This is the twenty-first part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, and Part XX before continuing.
Every good general knows the outcome of a battle is determined before the first shot is fired. Studying the battlefield, claiming the higher ground, and preparing your soldiers is where each battle begins and ends.
Owen’s family had already ceded me the higher ground, which was excellent for my purposes. All I had to do now was milk that for all it was worth so Owen would never forget that I was the injured party. The victim he so desperately wanted to save.
My research I had done by stalking his ex on social media.
Now I needed to prepare my men … or women in this case.
“Hey, Mom! How was your honeymoon?”
“It was great! We had the best time. And I got some souvenirs for you. I can’t wait to give them to you the next time you come visit.”
“Yay, presents!”
My mom giggled. “I know. Turns out we’re now the kind of family that can go on vacations and bring back gifts. Isn’t this great?”
“It sure is.”
“So, you met the family? How did it go?”
“It went OK. I don’t think they like me all that much.”
“What? How is that possible?”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Mom, you know there’s no getting everyone to like you.”
“I know, but Owen loves you. Why wouldn’t his family? I thought you said they were close.”
“Yeah,” I said slowly, tapping my chin with one finger as I pondered this dilemma. “It’s almost like the persona that attracts him repels the rest of them.”
My mom’s head snapped back and her brow furrowed in puzzlement. “Really?”
“Yeah, it’s the strangest thing. It’s like, in some ways he’s very much like them, but at least in this respect, he’s nothing like them. Or he wants a girlfriend who’s nothing like them, and I’m not sure what to make of that. Maybe they’re not as close as I thought. Maybe they’re just faking it like everyone else.”
“Maybe. But either way, do you think this could cause problems for you in achieving your goal?”
“Actually, I don’t think so, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. They didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms, but I think I can work that to my advantage. If I play my cards right, in a few years we’ll only have to see them on holidays. Who knows, maybe not even then!”
“You really think you can do that?”
“It’ll take some work, but I think I can. Especially since I found out something else about Owen. He doesn’t just want a Disney princess. He wants a damsel in distress. Someone he can save.”
“OK,” she said slowly as she thought this through. “So, what happens when he’s done saving you?”
I snorted. “Come on, Mom. You know as well as I do that I can keep this going forever. When one crisis is over, I’ll just invent a new one. Preferably involving his family so we won’t have to see them as much.”
“You don’t think he’ll find an endless stream of crises exhausting?”
I thought about this for a minute. “Good point. Maybe not crises, exactly. But his dad said at dinner that all Owen’s girlfriends are ‘damaged in some way,’ whatever that means.”
My mom made a face. “He said that to you?”
I nodded. “And then he asked me how I’m damaged.”
“No!”
“Yup. He’s doing my work for me.”
My mom snorted. “So you think you can work this to your advantage?”
“Easily. But I might have to wait a while before I can dig into that. In the meantime I was thinking my ‘damage’ could be Dad. What if I … embellished certain aspects of his character?”
My mom’s eyes narrowed. “Which aspects?”
“Maybe instead of just yelling at us he … hit us?”
My mom sucked air in through her teeth.
“Not hard. Just enough to keep us scared of him.”
“I don’t know, honey. Making those kinds of allegations without anything to back them up can be dangerous.”
“Not if he isn’t around to dispute them. And even if he does show up, you’ll back up my story, right?”
“Oh, you’re asking a lot of me.”
“I know, but it’s all for the greater good. Owen really could be my Prince Charming. And you should see the palace he grew up in!”
“Is it nice?”
“It’s huge! Three stories, plus a basement, a back patio, a huge back yard, and a front yard!”
My mom whistled.
“I know it’s a risk. But you always told me, nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
My mom let out a breath, and I knew before she said anything that I had her. “You’re right. OK, I’ll back up whatever you say. Just give me a heads up as to what you actually tell Owen before he talks to me about it, OK?”
“Of course.”
“And make sure this doesn’t do anything to compromise my happily ever after.”
“Never.”
To be continued…