“It’s not mine. Ellis is letting me use it until I can buy another one.”
“Ellis?”
“Yeah, Ms. McKenna’s grandson.”
“He’s letting you drive this car just because?”
“Yeah.”
He was skeptical. “Men usually want something in return especially when they gift you something this expensive.” He rubbed his chin as his eyes bore into hers. “Are you sure I don’t have competition?”
“Dylan, who I date is none of your business, but, if you must know, the car is not a gift; it’s a loan. Ellis doesn’t expect anything from me. He’s just being helpful.” More likely, his grandmother coerced him into doing it.
Haven was getting defensive again. Dylan didn’t want that and attempted to lower the rising temperature. Surprised, he made a mental note that he was going to have to up his game just in case that Ellis dude was trying to steal his girl. “Understood.” He flashed her that panty-melting smile again. “So, about dinner, Friday or Saturday?”
Tired of the back and forth, Haven tried to end the conversation. “Dylan, I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know if I can make it at all.” He was pulling out all the stops and gave her that look. It was hard to say no when he stared at her that way. Haven needed to get the hell out of dodge—fast.
“Okay, fair enough.” He stood to his full height then slowly bent low to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’m looking forward to hearing from you.”
Surprised, Haven pulled away. She wasn’t expecting that. Nervously, she nodded then quickly got inside her car and drove away leaving him standing in the parking lot alone. She watched him get smaller and smaller in her review mirror.
Once Haven had traveled some distance, she could finally breathe. She had to be stone cold crazy for even entertaining the idea of having dinner with him.
Chapter 12
Five minutes into Haven’s drive, her cell phone rang. She answered on the second ring. “Hello.”
“Hey. I know I said I would wait until you called me tomorrow, but then I remembered I have your flowers. I’m not too far away from the apartment. I can drop them off on my way to home.”
“Dylan, stop.”
“What?” He faked innocent as if he didn’t know what he was doing. “I just want you to have your flowers.”
Her bullshit meter was on full tilt. Haven was pissed. “Regardless of what I say, you’re going to try to execute your agenda. It doesn’t make me think you’ve changed or make me want to say yes to anything with you!”
“Okay . . . okay. I hear you.” Frustrated, Dylan ran his hand over his face. “If it seems as if I’m pushing you too hard, it’s because I’m scared. I’m afraid that I’ve messed up so badly, you won’t give me another chance.”
Haven sighed into the phone because he was right. She both wanted and didn’t want to travel down the same road with Dylan. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to try something new with him. Haven’s only goal was to be happy. Over the past month, she’d been miserable but felt she was finally on the right path. “Dylan, I’ll call you tomorrow. I promised that I would, and I’m pretty good at keeping my word. But, I can’t make any promises beyond that.”
“Then, let me just say this—I love and miss you. I’ll do my best to try and back off, but it’s hard. Being without you is like losing a piece of myself. But, you’re right. You’ve always kept your word, so I’ll wait to hear back from you tomorrow.”
A moment later, they disconnected. Haven was afraid to go straight home. She may have been a woman of her word, but Dylan wasn’t a man who could keep his. He knew her like the back of his hand. It was evident that she was confused, and he knew it. Knowing him, Dylan would use any excuse to break her down including showing up at their apartment.
Haven made a quick U-turn and found herself pulling up into the circular driveway of Ms. McKenna. It was too late for her to be up, so she dialed Ellis’ cell phone. More than likely, he wasn’t home, and even though Haven had a key, she didn’t want to barge into the house unannounced. He answered.
“Hello?”
Haven was caught off guard. “Hey! I’m surprised you picked up.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I figured you’d be out on one of your many dates. I was just going to leave a message.”
“Unless I’m asleep or making money, I always answer my phone. No reason not to.”
“Oh. Umm. . . I wanted to make sure it was okay to stop over and watch some television.”
“You have a key. You don’t really need to ask my permission.”
“I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”
“I knew you couldn’t resist me.” Ellis joked. “Come on in. I’m just sitting here about to watch a movie.”
“You’re home?”
“Why are you so surprised. I live here—for now. Isn’t it a little late for you to be out anyway?”
“It’s date night for you, and it’s not that late, it’s only nine p.m.”
“Not tonight. I’ve got an early conference call in the morning. I spent the evening getting ready for it. And, nine p.m., that’s late for you. Unless you have class . . . and you know my grandmother went to bed a couple of hours ago.”
“True. Well . . .” Haven dragged her answer out. “I wasn’t quite ready to go home after work. I thought I’d stop by to watch a bit of television for a little while. You guys have cable, and I didn’t want to walk into the house without asking.”
Ellis had planned just to chill, but something in her voice made him change his mind. Plus, her apartment was almost an hour away, so for Haven to want to come over meant something was up. “Yeah, come on in.”
