by Cege Smith
CHAPTER TWELVE
The next day brought about the first frost of the season, and the air held the bitterness of winter’s arrival. Ellie cut Skipper’s walk short again, preferring the warmth and comfort of the fireplace and her book to traipsing around outside.
The shop was closed on Sundays. It had been one of Jake’s stipulations when she told him she wanted to start her own business. He said she should have one day to focus just on them. Later in their relationship, Ellie had often worked that day anyway in an attempt to avoid him. Now that she was alone, Sundays were just empty days for her.
Today felt different, though, and Ellie knew it was because of David. But she was still troubled how things had been left with Linda. She didn’t know what to do when she saw someone who was strong like Linda just break down. It was doubly distressing that she had to rely on her regular five senses to try to make any sense of the matter. She hadn’t realized until last night how much she depended on that extra bit of information that only she could see. Perhaps her little extra talent wasn’t so bad after all.
When Kevin called to check in on her, she gladly invited him over for a cup of coffee and conversation. They sat by the fire, Ellie curled up under a blanket in her overstuffed chair, while Kevin lounged on the sofa. It didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to what had transpired the previous evening.
“So you tried to call her this morning too?” Kevin asked.
Ellie nodded. “No answer, though, so I left a message for her to call me. I’m really worried about her.”
“It was all so strange,” Kevin remarked. “That creepy story about the Bradfords, and then she just had a meltdown. Linda doesn’t seem like the type to get so carried away like that.”
“I know. It was so strange,” Ellie agreed. She took a sip of her coffee. “David thought that the story, mixed with her own past, may have overwhelmed her emotionally.”
“Speaking of that fine-looking man, how’d things go?” Kevin leaned forward eagerly.
Ellie giggled and tried hiding her smile behind her hand. She felt like she was a teenager gossiping about a boy at school. “Good,” she said shyly.
“C’mon. Tell me everything!” Kevin prodded.
“He walked me to my car and asked me on a date. So nothing crazy happened,” she said, but then couldn’t help herself from dishing the rest. “He did kiss me on the forehead. He was a perfect gentleman all night.”
Kevin sighed and leaned back. “Ah, romance. It’s a glorious thing.”
“You and Eric have plenty of romance, I’m sure,” Ellie quipped.
“Eric and I have been together forever and you know what they say, the romance is the first thing to go,” Kevin said, winking at her.
“I think you two are perfect for each other,” Ellie said. “I’ve always been jealous of you.”
“Who knew that you could meet your soul mate when you were eighteen years old.” Kevin shrugged, looking down into his coffee cup. “Between work and school I’m gone a lot, but he’s always supportive. I know I’m lucky. I don’t ever want to lose him.”
Kevin’s aura pulsed a deep blue. Ellie had known him long enough to know that it wasn’t that he was calm, but that he was melancholy. “He’s crazy about you, Kevin. I know you don’t have anything to worry about,” Ellie said. She reached over and squeezed his knee. Kevin patted her hand.
“Thanks, sweetie, but enough about me. When’s your date?” he said, changing the topic.
“He’s supposed to call. He’s got a hectic schedule at the hospital,” she said.
Kevin nodded in understanding. At that moment the phone rang. Kevin raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps that is Prince Charming right now.”
Ellie laughed and went over the phone. She looked at the caller ID. “It’s Linda!” she exclaimed and picked up the phone. “Hello,” she said, expecting to hear Linda’s voice.
“Ellie? It’s Randall,” said the deep voice on the other end.
Ellie shivered. “Oh, hello, Randall,” she said slowly. “How’s Linda this morning? Kevin and I are pretty worried about her.” She shushed Kevin as he started to rise from the sofa.
“I’m a little worried about her as well,” Randall admitted. “Last night seemed to take quite a toll on her.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, especially with how much time and effort she put into planning that dinner party. She was so excited about it. Is there anything I can do?” Ellie was now very worried.
