by Cege Smith
Ellie was confused. She looked around at the room. The monstrous front doors, when opened, would have partially blocked the bureau from view as they entered. Still, it seemed odd to Ellie that she hadn’t smelled the flowers before given how fragrant they seemed to be.
Ellie picked up the note that was sitting next to the vase and opened it. “Our regards to our dear friend. Thank you again for being there in our time of need. Love, Randall and Linda,” she read out loud
“They sure like you,” Kevin said sarcastically.
“Never mind that. I’m still surprised we didn’t see these before.” Ellie pointed at the vase again.
“Oww. Magically appearing red roses. How freaky is that, I ask you?” Kevin said, wiggling his fingers in the air in the imitation of a ghost.
“Cut it out, Kevin. I’m serious,” she said.
“Ellie,” he said plaintively. “There is no mystery here. We just didn’t see them when we walked in because we were so distracted by wanting to take a look around the ole place. You are letting that agent’s silly story mess with you. Let’s get you out of here. I think you need some rest.”
They quickly turned off the lights around the house and when they stood in the foyer again, Kevin pointed at the flowers. “Are you going to take those?”
“No, you can have them,” she said.
“Eric will be so happy!” Kevin was delighted. “I won’t tell him that I didn’t actually buy them so you can’t tell him either.”
Ellie pulled the door closed behind them and locked the door. She pulled Skipper’s leash from beneath the chair leg and then the three of them headed down the sidewalk to the street.
Ellie turned and looked back at the house. In the darkness it felt like it was watching her. She shivered.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ellie got back to her apartment and dropped her jacket and the house keys in the usual spot. She picked up the phone receiver and heard the tone indicating she had a message. She punched in her code. An electronic voice told her that she actually had two messages. Ellie couldn’t remember the last time she had that many messages in one day. She hit the button to play the first one.
“Umm, hi, Ellie, it’s David.” His deep voice sounded uncertain in a totally flirtatious sort of way. “I was just giving you a call to see how you’ve been. I’ve been swamped at the hospital. In fact, I’m just on break right now. I’m working late, but I’ll try to stop by the coffee shop on my way home tomorrow morning. We have to pick a time for that date.” Ellie knew she heard a smile in his voice now. “Anyway, I hope you’re having a good evening, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”
Ellie was ecstatic that he had called so soon, and sounded eager to see her again. She was warming toward the idea of dating more and more, and there had been a small nagging in the back of her mind that maybe he wouldn’t call her. She had to admit that it was a bit thrilling that a handsome young doctor was vying for her attention.
The smile slipped from her face as the next message started. “Ellie, it’s Jake. I know you probably don’t want to talk to me, but I really want to talk to you. I need to talk to you. Will you please call me back? If we could just meet for dinner or something, that would be great. I promise, no fighting whatsoever. I hope to hear from you soon.”
For once, Ellie could not detect an ounce of alcohol in Jake’s voice. He sounded stone cold sober, and just like the old Jake. She wasn’t sure what to think about that, but she knew that she wasn’t interested in meeting up with her ex-husband, no matter what the circumstances. She deleted the message, and then deleted it from her mind as well.
The next morning brought a new argument with Kevin. “We need to get you into the twenty-first century, Ellie, seriously.” He was looking at the mountains of paperwork all over her desk. She usually took the most important ones to the front and worked on those in the relative quiet of the shop because when she worked in her office, she felt the silent screams from the ink on all the pages: “Read me! Look at me! How can you keep ignoring me?”
“What are you talking about, Kevin?” she said as she ran her hand through her hair. She felt tired, and she could tell by Kevin’s expression that she looked it too. She had not slept well, nightmares marring her dream landscape. She couldn’t remember what they were about, but she had woken up feeling uneasy.
“Technology. That’s what I am talking about. That dinosaur you have sitting there and never use that I think is older than I am,” he said, pointing at the massive desktop computer that took up half of Ellie’s desk. “You need a laptop. A cell phone would be a good idea too,” he said in frustration.
“We’ve been through this before, Kevin,” she calmly explained again. “I’m used to doing most of this by hand, and I’ve got a system that works for me. This isn’t that hard. What would I do with a computer at home? And having a cell phone just means that people I don’t want to talk to can reach me more easily. I already talk to everyone I want to talk to right here every day.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Ellie didn’t know why, but there had always been a part of her that strongly opposed technology.
“Having a computer at work will help simplify this mess.” Kevin’s gaze took in the whole room. “You can’t tell me your accountant didn’t charge you more last year because he had to sort through all your reams of paper.”
Ellie shifted uncomfortably. She hated it when Kevin was right.
“A computer at home means you can do some of the work you do here from home. That also means that you don’t need to be here six days a week like you are now. Having a cell phone may come in handy when you are staying at Linda’s. Plus with things getting a little hairy again with Jake, it might not be a bad idea for your own safety, Ellie.” Kevin looked away, and she could tell he didn’t like bringing up the idea that she would need it to be safe. She had told him about Jake’s latest message.
