A Wink and a Smile & the Land is Ours

Chapter 3

Oh my god! I flirted with a married man.

My dad gave Mikhail a quick handshake and my mom wrapped her arms around him in an uncharacteristic hug. The second his eyes fell on me, however, his jaw dropped. His eyes quickly mirrored the panicked expression in my own. He scanned me up and down taking in my appearance. My mom stepped back then, releasing him from his bone-crushing hug.

"This is my daughter, Eliza." My mom smiled and shoved me in front of her.

His eyebrows creased and I internally hoped he would get over his shock soon. "Daughter?" He asked, the shock still evident in her voice. He must have thought I looked older when we met at the grocery store today. My parents and Celia looked confused at the odd exchange between Mikhail and me. He must have realized he was acting weird because he quickly relaxed his face, replacing the scrunched up eyebrows with a crooked smile. Like melting ice, his stiff posture loosened.

He gave me one more questioning look before he turned back to my parents. "It's so nice to meet you all!" He gushed.

The next few minutes were a haze. I kept a polite smile on my face as my mom led us into the dining room. I didn't participate in the conversation because my mind was whirring. I had flirted with Celia's husband. Unknowingly, of course, but I had thought of getting him to go out with me! I gently pinched the bridge of my nose trying to relieve the headache that was coming on. My family had all sat down and they were waiting for me to take the last remaining seat. Of course, that seat was the one next to Mikhail. I quickly rushed to my seat and avoided all eye contact with everyone. As dinner was being taken out, the scent of pine and cinnamon filled my nose, worsening my headache.

Celia, who was sitting across from me, gave me a fond look. "I know it's been a while since I last saw you, but it's okay. We'll make it up with all the fun we're going to have over the next month!" My eyebrows shot up in suprise. What has happening in the next month?

"Oh, that's right! Eliza, we forgot to tell you that Celia and Mikhail will be staying with you while your mother and I are in Texas." My dad told me..

My mouth fell open and I began to protest, but I caught my mom's stern gaze. "Wow, that'll be great," I said through gritted teeth. This was so typical of my parents. This information was important! I couldn't believe the they had just forgotten to mention it to me. They knew I was excited to have the house to myself for the summer. I didn't need a babysitter; I was responsible and could easily take care of myself. Tears started to sting at the corner of my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

Celia seemed to have read my mind. "We know you don't need a babysitter. We plan to respect that, and we promise we'll stay out of your way. We really just need a place to stay while our house is being renovated." Celia explained.

I was still angry, but I gave her a polite smile. I didn't want them to think I was a brat. It wasn't their fault, after all. I felt Mikhail's gaze burning at the side of my head, but I refused to look at him.

"Have you thought of finding work here, Celia?" My dad question. My parents had already moved on from the topic of Celia and Mikhail staying with me. It hadn't even bothered me that they didn't realize I was upset. I was used to it.

"I'm thinking about finding a job at one of the local boutiques. I will be easy and fun, which is exactly what I need." she gushed. I could basically feel the judgment rolling off in waves from my parents. To them, saying the words "easy", "fun" and "job" in the same sentence was practically worse than swearing at the Dalai Lama.

"And I actually found a month-long internship at the Dentist office on Main Street," Mikhail began, "I'm getting my PhD in dentistry, so it worked out perfectly!"