“Okay. I’m getting out of the car now.” Haven got out and walked up the stairs to the front door. Ellis had it open by the time she’d made it to the top step. He was holding a bowl of ice cream and was dressed more casual than she’d ever seen him, outside of his workout clothes. The white t-shirt that covered his broad chest and a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips made her blink a couple of times. They hugged his ass perfectly. If Haven were even remotely interested in dating, she would be mildly attracted. Fortunately, for her, Ellis was a man and, therefore, could only be seen as being part of the animal species that breathed air—that wasn’t exactly the case. She had to give him credit for being a good listener when he wasn't a smart aleck.
She smiled and walked inside. “Thanks for letting me come over and hang out with you.”
He closed the door behind her. “I’m just getting ready to watch a movie.” Haven took off her coat, and Ellis noticed she was still wearing her company issued black polo and matching skirt as she sashayed past him. Haven didn’t have much height to her, but damn, she had legs for days. They went on and on and were what he would call perfect. Ellis let out a cough to get his bearings once he realized he’d been staring at her legs. His mind kept telling him to dude, get a grip, but the rest of him was incredibly sensitive when Haven was in the same room.
“You’re still in your uniform. Was today your last day?”
“Yes, and it was crazy busy. My feet are killing me. Anyway, I still can’t believe you’re home alone watching a movie on a Saturday night.”
He laughed a little. “Even I need a little rest. I didn’t leave the house and ordered an intimate dinner for my grandmother and me.”
“I bet she loved that. She beams like a teenager when you dote on her.”
“Yep. It was all about her. I turned off my phones for a few hours and just enjoyed our time.”
“I’m sure your girlfriends weren’t happy about not being able to get in touch with you, Mr. you always answer your phone.” Haven shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it. How you juggle all of those women and get away with it too.”
Ellis raised an eyebrow genuinely perplexed. “With what?”
“The juggling. Seems like it would be exhausting.”
“I don’t know how many times I’ve got to tell y
ou—I don’t do the girlfriend thing.”
“Right.”
“The thing about being single is you don’t owe anyone an explanation. This day was about my grandmother. There are a few of them that I make all about her—mostly holidays but especially Valentine’s Day, which is coming up soon. Today, I just wanted to make up for some of the holidays I missed last year. Anyway, if you ask someone out for dinner, on any holiday, they get the wrong idea. I pride myself in keeping confusion low.”
Haven burst out laughing. “You are too much Ellis McKenna and a commitment-phobe.” She peered over into his bowl. “Is there any more of that? I’d love some.”
He smirked. “You would come over on the night the staff isn’t here, making requests. Follow me. I guess I’m at your service, Princess.”
Haven did as he asked and walked with him into the kitchen. He pulled a bowl down from the cabinet and a spoon from the drawer. Then, Ellis took the ice cream out of the freezer. “What kind do you want chocolate or vanilla?”
“Vanilla.”
“Interesting. I’m starting to be partial to chocolate.” He winked at her.
Haven blushed. She was pretty sure he wasn’t talking about ice cream or was serious. That was a prime example of what she was talking about when it came to men. Ellis was flirting and didn’t even realize it.
He could turn the charm on and off so easily that it was impossible for Haven to take him seriously.
“So, what’s up? What’s the real reason you’re here?” He scooped ice cream into the bowl. “You sounded spooked over the phone.”
She leaned over, her elbows on the island. “Dylan came to my job today.”
Ellis set the bowl of ice cream down in front of her. She picked up the spoon and dug in. “We’ve talked a few times since the breakup but tonight was the first time I’ve actually seen him.”
He took a bite of his own. “Was it difficult?”
“Yeah.”
“I suppose that’s natural.”
“He had flowers, and of course, said all the right things. He asked me out to dinner on Friday or Saturday.”
“Hmm.”
Haven dropped her spoon into the bowl, and it made a loud clanking noise. “That ‘hmm’ was loaded. Go ahead. Say what you want to say. I’m an idiot for even thinking about it.”
His lips turned up. “I don’t have anything to say. I’ve never been in love, so I can’t relate to what you’re going through.” However, he knew that she deserved better than Dylan.
Her eyes went wide. “You’ve never been in love? Seriously? You’re like thirty-six right?”
“Damn. You say it like I’m a deadbeat and not as if I haven’t expanded the McKenna geothermal technological empire from a mid-sized American company to an International conglomerate.”
Haven picked up her spoon again and took another bite. “Wow. That’s a mouthful. Is that what you do?”
“Yes. I’m a big deal.”
At the mention of his words, Haven remembered what Ms. McKenna had to say about him. She laughed. “Your grandmother told me you were a big deal in your mind.”
Ellis’ spoon froze right before he took his next bite. “Man, that woman knows how to put a man in his place.”
“Yeah, I need to take lessons.”
“So, what are you going to do? Dinner or not?”
Her smile faded. “I’m leaning towards not, but Dylan has a way of making me do things I know are not good for me. Do you know that tonight, he stayed at the restaurant my entire shift? He said he was sorry, that he loved me, and wanted to build a life together. Dylan knows how important starting a family is to me, so he even dropped marriage hints and carried a little red box. It probably had diamond earrings made of glass.”