“Linda and I were talking this morning, and we both think that a change of pace might do her some good. It’s been a long time since she’s just gotten away from everything, and she loves Paris. It is a city with calming energy. We’ve decided to go on a bit of a sabbatical, so to speak.”
Ellie was shocked. “I guess I don’t know what to say. This seems quite sudden, Randall.”
“I know, but sometimes it’s good to shake things up. Linda’s really looking forward to shopping in Paris. We thought we might stop in London as well for a while.”
“When are you leaving?” Ellie asked.
“Immediately. I found a flight out today, actually, and I can tell that Linda is in better spirits already. That’s why she asked me to call. She obviously needs to take some time off, and she hopes that you can find someone to cover for her.”
“How long will you be gone?” Ellie’s head was spinning.
“That’s the other thing. We have no desire to rush our trip. The time away will help Linda clear her head, but I don’t know how long it’ll take for her to feel better and she’ll want to come home. So the answer is indefinitely,” Randall answered.
“Indefinitely…I’m just really surprised, Randall. Can I speak to Linda, please?” Ellie asked.
“Unfortunately, she’s not up for taking a call right now, Ellie. I’m sure she will phone you once we reach Paris, though. She wanted to know if you would be willing to watch the house while we’re gone. You were the first one to come to mind. She thought you might gain some positive energy by changing up your environment as well. Of course we’ll take care of all the utilities and things, and we’ll make sure that the kitchen is stocked while we are away. It’d be the least we could do, for you taking care of the place.”
“Me?” Ellie said faintly. “Of course, if that’s what Linda wants...”
“Excellent. That’s settled, then. I’ll send a courier over with the keys and the other paperwork you’ll need. Linda sends her love and as I said, I’m sure she’ll be talking to you soon,” Randall said. “As always it was a delight talking to you, Ellie.”
“How can I reach you?” Ellie said to a dial tone. Randall’s last words turned her stomach. He hadn’t said anything inappropriate, but it was just the way he said it. Her friends’ comments from the night before popped up in her mind.
“What is going on there?” Kevin said. He was sitting on his knees looking over the back of the coach expectantly.
“That was Randall. He’s taking Linda to Europe. Indefinitely. And Linda wants me to stay at the house while they are gone,” Ellie said.
“What?” Kevin exclaimed. “Sit down here and tell me everything he said. Word for word.”
After Ellie had finished relaying the conversation, Kevin sat back down with a whistle. They sat in silence for a few minutes staring into the fire.
“This all gets stranger by the minute,” he finally said. “So they are going to courier over the keys?” At Ellie’s nod he continued, “Doesn’t that seem a bit strange to you? Why don’t they drop the keys off here on their way to the airport?”
“Sounds like they are in hurry,” Ellie said.
“He didn’t say how to reach them either?” Kevin asked. “Call him back, Ellie. Talk to Linda. This just seems like craziness to me.”
“Good idea,” Ellie said. She walked back over to the phone and dialed Linda’s number. She shook her head at Kevin. “No answer, and the answering machine isn’t picking up.”
She and Kevin looke
d at each other with unanswered questions hanging heavy in the air.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next morning Ellie and Kevin related the strange turn of events to Melanie.
“Europe? Indefinitely?” Melanie was just as shocked as they were.
“I know. It just seemed so sudden. Not like Linda at all,” Ellie said, shaking her head. “It was like Randall just took over. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.”
“Well, you did eventually talk to her, right?” Melanie looked at both of them. “You mean, you didn’t even get to talk to her?” She slammed her palm on the table and her usual orange aura was tinged with red.
“We did go over there. When we couldn’t reach her on the phone,” Kevin said. “There was no answer at the door. I guess they must have left right after they called Ellie.”
Melanie looked at Ellie, who nodded in confirmation.
“We tried to reach her, we did,” Ellie said. She felt terrible and could feel tears of frustration burning in her eyes. “But in the end there wasn’t anything else we could do.”
