The Ugly Stepsister (12 page)

Ellie stretched, rolling over in the bed. When she tried to see what time it was, a post it note was in the way. She reached out, removing it from the alarm clock. Nearly nine. No wonder she felt so well rested. She looked at the note.

‘It was difficult to drag myself out of bed when you had yourself draped all over me. Sam volunteered to make you breakfast and do the hospital delivery. And right now, you’re smiling in your sleep. Hope it’s an interesting dream. Tom.’

Ellie smiled, climbing out of bed to put the note in her handbag. Her dreams had been interesting and Tom had featured in every one of them. Not that she was going to tell him that. She planned to leave him guessing.

Once she’d used the bathroom, she looked around for Sam. He wasn’t anywhere downstairs. She heard a noise upstairs and decided to check up there for him. When she reached the upstairs lounge room, she paused and looked around. There was no one. Then she heard a noise in one of the kitchen cupboards. Ellie smiled, striding towards the sound. She smothered a scream when Gregory stood up.

“Have you come to help? Don’t know where Sam is.” Gregory pointed to the sink with his knife. “Wash your hands and julienne those carrots for me.” He pushed a cutting board with four carrots towards her and pulled a knife from the cutting block, tucking it under the edge of her cutting board.

Ellie washed her hands and looked at the carrots. She grabbed the peeler Gregory handed her and gratefully began to peel them. She looked over to see what he was doing. She watched as he threw different seasonings as well as feta cheese, mayonnaise and other things she didn’t recognise into a bowl and mixed them together. He was spreading the mixture over salmon fillets, that sat in a baking tray, by the time she’d peeled all the carrots. He sprinkled them with what looked like breadcrumbs then popped them in the oven.

Without a word, Gregory wiped off his hands and took one of the carrots and began chopping it on the board in front of him. Ellie managed to follow as far as turning the carrots into similar length rectangular chunks. Slicing them thinner looked beyond her capabilities. So she continued to trim them into rectangles and let Gregory finish turning them into thin strips.

She watched as he sliced through the carrots, making it look like he could have done it with his eyes closed. They were scraped off his board into a bowl. He shoved a colander at her and threw a handful of other vegetables into it.

“Wash them well.”

Bemused, Ellie followed orders. She moved the colander back and forth under the tap a few times before she turned it off and shook them dry. She didn’t know if she was doing the job correctly, but how hard could it be to wash vegetables? There were no heat sources involved so that was always a good start. She blinked as the colander was taken from her and the vegetables dumped onto Gregory’s cutting board.

“Tablecloth is in the first drawer of the set of drawers closest to the dining room. Set the table for three.” Gregory gestured with his knife again.

Ellie took out the ivory coloured tablecloth from the drawer and shook it out over the table. She tried to remember how Tom had set the table, wishing she’d paid more attention. But the food was what had taken up most of her interest.

“Not very talkative, are you?”

Ellie glanced back at Gregory.

“Serviettes are in the next drawer down. Don’t worry about the rings.”

“What are you cooking?” Ellie couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Feta crusted salmon served with fresh vegetables. I thought I should give it a test run before I let them serve it in the restaurant.”

“Ahh… okay. Probably a good plan.” What restaurant? She considered asking, but words failed her. Where was Sam? Ellie put three serviettes on the table, folding them into triangles. Next she added cutlery, leaving the knife, fork and spoon bundled together on each serviette. She didn’t think it looked right, but it was better than not giving anyone cutlery.

“How long have you been dating Tom?”

“Ahh… a little while.”

Gregory smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s not really any of my business. As long as you’re over the age of consent. You are, aren’t you?”

“Ahh… yeah.”

“It’s sixteen in Queensland.”

“I know.”

“You didn’t sound so sure a moment ago.”

Ellie rarely felt embarrassed, no matter who she was talking with or what the conversation was. But right now she wanted the floor to become Swiss cheese so she could disappear down a hole. She couldn’t believe she was standing here having this conversation with her boyfriend’s father. What was next? Safe sex? No way was she listening to that conversation. She’d already had that talk with her mum and it hadn’t been anywhere near as bad as this discussion.

“Are you staying for dinner tonight?”

“Yeah.” Ellie nodded. “If that’s okay.”

“Tom’s welcome to invite who he wants. I just need to know how many I’m cooking for. Otherwise someone’s going to end up hungry.” He smiled.

Ellie nodded. “That makes sense.” Finally, a safe topic.

“Are you staying all weekend?”

“Ahh…” what did she say to that? Where was Sam? She was going to kill him when she found him.

“Let me know when you figure it out. I’ll be making all the meals this weekend.”