As much as she didn’t like it, she knew that everything Kevin said was true. She had been stubbornly avoiding the expense because she really thought that it was unnecessary. But one look around her office told her that with the business growing, things were out of control and she needed to do something soon.
“All right, I’ll consider it,” she said.
“Eric could help you pick out the right things if you wanted some help. He’s such a techno geek,” Kevin gushed, making it sound like that quality was one of the sexiest ones a man could have.
“We’ll see,” Ellie said. She wasn’t going to be bullied into it.
Jeffrey appeared behind Kevin and looked over his shoulder at Ellie. “Ellie, there is a young man out front who asked to speak to you.”
Ellie and Kevin grinned at each other. Ellie looked at her watch. It was seven a.m., so David was right on time. She giggled as Kevin started smoothing her hair and clothes for her. He nodded that she was ready. She walked out front, ready to greet David with a smile.
The smile quickly disappeared. Jake stood on the other side of the counter.
“Ellie, I’ve been trying to reach you,” he said quietly but firmly, looking furtively around the room. Ellie hadn’t seen Jake in months, but she had to admit that he looked good, although the dark rings underneath his eyes and slightly pea-color aura around him said that trouble was lurking around the corner. But he looked better than he had when they had split up. He had put back on the weight he had lost, and he was dressed in a dark blue polo shirt and tan khakis. She was mildly surprised because Jake usually wore a T-shirt and jeans for work. She was relieved that he appeared sober.
“We don’t have anything to talk about, Jake. We’re divorced now,” she replied just as firmly.
“Just because we’re divorced shouldn’t mean we can’t be civil. Can we just talk for a minute, please?” he pleaded.
Ellie realized that he wasn’t going to go away, as much as she wanted him to. To show up at the coffee shop, on her turf, spoke volumes about the lengths he was willing to go. She finally nodded, and pointed to a table
in the corner near the front.
“Go sit over there. I’ll be right over.”
Jake’s face broke into a brilliant smile and his aura turned almost white. Disarmed, Ellie almost smiled back. Then she remembered where they had been, and she forced the smile back. He headed for the table.
“What the hell is he doing here?” she heard Kevin snarl behind her. She turned and placed her hands on his chest.
“I don’t know. But avoiding him isn’t working. So I’m going to go over there and talk to him for a few minutes. Hopefully, if he gets out what he is so determined to tell me he’ll go away.” She spoke in a low tone so that Jake wouldn’t be able to overhear.
“You just wave if you need me to come over there and kick his ass,” Kevin said.
Ellie saw Jeffrey behind Kevin with his eyebrow raised, and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was: there was no way that Kevin would be able to kick anyone’s ass, much less Jake’s.
“Thanks, Kevin.” She patted him on the arm. She moved to go around the counter and found David standing there at the register. In the commotion, they had missed him coming in. Her heart sank. David’s timing was horrible.
“Hey, Ellie,” he said with a bright smile.
“Hi, David.” She gulped, trying not to panic. Warning bells were going off in her head, but she had to stay calm.
“Did you get my message last night?” he asked. He seemed nervous, which any other time Ellie would have found endearing and sweet.
“Uh, yes. I did. But right now isn’t the best time to talk, David.” She watched his face fall, so she dropped her voice to a low whisper. “My ex-husband just showed up and wants to talk to me.”
David’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “You okay? Where is he?” His head swung around and it only took a moment for him to find Jake sitting at the corner table. He was the only customer in the place who was the right age.
Ellie reached across the counter and put her hand on his arm to get his attention again. “Yes, so I’ll have to talk to you later, okay?” Her eyes pleaded with him. She watched him nod slowly.
Ellie looked back at Kevin and gestured toward David. “Can you help me out here, please, Kevin? I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Kevin scowled at her, but moved to the counter. Ellie heard hushed voices behind her, but she couldn’t worry about that. She had to focus on the man in front of her whose aura was starting to glow a deep red.
“What’s the deal with this guy?” David said in a low tone to Kevin as he watched Ellie move over to table in the corner.
“I don’t know why she puts up with him, seriously,” Kevin replied. He leaned in toward David.
“Do I have anything to worry about there?” David didn’t know how to ask the question the right way other than just being blunt. He didn’t know if Ellie's ex was a factor or not and he was looking for an honest answer. He needed to know if he was wasting his time; the thought alarmed him.
“There is nothing to worry about there.” Kevin shook his head. “That is old news. He was so bad to Ellie it isn’t even funny. But after eight years I think she feels sorry for him. It has been hard for her to let go because she feels guilty.”
“How so?” David asked.
“That isn’t my story to tell,” Kevin said apologetically. “Just hang in there. She’s totally into you.”
David could only hope that Kevin was right.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jake’s foot was tapping on the floor. Ellie’s stomach tightened as she sat down across from him. She needed to control the situation and get Jake out of there before he caused a scene. She could see that he was seething just under the surface.
“Who is that guy?” he asked. He tilted his head in David’s direction. “You seemed pretty cozy with him.”
“He’s a regular here, Jake,” she said slowly. She couldn’t let him get distracted by David. “What’s this all about? I’m here now. Why have you been harassing me?”