“Okay, then.” Melanie sighed. “We’ll keep the home fires burning, so to speak, and hopefully she’ll call us from this whirlwind vacation. Of course, that’s assuming nothing bad has happened to her.”
The three of them sat in silence.
Finally Melanie cleared her throat. “So what are you going to do, Ellie? This changes things for you a bit. You are short an employee and now it appears you have a household to look after.”
At that moment the door of shop opened, bringing a cool burst of air in and a few remaining leaves that had been left on the sidewalk outside. Ellie stood and squinted. She knew the man who stood there. It was Jeffrey, the butler from Linda’s party.
“Mr.…ah, Jeffrey,” she said. “Can I help you with something?”
The older man smiled, clearly pleased that she had remembered him. He walked over to her and surprised Ellie as he grasped her hands in a warm clasp. Ellie looked closely at him. Strange. He didn’t appear to have an aura either. Ellie was dumbfounded. Was there something about the people in Linda’s life that made them invisible to her?
“Actually, I’m here to help you, young lady,” he said.
“Me? Do you know how to reach Linda?” she asked in a rush, the absence of an aura forgotten.
His smile slipped a fraction. “Unfortunately, I don’t know how to reach Mrs. Jordan. Mr. McGinty assured me she is in the best of hands and was greatly looking forward to her trip.”
“So you spoke with Randall too?” Ellie saw him nod his head and sighed. “I see. I’m sorry. I’m just worried about Linda after what happened that night. You said you were here to help me. What can I do for you?”
“Mr. McGinty knows that since I retired I have a lot more free time on my hands. I used to be employed at one of the finest dining establishments downtown. I was there for thirty years and was able to make a decent living. Put my kids through college and all. That’s why Mrs. Jordan always asked me to help out overseeing her dinner parties and the like,” Jeffrey explained.
Ellie had no idea where he was going with his story as he rambled on. She smiled encouragingly and tried to look interested, hoping he got to the point soon.
“Mr. McGinty knew that by taking Mrs. Jordan to Europe he was leaving you with a hole in your employee roster. He wants to be sure that the spot is still here when Mrs. Jordan returns,” he said.
“Of course, I wouldn’t give her job away. She’s welcome back when she gets back to town,” Ellie said, although he brought up an issue that had been nagging her in the back of her mind. Linda’s abrupt departure left her in an awkward situation. She wasn’t looking forward to finding the right person as temporary help that she would essentially be forced to let go once Linda returned. She thought she was finally starting to catch Jeffrey’s drift.
“Randall asked you to come and work for me, didn’t he? So that Linda wouldn’t have to worry about losing her job,” Ellie finished for him. Randall’s taking care of things quite neatly, she thought.
“That’s right,” Jeffrey said in agreement. “I don’t mind. I’m happy to help and having a job, even temporarily, will be a nice change for me. Plus I think the wife is pleased as punch to get me out of the house for a while,” he said, his eyes twinkling. Ellie saw that they were dark gray, a rather unusual color; almost hypnotic.
“It seems that Randall thought of everything,” she said, and for once she didn’t worry about trying to censor the sarcasm in her tone. She was damn tired of Randall McGinty’s interference in her life.
“He just wants what is best for Mrs. Jordan. One less thing to worry about, so she can focus on getting better,” Jeffrey said.
“Sounds like everyone is getting their ‘change of pace’ in this arrangement,” Melanie said dryly to Kevin.
“This does seem to have solved my problem, Jeffrey.” Ellie gave in. “Welcome to the team. When can you start?”
“Excellent!” Jeffrey seemed delighted. “I can start immediately, of course.”
“Well, that’s great.” Ellie was less enthusiastic but she had to admit that this turn of events was a great relief. “Kevin, can you show Jeffrey where he can put his jacket and hat?”
Kevin nodded and after a moment’s pause, Jeffrey followed him into the back room.
Ellie sat back down across from Melanie.
