by Cidney West
The song flew by and before he knew it, the audience was applauding, loudly. Some polite claps happened after each dance, but this was a whole different situation. People even hung over the balcony to watch. Not about to miss this opportunity, Cedric stepped back and bowed deeply. Ella curtsied, hiding a smile as she ducked her head. People whistled and clapped and cheered. Apparently, Ella could win an audience over.
Before someone whisked her away, Cedric wrapped his arm around her and led her through a side door, where a bulky security guard waited. He shut the door behind them, and Cedric guided Ella out the back to a formal garden. The fresh air felt good on his skin and in his lungs. Even in the open ballroom, it still felt stuffy with all those guests.
“That was amazing,” Cedric said. “Where did you learn to dance like that?”
Ella’s eyes dropped to the stone pathway that led to a round fountain. “My father. But I’m really not very good anymore. I used to practice, but now…” She shrugged. “I always put it off.”
“I’d never know.”
The corner of Ella’s mouth curved up. “What about you? You clearly know how to ballroom dance.”
“All us billionaires know how to dance. It’s built into our DNA.” Cedric grinned as Ella laughed. She meandered one way around the fountain, tracing her hand along its edge, while Cedric mirrored her on the other side. The bodice of her dress emphasized her delicate curves and he imagined scooping her up and running away from all of this. “I thought about you all night, wishing you were here. And I keep feeling like this must not be real.” He didn’t know what he was saying but he couldn’t stop himself. He’d never wanted to be with anyone this badly.
“I certainly hope you’re wrong about that.”
“You do?” They met on the other end of the fountain. Cedric’s breaths came in shorter gasps and his heart thumped in his chest. Either he was having a panic attack…or something else was going on with him.
Ella bobbed her head firmly, her chest heaving too. “I don’t want to wake up from this. I’ve…it’s just…” She let out a breath, stopping and shaking her head. “I never imagined I’d end up here.”
“Here–as in?”
“With you.” Her face betrayed uncertainty as if she had just opened a door and had no clue what was beyond it. But the only one who should feel uncertain was him.
“That’s amazing.”
“It is?” She inclined her head, confusion crossing her face.
“Yes, it is. I’m the last person you should want to be with. You’re so…so motivated. I keep thinking there’s no way I can impress you.” This was one time he knew money or prestige wouldn’t matter. He had nothing to hide behind.
Ella flushed. “I’m not that motivated, Cedric. And you…” She gazed around, her eyes circling up to the sky. “I know I don’t really belong here.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. “What are you talking about? Out of the two of us, you just dazzled that whole crowd.” Cedric stretched his arms out toward the ballroom.
Ella shook her head in disbelief. “Everyone’s here to see you.”
“They didn’t care about what I was doing until you walked into the room. Besides, you do belong here. If…if things had worked out differently, we might have known each other sooner.”
Ella met his eyes, a spark of understanding in them. After a moment, she said, “I never thought about that.”
Truthfully, neither had he. But he knew he was right.
“My roommate felt this was my rightful place.” She wouldn’t raise her eyes as she said it.
“Well, she’s right.” Cedric closed the gap, sliding his hands along her shoulders. “I don’t know why you like me, but you’re the only one I wanted to dance with tonight.”
Ella looked up at him, her features softening even more. “Do you really mean that?”
A smile touched his lips as he bent closer. “I’ve never meant anything more in my life.” This time, he was not kissing her forehead. He wasn’t taking his chances that another guy would come along and win her heart.
Cedric wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to hers. She relaxed in his grip, not leaving him in doubt if he’d made the right choice as her fingers slid through his hair. When they finally broke apart, Cedric wouldn’t loosen his hold. Not now when she was finally so close. “We don’t have to stay here, you know,” Cedric said, his voice raspy. “We could leave New York. I can take you anywhere in the world. Just name it.”
She watched him closely, breathing in and out. “That sounds nice.”
“It could be reality.” He pulled her closer. “I have the means. We don’t have to be tied to this place, Ella. You don’t have to be. Not anymore.”
Her eyes darted around, and apprehension crossed her face. “You’re serious?”
“Of course I am. I don’t want to be here, and I know for sure you don’t.”
She hesitated as if debating. “What about Vannoy? You have a lot of responsibility.” He could see her trying to work out the details in her mind.
But Cedric just shrugged. “They can find someone else much better qualified to handle this than me. And besides…I never intended to stay anyway.” He came up short when he realized what he’d said. He never meant to admit that to anyone. Not that it was tough to guess.
Ella’s arms loosened around his neck. “What do you mean?”
Now he’d done it. He didn’t have much choice but to explain it all to her. “I came to Vannoy because it’s…it’s a requirement in my family. Knightley is a family business and each oldest child is expected to take that on.”
“For a few weeks?” Her brows arched.
Cedric faltered. This was more complicated to explain than he thought. “Well, no…not exactly.”
Ella had pulled back farther, meeting him square in the eyes. “Then what exactly is it?”
He moistened his lips. This was the tricky part. “It’s part of my inheritance rules. That’s all.”
Ella looked away, putting the pieces together. “So…all you have to do is show up for a little while, pretend to work, and then you get what you really want–your money?”