“Tom said he’s taking her home after dinner Sunday night.”

Ellie spun and could have raced over to Sam and kissed him. Right before she killed him that was. Noticing his hair was damp, she made a mental note to check the pool first in future. “I was wondering where you’d disappeared to.”

Gregory laughed. “Five minutes before the food is ready to go on the table. As always he has perfect timing.”

“I wanted a swim.”

“Well now you can take out three plates and help me clear up the mess on the kitchen benches.” Gregory rinsed off dishes and stacked them in the dishwasher.

“It must be tough when you’ve got to cook at home. No kitchen help at your beck and call.” Sam grinned as he threw the scraps in the bin.

“Be nice or I won’t let you try my new recipe,” Gregory warned.

Ellie couldn’t help smiling at the way they interacted. She wished her father was just as approachable. Within minutes, the food was on the table and Ellie’s mouth watered as she sat in her seat.

“Presentation?” Gregory looked towards Sam.

He eyed his plate. “Good colour mix with the vegetables. I like the texture of the salmon.”

“It smells mouth watering. Are we going to eat or just admire it?” Ellie asked.

Gregory grinned. “Go ahead. This is a working meal for me.”

Ellie picked up her fork. “This is breakfast for me.” She had a mouthful of the salmon and closed her eyes as she ate it. When she opened her eyes, it was to find both Gregory and Sam staring at her. “What?”

“We’re waiting on a verdict,” Gregory said.

“Oh.” She glanced at Sam. Maybe that’s where he got his habit of staring at people from. Although Greogry’s stare wasn’t creepy, it just made her feel uncomfortable. Maybe Sam’s stare wouldn’t be so bad as he got older and didn’t look so young. “It’s nearly as good as pancakes, vanilla ice cream and maple syrup.”

“What?” Gregory frowned.

Sam laughed. “It’s her favourite meal.”

“That’s a dessert.”

Ellie shook her head in disagreement. “Nope. Definitely a meal.” She pointed to her plate with her fork. “And this would have to be up there pretty close to first place.” She had another mouthful.

“How close?” Gregory asked.

Ellie looked at her plate thoughtfully. “If I could only pick one meal, I’d still have to go for the pancakes. But if I had an option of having seconds, I’d have firsts of this.”

Gregory looked over to Sam. “Should I be worried that comment actually made sense to me?”

Sam nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Last time I give my opinion.” Ellie continued to eat her meal while Gregory and Sam started to discuss the food in minute detail. They became as involved in the discussion as she’d seen her father and Pamela involved in discussions over the latest news headlines. She enjoyed listening to them so much that when she finished eating, she sat back and watched.

Sam suddenly fell silent, turning towards her. “We’re not boring you, are we?”

Ellie shook her head. “Not at all. Which surprises me since I can’t think of anything more boring than cooking.”

“Boring?” Gregory looked as stunned as someone who’d been told a bolt of lightening had struck their house and it was now a smouldering ruin.

“I have a tendency to set kitchens on fire.”

“There’s a fire extinguisher in the cupboard under the sink and one in the bottom drawer near the dining room,” Gregory said.

“You have two?” Ellie stared at him.

“Of course. Some meals actually call for being set alight.”

Ellie grinned. “And to think I’ve only ever gotten into trouble for setting food on fire.”

“What was the first thing you set on fire?” Sam asked.

“Custard.”

Sam and Gregory both echoed her word, disbelief on their faces.

Gregory shook his head. “How on earth did you set custard on fire?”

“I turned the stove up too high because it was taking so long to cook and then I got a text from a friend and had to reply. She sent one back and I forgot all about the custard as we kept sending messages to each other. Next thing I knew the girl cooking near me was screaming and there were flames coming out of the saucepan. I popped the lid on the saucepan and turned the element off but she still kept shrieking like a siren. At least I’ve always put my fires out.”

Gregory shook his head again. “Custard.”

Ellie nodded. “Yeah, but it didn’t actually look like custard when I had to clean the saucepan. They ended up throwing it out. It wouldn’t come clean. I had to replace it.” She grinned. “So I took the one from home since it never got used.”

“What do you eat if you never use a saucepan?” Gregory asked.

Sam shuddered. “You don’t want to know. She might as well eat cardboard.”

Ellie grinned. “Why do you think I love coming over here? I absolutely adore the food you cook.” Her grin faded. “But I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get my pancakes for breakfast.”

Sam laughed. “I’ll make them for you later, when you’re ready for your lunch. A very late lunch.”

“Excellent.”

Sam pushed away from the table. “Do you want to go and play a game or something?”

