“Not so much anymore. I’m not the only woman in my department, though we are outnumbered. Thanks,” she added as Elaine handed her the cup.
“Do you plan to keep working in the police force even after you marry and have children?”
It was a question straight out of the last century, especially when combined with Elaine’s tone and expression. Nic tried to answer it with a smile. “I haven’t really thought about it. And it isn’t an issue now, since I don’t expect to get married or have children anytime soon.”
“Oh? You don’t want children?”
It took an effort, but Nic managed to keep her smile steady. “Not at the moment.”
“You’re—what?—twenty-six?”
“Twenty-seven. This coffee is really good. What brand do you use?”
Either Elaine hadn’t heard the question or she did a good job of pretending. “I had two boys by the time I was your age. Our little Kyle was born a month before my thirtieth birthday.”
Nic’s mild irritation immediately evaporated. “Joel told me about Kyle,” she said gently. “I was sorry to hear about your loss. I know it must be very painful for you still.”
Though her eyes held a world of old pain, Elaine kept her face serene. “Thank you, dear. It was a terrible trial for us, but we’re a close family. We found comfort in each other, just as we did when we lost our Heather five and a half years ago.”
Our Heather. What sort of message was Elaine sending with that phrasing? Or was Nic only imagining that there was a message?
“I have an older brother myself,” she volunteered. “My mother and I leaned on him quite a bit when my father died a few years ago. Mother is living with him now in Europe, where he works for a U.S. embassy. It’s nice to have family to turn to when you need them.”
What might have been a glimmer of approval appeared in the look Elaine gave her then. “Yes, it is.”
Feeling as if she had just scored a hard-earned point—even though she wasn’t quite sure of the rules in this particular game—Nic took another sip of her coffee.
She was immeasurably relieved when the kitchen door opened and Joel and Lou came into the kitchen along with a draft of cool October air. “Is breakfast ready?” Joel wanted to know, smiling from his mother to Nic. “I’m starving.”
Her voice going practically liquid with doting affection, Elaine patted Joel’s arm and replied, “Everything’s ready. Seat your guest and then take your own chair. I’ll get your coffee.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Sharing a look with Nic, Joel made a production of holding a chair for her.
Feeling a bit foolish, Nic sank into it and reached for the napkin—snowy linen—that sat beside the flowered plate Elaine had already laid ready on a crisp yellow linen place mat.
The stack of waffles disappeared quickly. Other than murmuring a few compliments about the delicious food, Nic said little during the meal, listening quietly as the others talked about local people and events. Joel made an occasional attempt to include her in the discussion, but she answered in polite monosyllables, sending the conversational ball back into their court.
“I thought Ethan might join us for breakfast this morning,” Joel said as he pushed his empty plate away and reached for his freshly refilled coffee cup.
Lou frowned. “Ethan’s been pretty busy lately. He’s involved in some project he hasn’t discussed with us. He said he’d tell us about it when he’s ready to talk about it.”
“What does Ethan do?” Nic asked.
“He’s an independent financial consultant,” Joel answered. “Basically he goes into small businesses that are struggling to make it and he helps them turn a profit.”
“So he’s like a financial genius?”
Joel chuckled. “You could say that. He’d hate it, but you could say it.”
“I suppose it’s true enough when you’re talking about other people’s money,” Lou complained. “You couldn’t say it applied to himself. He doesn’t charge enough for his services, and I’ve been telling him that for years. With his talents, he should be a wealthy man by now. Instead he’s just getting by.”
“He makes enough for his needs,” Elaine responded loyally. “He’s promised me he’s putting enough away for his future, but he says he doe
sn’t need any more than he brings in now. Ethan isn’t interested in amassing a fortune just to impress other people.”
“It isn’t a matter of impressing people, it’s a matter of security. Someday he might find a woman who’ll look beyond that difficult exterior of his and actually want to start a family with him and then he’ll wish he had planned a little better for his own needs rather than all these small-business owners he works with every day.”
From Lou’s tone, Nic got the impression that this was an old argument and one he no longer expected to win. Lou was fond of both his sons, that was obvious, but he acted almost as though he blamed himself that their lives hadn’t turned out exactly as he and Elaine had hoped and planned for them. Apparently they thought Ethan should be a wealthy business consultant with a suitable wife and children, and that Joel should be running an upscale metropolitan pediatrics clinic—and still married to the woman they had all loved.