The threads were unraveling before his eyes and Cedric couldn’t stop it. Or the accusing look now in her beautiful eyes. “No–well, okay, yes, at first. But…but I changed my mind. Because of you.”
“But you were planning to leave all along? And you still made me believe…” She pressed her lips tight, but her meaning was clear. She believed Cedric had led her on this whole time, knowing he would leave. The worst part was she was probably right. It was unintentional, but still.
He couldn’t answer, though he knew not saying anything only confirmed what she thought. Hurt filled her eyes as they teared up. He stretched out his hands, but Ella escaped his grasp. “I knew this couldn’t be real,” she whispered. The back door opened, and Ella’s eyes snapped to it in panic. She backed away.
“Ella, please.” Cedric reached for her, but she shuffled farther back. Glancing behind her, she took one last, pained look at him. Then, in one fluid motion, Ella gathered up her skirts and ran down the path through the garden.
“Ella!” He dashed after her. She turned and zigzagged with shocking agility in that gown. In an effort to catch up, Cedric leap-frogged over a hedge. But Ella slipped down a different gravel path, evading him. They were heading toward the exit on the opposite street when his father called his name. Cedric came to a halt, Ella nowhere to be seen in the dark. He gazed down at the white gravel, gasping for air. A few feet away, a single glittery high heel caught his eye. He bent over to pick it up, staring out into the darkness in vain. Ella had run away from him. And there was no going back.
CHAPTER 20
Ella ran until she was certain Cedric wasn’t behind her, only pausing once when the one, very expensive heel slid right off her foot. But she was too afraid to stop to retrieve it and pulled the other heel off as she ran. She had no clue how to explain to Maggie how sh
e was returning only one designer shoe, though Maggie had insisted everything was Ella’s now. One thing was for sure, this dress was never designed to run a 5k.
Ella slowed as she reached the front of the ballroom building again, the stone columns coming into view. Scarlett was supposed to pick her up soon and Ella figured Cedric would never come this way. Besides, why would he chase her when he could easily leave with someone else whenever he wanted? As she slowed to a walk in her bare feet, catching her breath, she spied someone else she had no interest in seeing again. Ella groaned as Marie caught sight of her at the same time.
Marie stormed over, smoke practically spewing from her nostrils. “You ruin everything!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, the sound bouncing between buildings. “Mother should never have married your stupid father! All he was good for was his money!”
Fire blazed in Ella’s gut and she marched over and slapped Marie across the face. Marie gasped, her eyes growing wide. Angie stifled a laugh behind her. “If anyone’s ruined your life, Marie, it’s you. Grow up.” Then Ella fixed her gaze on Sylvia, who didn’t bother to come to her daughter’s rescue. Ella pointed a finger at her. “As for you, I don’t know what you have against me, but you have what you want. I don’t owe you anything. So don’t ever call me again.” Sylvia only stared back in shock or horror or maybe both, but regardless, she didn’t utter a word.
Marie slunk back behind her sister and mother but received no comfort from either. Angie, possibly for the first time in her life, didn’t utter a peep.
Right then, Scarlett’s car roared alongside them, the brakes squealing to a stop. Ella could see her raring to pounce, so she got in the car and told her to drive. Before she could protest, Ella said, “I handled it. Just go.”
“Really?” Scarlett sounded doubtful at best.
Ella slowly turned her gaze on her. “Yes. Really.”
Ella had no idea what she looked like, but Scarlett held up her hands in defense, then put the car back in gear. “Okay…just asking…” They screeched back out onto the road and left her stepfamily in the probably illegal amount of exhaust pouring from Scarlett’s car engine.
Ella watched her stepfamily fade into the background in the side mirror. She might never see them again, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Once they settled back into their apartment, Ella explained everything that happened from the time she left Scarlett to when she picked her up. It was a much longer story than she imagined, and they were up well into the next morning discussing it all. It had been a weird night. One of exhilaration, extreme disappointment, and liberation. She had a feeling she’d need weeks to sort it all out.
Even the next morning, she still couldn’t believe how she’d stood up to her stepfamily like that and would have thought she imagined it except for Scarlett assuring her it must have happened. She wasn’t sure where to even begin with Cedric, but some problems became painfully obvious. One being her job situation.
First thing on Monday morning, Ella put in her two weeks’ notice at Vannoy Travel. Maggie seemed surprised–and yet not. She did, however, tell her she was proud of her decision and promised to be there if Ella needed her. For once in her life, Ella thought this time someone meant it.
There was no sign of Cedric, which was both a relief and reminder that things hadn’t been all she thought they were. She pictured him on a plane to Europe or Asia and was convinced they’d never cross paths again. It was probably for the best, but her chest still cramped up at the thought. Even if he’d been insincere, she still cared for him, and that made it tougher to swallow.
When she broke the news to Scarlett about her job Monday night, she was surprised but supportive. Ella could tell Scarlett couldn’t make out what had gotten into her, but she was obviously behind her a hundred percent. “So, what are you going to do next?” Scarlett asked, curled up on the couch.
Ella shrugged. “I don’t know.” She probably should have had a concrete plan but for once, she just didn’t want one.
