by Rowena Dawn
Ellen shrugged but didn’t comment. She was in fact speechless.
“So, let’s see. You have here the ten of diamonds, then the Queen of clubs, the King of clubs, the seven of spades and the four of hearts,” Jay indicated every card in the row.
Ellen shook her head. “You are amazing,” she stared at him. “This is awesome, Jay.”
Jay grinned at her. “I finally managed to make you admire me for something.”
“Don’t worry, I have admired you for other things as well,” she replied with a smile.
Jay dropped on the sofa at once and reached out to Ellen. He pulled the woman in his arms, and watching her face intently, he lifted his fingers to her lips. The man brushed her lower lip with his thumb and then leaned over her to replace his thumb with his mouth.
A knock sounded on the front door, and Jay immediately drew back. He jumped up to his feet and rushed to gather the cards and shove them into the drawer underneath the coffee table.
Ellen watched the man’s agitated moves with bewilderment and asked, “What’s going on?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Only my family is allowed to come upstairs without having to go through the front desk. And that only during the day,” Jay explained to her. “So, it must be one of them. Remember that I asked you to promise that you wouldn’t say a word about what I told you?”
Ellen nodded, watching him with her hazel eyes.
“Well, we’re not allowed to reveal the family secret. So keep quiet, all right?” he implored her with his eyes, and then he went to open the door.
The knock had become insistent and got on his nerves. Jay opened the door with an anxious gesture.
“What the heck...,” he started to shout, but when he faced his mother and father, he swallowed his words. “Hey, mom, dad. Interesting to see you here,” he noticed.
“Stop fooling around, Jay,” her mother scolded him. “I found out everything.”
“I see,” Jay said dryly. “Matt and his big mouth, I suppose,” he added.
“You haven’t given a sign for over two weeks, son,” Jonathan, his father, replied in an apologetic tone of voice.
“We don’t have to apologize to him,” Marjorie snapped. “He didn’t tell us what happened to him and let us fret. And what about that hussy who dared to throw my Matt out of your apartment? Who is she?” his mother continued to thunder.
“Mother,” Jay started to say in a warning tone of voice, but Ellen’s voice stopped him.
“I’m the hussy,” the woman announced in a flat tone of voice, and Jay winced. He hoped that Ellen hadn’t heard his mother’s words.
“Step aside, son,” Jonathan ordered. “I want to see the girl,” he nudged Jay to move with a little push for encouragement.
He measured Ellen openly and then remarked, “She’s a pretty hussy. Good for you, son,” he thumped Jay over the shoulder. “Maybe you want to make the introductions, though,” the man arched his eyebrow, still smiling at Ellen who watched the tall, dark man in bewilderment.
“Mother, father, this is Ellen,” he told his parents. “Elle, this is my mother Marjorie, whose mouth sometimes runs without thought,” he said, and his mother pierced him with a pointed look. Jay just smirked and continued with his introductions. “This is my father, Jonathan.”
“Elle?” his father inquired with a slight frown of puzzlement. “You told us that her name was Ellen.”
“She’s Elle just for me,” Jay snapped. “You will call her Ellen.”
Jonathan chuckled and shook his head. He turned to Marjorie and said, “You son was always a weird one.”
“He’s my son when he’s weird, huh?” she elbowed her husband in his ribs, and he groaned.
“Have a care with my ribs, love. I’m not a spring chicken anymore.”
Marjorie waved her hand to quiet Jonathan and turned to Ellen. “I’m Marjorie,” she said.
Ellen blushed, and hesitantly, she reached out to shake hands with Jay’s mother, only to find herself embraced warmly by Marjorie. She froze, unable to react.
Jay’s mother hugged the young woman and whispered in her ear, “That thing with the hussy was only for Jay. I merely wanted to provoke him so that he had said everything to me. So don’t take it personally.”
“What are you saying to her?” Jay pulled Ellen out of Marjorie’s arms and drew her to him. The man’s eyebrows bunched in a frown, and his jaw was set.