Ellie nodded. “Sure, why not?” She picked up her plate, carrying it to the kitchen. Sam did the same. As soon as they’d rinsed and stacked them in the dishwasher, they headed downstairs.

The next few hours passed quickly as Ellie practiced dying spectacularly. In the end, she dropped the controller on her lap and shook her head. “I think I’m better in the kitchen then I am at this game.”

“That’s a scary thought.”

Ellie laughed. “Isn’t it just? Now if only there was cooking involved. All the enemies would probably be barbequed. Then I’d win the game for sure.”

“No doubt.”

“I never thought to ask last night. What time does Tom get home?”

“Around six.”

“That’s ages away.”

Sam stared at her for a few minutes. “Tom told me you had a legitimate reason for coming home with me that first weekend and I’m not to hassle you about it. Lauren said something similar.”

“Is this your way of hassling me or are you telling me you’re not going to hassle me?”

Sam shook his head. “I won’t hassle. This is the last time I’ll bring it up. But I do want to know. You wanted to know why I didn’t ask you when you were first here. It was nice having a female actually talk to me and not act as if I didn’t exist. I didn’t want to scare you away when I was enjoying having you around.”

“That’s sweet.”

“No, it’s not. It’s sad and pathetic.” Sam shrugged. “But I’m sort of used to being that so it doesn’t really bother me. I just can’t work out why you came home with me. You’re kind of popular. In an odd sort of way. Everyone seems to know you and says hello to you, well, everyone that counts that is. Yet you don’t seem to really hang out with any of them. Just Lauren. I mean, you don’t ignore them and you do things with them, but you seem like you don’t really care if you’re a part of their group or not. I’m not making sense, am I?”

Ellie smiled slightly. “You are. Just. I’ll think about telling you. Or better yet, I’ll think about letting Lauren tell you. It’s not something I tell everyone. Lauren and Tom are the only ones who know the whole story. Well, Tom knows most of the story, Lauren knows every little detail. But she won’t be telling you every little detail if I let her tell you. Just the highlights.”

“Okay.” Sam nodded. “Do you want me to make you lunch or should I do the delivery first?”

“I’m not hungry yet. That food your father cooked might have sat light, but it’s very filling.”

“I’ll tell him that. He’ll like hearing that comment. Unless you wanted to tell him.”

“Nah, it’s okay. You can tell him. Do you mind if I use your computer while you’re gone? I was thinking of catching up with emails.” She considered getting her laptop out, but then she’d have to ask about accessing their internet. It seemed easier to use Sam’s computer.

“You can use mine if you want, but Tom won’t mind if you use his laptop.”

“Thanks.” Ellie grinned. “I didn’t even think of it. I’ll use his.”

Sam turned off the playstation. “I’ll make lunch when I’m back. Any messages for your mother?”

Ellie shook her head. “Not really. Oh and don’t be offended if she calls you a geek when you tell her your name.”

“Is that what you told her I was?”

“Not exactly. Heather was trying to find out where I was staying and I said your name and then she wanted to know if you were my boyfriend and it all got a little complicated.”

“I don’t mind if you think that.”

Ellie laughed. “You’re odd and a little geeky but you’re also really nice.”

“And that makes me feel so much better when you say the last comment with a tone of surprise.”

“Now I’m the one making a mess of explaining things. Maybe you better go before I completely insult you, which is the opposite of what I’m trying to do.”

“Okay. Thank you, I guess.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to go quite that far. My compliment left a lot to be desired.” Ellie rose to her feet. “Besides, I’m the one who should be saying thanks. For going to see my mum for me. Did Tom tell you which pub Mum’s friend will be at with her drinks?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I was a little surprised when Tom asked me, but I did some research online. Did you know-”

Ellie held up her hand to stop him. “Please. I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

Sam nodded. “That’s okay.” He headed for his room.

Ellie stared after him in surprise. She shook her head, wondering why she should be surprised. Sam was constantly doing the opposite of what she expected. She slowly made her way into Tom’s room and turned on his laptop.

Once she’d answered emails, Ellie signed into her messenger. She signed in as offline since she really didn’t want to talk to everyone. Just Lauren, if she was online. She grinned when she saw she was.

Ellie says: Hey.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Was it odd being at home on a weekend.

Ellie says: Had a change of plans.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: What happened?

Ellie says: Party arrived anyway. Even Scott was there. Tom came and picked me up. Thought they were going to break down the front door with a battering ram.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Oh no! You okay?

Ellie says: Yeah. Idiots. How could they not have realised there was no party when the place was locked up and no lights were on. Well, except for the verandah light, but it’s permanently on.