“Another fascinating plot turn,” Melanie said thoughtfully. “So far, though, you’ve been quite the beneficiary of this strange plot twist.”
“What do you mean?” Ellie didn’t care for Melanie’s tone of voice or the direction she was going.
“The party on Saturday night? That was just a fancy excuse for you to hook up with the handsome doctor.” Melanie gestured toward the door as if David was going to walk through it at any minute. “Linda leaves you in charge of her grand house, all expenses paid, and you could be living there for who only knows how long. Then you have an employee neatly provided for you to cover Linda’s spot. It just seems all very convenient for you.” Melanie was pulling out her notebook even as she was speaking. “And we all know how Randall seems to favor you.”
“You make it sound like I had planned all of this.” Ellie was mortified at the turn of conversation. “Linda is my friend, and sure she planned that party because I think she worried about me. I guess I’ve been a bit…depressed lately, and everyone seems to think the answers to all my problems can be solved by having a man in my life,” she said. “And everything else is just a coincidence. I’m helping Linda, and she helped me by asking Jeffrey to help out.”
“But from the sound of everything, Linda didn’t ask you a single thing. Randall did,” Melanie reminded her.
“We both know that lately they seem to be one and the same whether we like it or not.” Ellie was starting to get testy. She didn’t like Melanie’s logic for one second.
“Yes, whether we like it or not. There haven’t been a lot of options in the last twenty-four hours, have there?” Melanie agreed. “Our friend has been spirited away, and we are left to man the ship.”
“Yes, and we will, for Linda.” Ellie’s words were much more confident than how she actually felt.
“Of course, dear.” Melanie picked up her pen and stuck it in the corner of her mouth. “I’m getting some great stuff out of all this, though. I think I’m going to write for a while, while it’s all still fresh in here.” She tapped her pen to her forehead.
“All right.” Ellie got up from the table. “I’ve got a new employee to train anyway.”
Melanie was already scratching away in her notebook, and murmured a dismissal. Ellie didn’t know what else the day would bring, but the work was always there. So she decided it would be best to focus on that for a while instead.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The afternoon came quickly, and Ellie was pleased to discover that Jeffrey was a quick study. Plus he was great with the customers, especially the ladies, who seemed to be drawn to h
is easy laugh and quick wit. Ellie would look at him through the corner of her eye as they worked, and she could see how he had been quite the charmer when he was younger. His age had not affected his ability to flirt in the slightest. The tip jar was fuller than Ellie remembered it being in quite a while.
“I think you’ve got the hang of it, Jeffrey,” she said to him wryly after another dollar bill was slipped into the tip jar.
“You are too kind, Ms. Ellie,” he replied. “I am here to offer the most pleasurable experience possible. I am happy when the customers are happy.”
“No need to add the Ms. Please call me Ellie,” she said and held out her hand.
He paused and then took it. “As you wish, Ellie.”
She grinned at him and then saw Kevin standing behind Jeffrey with a disgruntled look on his face. She laughed and went over to him, giving him a big hug. “C’mon, Kevin. You know that no one can replace your dashing good looks and charm around here.”
Jeffrey made busy work wiping a rag across the counter, clearly giving Ellie and Kevin some space. She wondered if he had perfected that in the restaurant he worked in or doing the odd favor for Linda.
“I’ve never had competition around here,” Kevin sniffed. “That’s why I always chose to work in female-dominated work places. Plus female bosses are by far the best.” He nudged Ellie’s arm.
“In that I do agree with you, Kevin,” Jeffrey said, his pretense apparently over. Ellie noticed there was no “Mr.” in front of Kevin’s name. She saw just the slightest tightness around his eyes and wondered how an old-fashioned man like Jeffrey was dealing with the fact that Kevin was gay. It was something he’d have to work out, she finally decided. Kevin wasn’t going anywhere, and as long as he believed this was what Linda wanted, she knew Jeffrey wasn’t either.