"Well hello, little lady," Albert said, putting his hand out to Ellen.

"Hi," she said, shaking it. She didn't know what'd she expected, but this guy wasn't it. He was so ordinary looking, and he'd reduced her mother to giggling, for god sakes. Still, his handshake was warm, and he was smiling at her.

"Albert, Ellen's graduating in the top twenty percent of her class," Mom said, giving her a surprise wrap-around hug. "We're so proud of her, me and her father, I mean. I don't know how I got so lucky."

"Beautiful and smart? Sounds like her mother," he said, giving her mom a look that was sort of gross.

It was one thing for her dad to be remarried, because he'd started dating pretty soon after the divorce. Oh, he'd pretended her hadn't until he was practically engaged, but Ellen wasn't stupid.

But her mom had basically never dated, or at least, never brought those guys around her, which was good. She wanted her mom to be happy, but she was done with step parents.

But as she watched her mom talk to Albert, touching his hand, she wondered if that's what she was getting for Christmas this year.