Jonathan shook his head. “This one is worse than Matt,” he noticed, and Marjorie agreed with a nod.
“It seems so,” she mumbled. “Don’t you invite us inside son?”
Jay’s eyes turned in a panic toward the living room. He had forgotten about the ice-cream bowl and was afraid that his mother would see it and guess everything. Ellen merely intertwined her fingers with his and squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“What’s the problem, son?” Jonathan frowned, sensing that something wasn’t right.
“I think that Jay worries because I wanted an ice-cream and he ordered only one. He doesn’t want to seem impolite because he can’t offer you one as well,” Ellen explained to them in a calm tone of voice.
‘Smart girl,’ Jay reflected. ‘Why haven’t I thought of that?’ he mused.
“We don’t care about ice cream,” Marjorie waved her fingers with nonchalance. “Actually, we brought some food and desserts for you,” the woman mentioned, pointing to the huge bag that her husband had left near the door.
“Oh, yes,” the man hurried to pick up the bag. “I forgot about it,” he confessed. “You know, with all this discussion,” he shrugged. “Mom brought you a lot of goodies,” he informed Jay, handing the bag to him.
“Thanks, mom,” Jay said with enthusiasm, and his eyes sparkled greedily. His thoughts had frequently gone to his mother’s culinary treats while he was stuck in the house.
Marjorie waved his words away and pushed past him to the living room. She sat on the couch and invited Ellen to join her with a gesture.
“Come here, dear. Let’s talk a bit. Jay will be busy with the food,” she mentioned not without a slight irony. She knew her boy well.
Ellen turned her eyes to Jay, looking for advice, but the man just shrugged. He didn’t know what to say.
“My wife won’t eat her,” Jonathan pointed out and put his arm around Ellen’s shoulders, steering her toward the couch. “You can keep us company until Jay takes care of that bag,” he said.
Jay sighed inwardly, watching them, and then hurried to the kitchen to take the food out. He wanted to return to the living room as soon as possible, afraid that his parents would say something to upset Ellen. The man didn’t exclude the possibility that Ellen would tell them something she shouldn’t.
He started taking various dishes out of the bag and shoving them into the fridge without even looking inside to see what his parents had brought.
“Oh, Jay, you’re comical,” Ellen’s voice came from the door, and he turned to her.
“Why are you saying that?” he asked, holding a glass container in his hand.
“You’re too anxious, and you’ll make them guess a lot of things,” she got closer to him and whispered. “You have to play it cool. As if you hadn’t had any worry in the world,” she shook her head. “Anyway, I’ve come to make some coffee,” she mentioned in a normal tone of voice and turned to the coffee maker. “Maybe you want to look inside those dishes. Some might need to go into the freezer,” the woman advised him, taking the carafe to fill it with water.
Jay’s eyes followed her every move. The man had forgotten about the dish he held in his hand and the door of the fridge still open. Ellen’s supple steps and the delicate balance of her hips fascinated him.
“Besides, it would be nice to lay something on a plate and serve your parents,” she told him while filling the carafe with water.
Ellen had sensed his eyes on her and didn’t want to let him understand that she was aware of what he was doing. She felt more and more beautif
ul under Jay’s stares, and that boosted her self-confidence. The man was good for her ego.
‘And he’s not only a handsome guy. He’s also interesting, intelligent and caring. Now, that’s a fantastic combination,’ she mused. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like him or who made me feel the way he does,’ she shook her head.
“What is it, Ellen?” Jay’s voice came from behind her, and then, she realized that the water kept running and spilled over.
“Nothing, just thinking,” Ellen replied and turned off the tap.
“Not so fast, sweetie, something bothers you,” Jay blocked her way when she wanted to return to the coffee maker.
“Actually, no,” Ellen beamed at him. “I’ve just ordered some ideas in my mind,” she tapped her head with the tip of a finger.