They chatted for a while about how dense some people were, trying to outdo each other with remembered incidents.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: I’m glad you ended up at Tom’s place. Wish I was there too
;)


Ellie says: Sam’s making a delivery to my mum.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: lol. Bet he gets a buzz out of that. He’s probably picturing himself as some 1920’s crime lord running illegal substances.

Ellie says: I’ve barely had time to talk to you this week about how the two of you are going.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Where do I start. Have I told you I’m counting the days until he’s seventeen? Normally it’s my parents saying I’m not allowed to date. Odd to have it be his parents. Mine absolutely adore him. But he cooks like his dad. You should see his dad in action. He has such flair. Mum’s always encouraging Sam to cook something when he comes over. Then she sits back and watches him like he’s a TV show.

Ellie says: I have seen his dad cook.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: You finally gave in and watched one of his shows?

Ellie says: Nah, I helped him cook a meal earlier. Some salmon thing.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Kitchen still standing?

Ellie says: Very funny!

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Still counting days till Sam’s seventeen. You want me to tell you how many?

Ellie says: *rolls eyes* You’re a sad, sad case.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: I know. Especially since I’m not likely to be able to sleep over like you get to.

Ellie says: I wish you could.

They chatted about Sam for a bit, or at least Lauren did while Ellie teased her, laughing at the similar comments Lauren made about her and Tom.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Oh, brilliant news. I told mum you introduced me to Sam and she doesn’t think you’re so bad anymore. I’m still not allowed to have you over, but I am allowed to socialise with you if we’re out in a crowd.

Ellie says: Wow. Before you know it I’ll even be allowed to ring you again.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: lol. Brb

Ellie says: K.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Back.

Ellie says: I was beginning to think you’d be gone forever.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Sorry. That was Sam. He’s seen your mum. He wanted to ask me to come over to dinner tonight. Said that Tom could pick me up or I could bike back with him.

Ellie says: He was quick. It’s only been about an hour and a half. What did you tell him?

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: That I had to say goodbye to you. I’m riding over with him. We’ll be there in about an hour.

Ellie says: Yes! Can’t wait.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Spending time with my two fave people in the world. What more could I want?

Ellie says: Sam turning seventeen
;)


Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: lol. Yep. I’ll see you soon.

Ellie says: Buh-bye.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty says: Bibi.

While Ellie waited for Sam and Lauren to arrive, she changed into her bikini and went out to the pool. She was lazing in the shallow end when they turned up.

“Don’t get out. We’ll join you,” Lauren called when Ellie started to climb out of the pool. “I’m dying of heat exhaustion. A swim is exactly what I need.”

They splashed around for a while before they ended up lazing about on the steps. “This is the perfect depth of water for laying about,” Ellie said with a sigh. “You know, I was having so much fun I forgot all about lunch. I guess we might as well leave it for dessert now.”

“And have a main meal as a dessert?” Sam teased.

Ellie grinned. “I know. Terrible, isn’t it?”

Lauren played with Sam’s hair. “I wonder what you’d look like with a mohawk.” She spiked his hair up.

“Odd,” Sam suggested.

“Or better yet, about three times the length of your brother’s hair and lines shaved into it to make it look like a chess board. You’d have to dye it black and white too,” Lauren said.

Ellie laughed. “You just want him to match you.”

Lauren looked down at her own streaked hair. “Well, there is that too. But I also think it’d look cool.”

“I don’t know about that,” Sam said.

“I bet I could convince you.” Lauren moved in close to Sam.

“I’m sure you could.” Before he could say another word, Lauren’s lips met his and his eyes closed.

Ellie glanced away, spotting Teresa a moment before she reached the edge of the patio. By then it was too late to warn Lauren.

“Sam!”

“Uhh… hello Mum.”

“Your father told me both of the girls are staying for dinner.”

Sam could only nod.

“Lauren can stay for dinner and then she’s not welcome back until the seventh of January.”

Lauren shook her head. “I’m sorry Mrs Wallace. We were just mucking around. I mean… well not exactly… I was saying that a woman can always change a man’s mind about something. We aren’t… weren’t… I-”

“Then this is your first and final warning, Lauren,” Teresa said frostily.

“Yes, Mrs Wallace.”

“If you even think along those lines you’re back to waiting until January before you can visit again.”

“Okay, Mrs Wallace. I’m terribly sorry about that. We were just-” Lauren gushed until she was interrupted by Teresa.

“Dinner will be ready in a little over an hour.” Teresa strode inside.

“I’m so sorry, Sam.” Lauren reached out to him, pulling her arm back before she could touch him.