“Well, what do you want to do?”
“Don’t know that, either.”
Scarlett shook her head. “This is so not like you.”
“That I do know.” Ella half smiled. “I promise I’ll pay my share of the rent and figure it all out though. You don’t need to worry.” Ella did have some savings. Not much but it would do for a little while.
“I don’t doubt it.” Scarlett inclined her head, studying Ella with her keen green eyes.
“What?”
Scarlett just smiled. “Nothing. This is just the girl I’ve been waiting to see.”
Ella had to admit she agreed with her.
Once she’d taken care of the job part of things and all the rush and adrenaline of Saturday completely wore off, Ella only had one thing left to face–Cedric. She’d pushed it to the background to deal with life but now there was nothing else to hide behind.
As she buried under the covers in the dark of her room that night, their whole conversation flooded her mental space. How he kissed her so passionately and asked her to leave with him. But then how he admitted he’d never been that serious in the first place. Technically, he should have already been gone, leaving Ella behind him.
Ella sank farther into her bed. She’d told Cedric things she never told just anybody. Now he was floating around out there, free to move on to the next woman who caught his fancy. Meanwhile, Cedric was burned into Ella’s psyche like no other man she’d ever known. And she was well-aware how impossible it would be to erase him.
With nothing to stop her now, Ella surrendered, and let the tears flow.
After spending all afternoon Sunday at the dining room table, Cedric made sure his resignation letter was hand-delivered to his father first thing Monday morning. Then, he got busy packing. There was no reason to stay now.
While tossing stuff into a suitcase, he paused to answer a knock on his door Monday evening. His father stood in the doorway, holding Cedric’s letter. Cedric pursed his lips, leaving the door open for him to come inside. “You’re not going to change my mind this time,” Cedric said over his shoulder.
His father closed the door, strolling into the living room. “I was genuinely surprised to receive this today. You seemed…excited about what you were doing. What changed?”
Cedric dragged a hand down his face. How did he answer this without getting into the real reasons?
While he debated, his father gazed around and spied Ella’s shoe sitting on the coffee table. Cedric had left it out in the open without thinking about it. He didn’t know why he’d held onto it. But he couldn’t toss the thing.
His father picked it up carefully, turning it around. “Is this about a woman?” He arched his graying brows.
Cedric shook his head, frustration bubbling inside him. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” His father held out the shoe.
“Assume that you’ve got it all figured out on one piece of information. You don’t know anything about her or how I feel about her. So just let it go.” Cedric slammed his suitcase shut.
His father set the heel down and studied him from across the room. “Do you love her?”
That was the last thing Cedric expected his father to ask. He rested his hands on top of the suitcase, staring straight ahead. “I think I do.” He let out a puff of air. “But I don’t know. Maybe she was right and I’m just a flighty rich brat who doesn’t care about anything or anyone.”
“She said that to you?”
“No. Not even close. But she should have.” His eyes settled on the gray comforter on the bed, everything a blur. How could he let this happen?
His father dug his hands in his pockets, focusing on the couch. “I’ve never known how to do this without your mother around for guidance.”
“How to do what?” Cedric asked tiredly.
His father motioned between them. “This. You and me. I never meant for things to be like this. But I’ve never known how to fix it, either.”
Cedric switched his gaze to his dad. After a pause, he said, “Me either.” Cedric could blame his father for it all, but he knew that wasn’t really fair.
His father glanced back at the shoe. “If you love her, why are you leaving?”
Cedric pushed himself up straight. “Because I told her that I was only sticking around to get my inheritance.”
His father tilted his head. “Well, that was true.”
Cedric sighed, returning to the living room. He put his hands in his pockets, stopping behind the couch. The high heel Ella abandoned glittered under the chandelier light. Under all that dress, she could have worn Converse sneakers, and no one would ever know the difference. But Ella was about the details. The shoe was pretty, though Ella didn’t need fancy designer heels for that.
“Yeah, it was true,” Cedric said, rubbing his neck. “I wish it wasn’t.” He couldn’t change it, or how that knowledge changed Ella’s opinion of him. Truthfully, he knew inside that was the way she should have felt about him all the time. “Just promise you’ll stick with the direction we’re going with Vannoy. Their employees work hard; they deserve this.”
His father appraised him, a smile on his lips. “I promise. And I agree with you.”
“That’s a first.”
His father smiled wryly, then looked around Cedric to the bedroom. “I guess I should let you get back to packing.”
Cedric nodded, drifting back into the bedroom, hearing the outside door click a minute later. He stared at the half-packed suitcase, knowing that leaving was what he’d wanted to do this whole time. But now that he could, it was the last thing in the world he wanted.
CHAPTER 21
Her last two weeks at Vannoy flew by. Before Ella knew it, she was at her going-away party, and people seemed genuinely sorry to see her go. And she knew it had surprised everyone. She supposed she seemed predictable.
But Maggie promised her no one would miss her more than she did, even though she was happy about her decision. She’d asked about Ella’s plans and the only thing Ella had thought of was actually Cedric’s idea: starting a travel blog. Except to do that, she had to travel.