Jay grimaced, thinking of the worst, and Ellen laughed. “Don’t worry, Jay. I promise that everything is good,” the woman said, putting her hand on his chest. She could feel that the man’s heart beat faster, and the corners of her mouth turned up.
“That’s good,” Jay replied in a quiet tone of voice, and leaning forward, he brushed his lips to her mouth.
Then, he stepped back and took the carafe from her hand. “I’ll make the coffee,” he decided. “You take care of that plateau you were talking about. That’s something else I don’t know how to do,” he grimaced.
“You know plenty,” Ellen whispered, and for the first time, she took the initiative and reached to him on tiptoes. She gave him a featherlike kiss, stroking the side of his face at the same time. “I’ll take care of the plateau, don’t worry,” she grinned, seeing his stunned eyes.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ellen laid the plateau on the coffee table and sat back next to Marjorie, whose dark blue eyes followed her every move. ‘Matt’s got her eyes,’ Ellen noticed.
Marjorie shifted her eyes to the plateau and grinned. “That’s something you’ve done. Jay would have thrown a couple of things there in a sloppy manner. I tried to teach him, but I failed,” the woman shook her head with exaggerated sadness, and Ellen laughed.
“Well, he’s fine the way he is,” the young woman noted, and Jonathan nodded in agreement.
“Matt told us that you saved Jay’s hide,” he opened the subject he and his wife wanted to discuss.
Ellen shrugged. “I just helped.”
“We’ve heard a different story,” Marjorie frowned. “I understand that five guys beat him, and you had to intervene with a gun to stop them.”
“As I said before, Matt has a big mouth,” Jay said, coming with a tray with coffee cups and putting it onto the table. “This family is unbelievable,” he said to Ellen. “If you sneeze in the morning, by noon every single member of the family has found out.”
“We’re not talking about a sneeze here, Jay,” his father intervened in a hard tone of voice.
Ellen noticed the sparkle of annoyance in Jay’s pupils and said, “Jay is fine, and that’s what matters.”
“If he hadn’t been so stubborn and had stopped going to casinos to play cards, nothing like that would have happened,” Marjorie remarked dryly.
“But then, I wouldn’t have met Ellen,” Jay retorted in a huff.
Marjorie measured him carefully and shook her head, “What’s meant to happen, it will happen anyway, son. You might not have met her there, but you would have definitely made her acquaintance.”
“You can’t know that,” Jay replied in an angry tone of voice.
“I’m very sorry, but now I’m confused,” Ellen interfered, and everybody turned to her. “What’s the subject of discussion now?”
Jonathan chuckled. “If I were to guess, Jay’s just declared his intentions to keep you.”
“I’m not a lost dog,” Ellen replied in a dry tone of voice.
“Of course, you aren’t, sweetie,” Jay waved his father’s words away and sat on the armrest next to Ellen. He brushed his lips over her temple and stroked her shoulder.
“I see that you’ve brought the cups,” Marjorie said. “I don’t see any coffee or sugar or milk,” she added meaningfully.
“What the heck?” Jay practically shouted, upset that he was interrupted.
Ellen squeezed his hand. “Just bring the coffee, Jay. I’ll come to help you with the sugar and milk,” she pushed him aside so that she could stand.
“No, you stay here. I’ll bring everything in a moment,” the man stopped Ellen’s intention and left for the kitchen again.
Marjorie and Jonathan exchanged a meaningful look. Ellen noticed the exchange and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Marjorie rushed to say. “We’re just happy that our son found you.”
“What do you mean?” Ellen asked confused.
“It is plain simple, young woman,” Jonathan intervened. “Jay is hooked. For the first time in his lifetime, he really has feelings for someone. I’m sure you noticed how much he cares for you,” the man arched his eyebrows.
Ellen shook her head, rejecting his words.
“What the heck, father? Do you really need to tell her that I love her before I can do it?” Jay snapped from the kitchen door.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ellen’s eyes widened so much that invaded her entire face. She stared at Jay nonplussed.
