Starting Over: rewrite

van der Bilt's and Humphrey's

Thank you for the support. I hope you all enjoy this next update.

Dan isn't getting nearly as killed as we thought he would. He's holding his own, and it's nice to see them all having fun. "Is it like this every time?" Vanessa asks me.

"More or less." A voice answers.

"Maureen." I greet her. She has always been fake nice to me. But I know deep down she heavily judges me for everything I'm not. Not from the right family in her mind. Overly opinionated to with the likes of the van der Bilt's.

"Ella, it is so great to see you." She brings me into the fakest of hugs.

"Congratulations on the engagement."

"The same should be said to you. That is your baby, right?"

"Yes, my daughter Palmer."

"She is precious. I'm sorry I'm being rude. I'm Maureen. Tripp's fiancé." She introduces herself to Vanessa.

"Hi, Vanessa Abrams. A friend of Nate and Ella."

"Of course. We know all about you."

"You do?"

"Nate mentioned you're a documentary filmmaker."

"It's a passion of mine, yes." Vanessa confirms.

"And Ella, still modeling?" She says this like it should be an insult.

"Yep, and making 10 million a year. So no need to marry rich to support my shopping and drug habits." I insult without saying her name.

"Beauty does fade, though, and modeling is hardly a reputable career." Vanessa looks at me.

"It's doing pretty well for Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford." I challenge.

"Well, I hope it all works out for you."

"And same to you for the wedding and the marriage." I smile back at her.

"If you would excuse me, I have people to talk with." Maureen excuses me.

"What was that all about?" Vanessa asks me.

"That is Maureen. She says horrible things but with a smile. She's never liked me."

"Why? The van der Bilt's like you."

"Which is one of the reasons she hates me. Maureen is the typical political cleat chaser. Her parents have groomed her to be this perfect political wife. She is docile, feminine but not too revealing; she keeps her opinions to herself unless approved by the family. She is everything the van der Bilt's look for and more."

"And she hates you."

"Only because she knows Tripp as admirable as he is; he's a man with a wandering eye."

"What?"

"The reason it's taken so long for them to get engaged is Tripp didn't want to settle down."

"Really?"

"He plays the all-American boy, but just like any politician, he has skeletons in his closet."

"Nate's not like them."

"Because he's worked all of his life not to be." I tell her. "This life...this is nothing Nate wants for himself."

"He seems so happy." Vanessa says, and I look back to Nate playing football with his family.

"The van der Bilt's can make everything look nice with a big bow on top."