Heart of Stone

LouLou

Shortly, their food was served, and Eloise couldn't help but realize how hungry she was. As they dug into their plates, Vivian turned her blue eyes on Eloise.

"LouLou, tell me more about this shop of yours. I know you said you worked at a florist before, but is that what inspired you to start it?" She asked.

Eloise gave her a warm smile, her business a topic she always took pride in.

"Well, I've always wanted to start a business creating things with my own two hands. I started with the flowers and moved on to herbs. I made different spice blends and tea blends myself and I kind of just went from there." She explained.

"That sounds lovely. It seems like this really brings you joy. What other kinds of things do you sell besides flowers, herbs and tea?" She asked.

"A lot, actually. I carry handmade items from other small businesses alongside my own, things like raw milk, pasta, kombucha, raw honey." She glanced at Gabriel at the last one.

"That's impressive. How long have you been a business owner?" She asked.

"4 years." She answered easily. "It was really hard at first, but it's been completely worth it."

"Of course. You saw your opportunity and followed your passions. That takes a lot of will power." She said.

Eloise nodded in agreement. "It does. I wasn't sure that I would be successful at first, but my hard work paid off."

Vivian paused to take a bite of her food before continuing. "Do you do anything outside of the shop? Any other passions?"

"Well, my main selling point is that I grow everything myself, so I garden, a lot. I also have a dog, and I enjoy reading in my spare time." Eloise said.

"Gabriel also enjoys reading. Perhaps you two should go on a date sometime." Vivian said, a sly smile on her face.

Gabriel nearly choked on the water he had been sipping, and he met LouLou's wide eyes with a similar expression of his own.

"Mom!" Gabriel blurted out. "LouLou is with Alexander."

Vivian gasped in slight surprise.

"Ohh, are you now? Tell me about that. You are aware that Alexander is married, aren't you?" She said, leaning forward intently like a cat about to get the first catch.

Eloise gave a nervous chuckle, not having expected the conversation to take such a turn. She hadn't intended for any of his family to know about them quite yet, as it had the potential to put her in a tough spot where she could get caught in her lie. She wasn't ready for that to happen. She wanted to tell Alexander on her own, but she could feel Gabriel's eyes on her.

"Um, yes, I'm aware. Actually, we haven't been seeing each other for very long." She said.

Vivian nodded, not looking wholly unsatisfied, and Eloise had the feeling she'd be hearing from Alexander about this.

Thankfully, Vivian shifted the topic to Gabriel's work, and they finished their meal comfortably. As the waitress cleared their food away and Gabriel took care of the bill, Eloise stretched languidly. She stood and picked up her bag, preparing to head on her way.

"Why don't you let me walk you to your car? Mine is right there so I'll just open the door for my mother first." He said, gesturing to his Infiniti sitting on the street before them.

"Thanks, that would be lovely." She said, smiling.

Eloise thanked Vivian for letting her eat with them after Gabriel helped her into his vehicle, then watched as he closed the door for her. As they started down the street together, she couldn't help but feel as if she somehow knew him better now, despite his probing questions.