“You seem really thrilled with my feelings,” the man remarked in a dry tone of voice.
The woman just waved her hand speechless. She wasn’t able to utter one word and swallowed hard.
“The suspense is killing me, Elle,” Jay groused filled with anxiety.
“Give me a moment,” she snapped at him. “It’s not like I hear something like that every day.”
Then, Jay understood that she was just stunned and grinned. “All right, sweetie, take your time. I can wait,” he reassured her, his anxiety gone now.
“Maybe we’d better go home,” Marjorie said to Jonathan. “They probably need to talk alone,” she pointed out.
“All right,” Jonathan slapped his hands on his knees. “Keep us posted, Jay,” he turned to his son, and Jay nodded.
“Let me know if I can organize a party for next Sunday,” Marjorie didn’t forget to mention.
Jay waved his hand, signaling that he heard her words, but his eyes didn’t leave Ellen’s face.
“And we’d like to visit with Ellen and get to know her,” his mother insisted, but Jay didn’t react.
Jonathan just shook his head. “I told you,” he said to his wife aside. “He’s worse than Matt.”
“Ah, by the way,” Jay intervened when he heard the name of his brother. “If you see Matt, tell him that I want him to sue the casino owner on my behalf.”
Ellen’s lips parted, and now she looked like something had hit her over the head. Too many surprises came one after the other.
“Justice will be made,” Jay said to her in an undertone.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Jay, I am not sure I understand what’s going on through your head,” Ellen asked the man once his parents left. “Plus, you’ve just sent your parents back home after you put that huge plateau on the coffee table,” she glanced to the plateau filled with pastries and cakes, which had remained untouched in the middle of the coffee table.
“We can eat them, it’s not a problem,” Jay waved his hand impatiently.
The woman laughed nervously. “If you think that I still can eat, you’ve lost your mind,” she shook her head.
“Come on, Elle, it’s the afternoon already. I’m sure you can eat something,” he said in a persuasive tone of voice, sitting next to her and taking her hand to play with it.
“You’re unbelievable,” Ellen shook her head, an uncertain smile on her face. “Would you explain what just happened?”
“I thought that I was paying attention,” the man replied in a soft voice. “Let’s see what you didn’t get,” he invited her to talk.
“For instance, that part about Matt and suing the casino owner,” Ellen frowned.
Ellen tried to say something, but Jay squeezed her hand. “You can’t Elle. But then, we can prove that he ordered his men to roughen me up. Matt’s a very prudent man, you see. He had already asked me if I wanted to sue. He also took pictures with my bruises in case I would change my mind because I refused at the time. With those pictures and your testimony, we can have that guy, and his goons charged. Of course, to make sure that we didn’t leave anything to chance, we’ll also sue him in a civil lawsuit,” Jay explained his thoughts in detail.
“But you wouldn’t like to go through a lawsuit,” Ellen pursed her lips.
“You missed my point, sweetie,” Jay shook his head. “I didn’t want it then. Now, I definitely do, and I promise you that we’ll have the man’s hide,” he looked straight into the woman’s eyes with confidence.
“But why have you changed your mind?” Ellen searched Jay’s eyes.
“Because it’s important for you to have the casino owner indicted,” Jay said in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice.
“No, I won’t ask you to do something you don’t like,” the woman shook her head. “I’ll find something else.”
Jay tugged at her hand, “Elle, listen to me. There’s nothing else. And don’t worry about my disliking it. As a matter of fact, I like that idea more and more,” he reassured her. “Believe it,” he groused annoyed when he noticed that the woman’s eyes looked doubtful.
“That’s a strange change of heart,” Ellen remarked.
“Probably you haven’t paid attention to the other part of the discussion,” the man replied dryly.
Ellen blushed, sign that she had, in fact, paid attention. “That part is also unbelievable, Jay,” she replied.