“I wouldn’t call a few phone calls harassment. Really, Ellie, you always over-exaggerate. So you dating him or something?” Jake continued to push.
“If I was that would be none of your business,” Ellie said. She moved to try to catch Jake’s eyes, but couldn’t because his gaze was fixed on David’s back. The air around him seemed electrified.
“Didn’t take you long to go jump in bed with some other guy.” Jake scowled.
Before she could react his face twisted into a nasty grimace that she recognized all too well. “Jake,” she warned, but it was too late.
Jake sprang up from the table and Ellie dashed behind him, trying to grab his arm. Jake shook her off easily.
“Jake!” she said again, louder than she meant to.
Now they had the attention of everyone in the shop, including David.
David turned from the counter and gave Jake a slow once-over, and then he relaxed with his left hand on the counter and his coffee in his other hand. His stance said he wasn’t intimidated by Jake in the slightest, but Ellie could see just the faintest hint of pink around his normal blue aura. David was keeping a tight rein on his emotions, but his expression spoke volumes. He wasn’t going to let someone push him around.
Although Jake was practically in his face, David looked instead at Ellie and asked, “Ellie, is there a problem?”
“Hell, yes, there’s a problem,” Jake growled. “Keep your distance from my wife.”
“Ex-wife, I believe,” David said. He calmly took a sip of his coffee without wavering in Jake’s heated glance.
David held Ellie’s eyes and stared into them deeply. It was reassuring. She could sense that he was telling her it would be okay. She wanted to believe him, but she knew Jake. When he got like this, things got ugly. The back of her head started to throb as if to remind her.
“Goddammit! I don’t know who you are, but you are sniffing around somewhere you don’t belong.” Jake stepped even closer to David and shoved a finger in his face.
“I think you’d better take a step back and keep that finger out of my face. Nobody wants any trouble here,” David said.
Ellie saw disaster in the making. “Jake, I need you to leave,” she said, wedging herself in between the two men. She put her hands on Jake’s chest and pushed him backward. She had no idea how he’d react to her doing it, but she couldn’t let him take his anger out on David. “Or else I’m going to call the cops.”
“It’s already done!” Kevin’s voice came from the back room. He emerged with the phone in his hand and waggled it in Jake’s direction.
Jake looked at Ellie, and then at Kevin. Ellie could tell that he was fighting some kind of internal battle; his features tightened and relaxed several times. Then he let out a huge breath, but Ellie couldn’t see a change in his aura at all. Jake was still pissed, but he was in control.
“Fine. I just wanted to talk to you, Ellie. But I see how things are. Oh yes. I’ve got a good idea now.” Then he turned and stalked to the door.
He paused just inside the door even though sirens could clearly be heard now. Then he turned and pointed straight at David. “Don’t think I’ll forget about you.” He shoved through the door and hurried down the sidewalk. Within moments he was out of sight.
Ellie released her breath, not even realizing that she had been holding it. She turned to David, who was still calmly watching the front door. “God, David, I’m so sorry for that,” she said to him.
“Don’t worry about it, Ellie. Guys like that don’t scare me,” he said. He was so relaxed that Ellie was envious.
“I hope you aren’t mad,” Kevin said from the other side of the counter. “As soon as I saw him get up with that evil glint in his eye I knew there would be trouble.”
“No, Kevin, I’m not mad. It was probably for the best. Who knows what he would have tried to do otherwise, if he hadn’t felt forced to leave. Jake always liked a good bar brawl.” Ellie said. She felt so tired all the sudden.
A police car pulled u
p in front of the shop with its red lights flashing. Ellie hoped Jake was long gone. As much as Jake scared her, she didn’t relish the idea of him going to jail.
David watched as Ellie spoke with the police officers, assuring them that everything was fine now. They asked a few more questions and with some prodding from Kevin she confessed everything that had been recently occurring with Jake. David was starting to see why Ellie was so reserved. It sounded like her ex-husband had sent her to hell and back, and now it seemed like the guy was back intending on an encore performance.
After the officers finished taking her statement, Ellie gave them free coffee to thank them for the trouble. David walked with her back outside and they watched the squad car pull away.
“They told me that I might want to consider a restraining order,” she said. She sounded defeated.
“Isn’t a bad idea, I think,” David said. He didn’t need to hear anything else to know that Jake was bad news. He wanted to keep Ellie safe. She didn’t resist as David pulled her into his arms. Immediately her shoulders started to heave, and she sobbed quietly against his chest.
“I’m so sorry,” she said a few minutes later after the sobs had subsided. He was pleased that she didn’t move away.
Kevin had told him that she wasn’t still hung up on her ex, and he wanted to believe that. He felt certain that his and Ellie’s futures were intertwined.
As she looked up at him, he pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Don’t apologize. You’ve been through a lot, and that jackass isn’t helping matters if he won’t leave you alone.”
“I feel so lost sometimes. Things are so complicated. When are they going to get better?” Ellie asked softly.
“Let’s start with today, and tomorrow will work itself out,” David said. He kissed her gently on the forehead. He hoped that she would realize worrying about things out of her control would just drive her crazy.