doesn’t have any bridesmaids on the day.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Your fiancée doesn’t seem to have strong skills in picking female friends.”

Tom shook his head, and his smile rapidly disappeared. Of course he was referring to Chloe. The memory of what had happened while Ellen was held captive was still so raw. But Tom was the one who had made the mistake. It had been stupid to drink so much and take advantage of Chloe. It wasn’t the girl’s fault at all. “That’s an unnecessary comment, Hayden. What did you even know about Chloe? You probably never even met her.”

Hayden’s expression stayed blank, as he analysed Tom’s curt response. “True, but I heard certain things around the office of course.”

“You shouldn’t listen to office gossip. She was Ellen’s friend. The way she chose to end her life was tragic. I’ll always feel partly responsible for that.”

“Tom, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Ellen still refuses to talk about what happened to this day. The memories upset her so much.”

“Yes, well, perhaps you should not push her.”

“No. Promise me you won’t say anything like this to her.”

“Of course not. If you ever want to talk about what happened, you know you can talk to me.”

“Thanks.” Tom couldn’t imagine sitting down with Hayden to have a deep and meaningful conversation. He was not that sort of friend. “In other news, I’m catching up with someone special tonight. You’ll never guess.”

“I assume you mean your lovely fiancée?”

“No, Elle has a dress fitting tonight, and...” Tom realised that it was unlikely that Hayden would have heard of the person in any case. “Actually, never mind. It’s supposed to be a secret anyway.”

“Fine.” Hayden was not fussed either way.

“What did you come in to discuss?”

“I just saw the April earnings for Europe.”

“And?”

“They are forty per cent higher than March.”

“I’m glad to hear it. It will help pay for this insanely expensive wedding.” He only wanted the best for Ellen’s big day, but was starting to be surprised by how much money could be spent on one celebration.

Seeing Hayden’s furrowed brow, Tom could tell his friend was obviously concerned about the March figures. “What is it, Hayden?”

“I have been watching the instability in earnings from that region for some time. I am now convinced that the March period appears to have been artificially low. I’ve correlated weekly sales figures against revenue for the past six months and I think I understand where the problem is.

“Go on.”

“Well, as you know, the European distribution and revenue are funnelled through Satinol’s holding in Germany.”

“Yes.”

“The new tax laws seem to be delaying the incoming receipts. Nobody foresaw this as far as I can tell.”

“What do you suggest?”