“Marriage? That’s some heavy shit. I can barely say it. You believe him?”
“I don’t know. He’s said it all before, and yet we seem to come back to this same place.”
“Is that why you sounded a little off when you called earlier?”
“Not exactly. Dylan walked me out to my car and was pressuring me about going to dinner. I got away before cracking, but I was close. I’m not in the right frame of mind for that yet. Then he called while I was in the car to say I’d left the flowers he brought and that he was going to drop them off at the apartment. Of course, I told him not to. But, I was afraid he’d show up anyway, and things might get out of control.”
“Got it. Why don’t you just tell him you need a little space to figure things out?”
“I did. He’s not very responsive to that.”
“Good point. If I were in his shoes, I probably wouldn’t be either. Especially if I knew I was close to getting you to crack. Maybe you need a distraction. Do you have any male friends you can hang out with?”
“Not really. I mean, there are a couple of guys from the college, but they’re either A, too young or B, interested. I don’t want to deal with that.”
“When does he want to take you out again?”
“Friday or Saturday.”
Ellis looked thoughtful for a moment. “Since I’m not interested in you, if you need an escape, we can go to the movies or something.”
Haven’s eyes sparkled. “Seriously? I’m not interested in you either! That would be perfect.” If she didn’t think all men were inherent cheaters, she might think Ellis was mildly attractive. But, since he was a man, and all men were in the dogs, Haven was in no danger of falling for him.
Ellis shrugged. “Two people not interested in each other spending time together. Should be uh . . . fun.” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her.
Haven took another bite of her ice cream. “You know what?”
“What?”
“Forget all the crappy stuff I’ve ever thought about you.”
“Yeah, me too.”
She turned serious. “Thank you.”
Later, Ellis could only remember thinking . . . those eyes were dangerous. He’d just voluntarily put himself in the line of fire.
He’d have to be extra careful where Haven Shaw was concerned.
Chapter 13
Monday rolled around faster than Haven would have liked. She wanted to sleep in but couldn’t. However, sitting in the hot tub, or warm tub, because the temperature had to be adjusted for Ms. McKenna was almost as heavenly.
“How did your date go with Ellis . . . oops. A Freudian slip of the tongue. I meant Dylan.”
Haven laughed. “You are not very subtle. We haven’t actually gone out yet, but we’ve talked several times over the phone. I figure we should take it slow and at least be able to communicate without arguing before going out.”
“So, how is that coming along?”
“Our first few conversations were a little shaky, but lately, I’ve started to remember some good things about him. Dylan is charismatic and funny until he asks about my car.”
“What happens when he asks about it? What could possibly be the problem with that?”
“I think he might be a little jealous and have the wrong idea about Ellis and me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dylan thinks Ellis might be interested. He isn’t of course.”
“It might not be such a bad idea to let Dylan believe that he’s not the only man who wants you.”
“True.”
“Do you think you two might get back together?”
Haven thought about her question before answering. “I don’t know. Considering we are still working our way up to a first date, I believe we might be a long way from reconciling. We still have some pretty big issues to work out. But, on most days, it was good to be able to talk and not want to shoot him between the eyes.”
Bertha had to think of something. She typically wouldn’t interfere with her loved one's lives, but if she didn’t do something, Haven might end up with Dylan and Ellis would end up with a bimbo. She started to cough. One or two turned into a full on coughing fit. Vanessa quickly got up from her chair and rushed to Ms. McKenna�
��s aid. Haven also helped get her out of the water. She was doing her best not to panic, but her voice rose. “Should I call someone?!”
Cough . . . cough . . . “Ellis.” Cough . . . cough. In between wheezing and coughing, she asked for her grandson. “Get Ellis.”
Vanessa turned to her. “Go get him and I’ll call Dr. Lawrence. I think he’s in the guesthouse.”
Haven nodded and grabbed a towel from off the table wrapping it around her waist. Barefoot, she ran outside into the cold to the guesthouse. She moved as fast as her feet could carry her across the snow. Once Haven arrived, she yelled and pounded on the door. “Ellis! Ellis!” She continued to bang on it. The seconds it took for him to open the door seemed like hours. Her heart was beating like crazy. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms.
“What’s wrong?”
Wide-eyed and panicked the words tumbled out in a jumbled mess. “It’s your grandmother! Something’s not right. Vanessa told me to come get you.”
“What happened?” Haven didn’t notice the blonde behind him until she spoke. She was wearing Ellis’ missing pajama shirt.
“I don’t know exactly.”
His voice was unintentionally gruff when he turned back to his guest. “Let yourself out. I’ll call you later.” He took Haven’s hand, and they ran out of the guest house back to the main house.
Haven continued to try and explain the situation. “We were in the hot tub, and she seemed fine. The next moment, she started to cough uncontrollably as if she couldn’t catch her breath.”
They burst through the doors of the pool area. Vanessa and his grandmother were not there. “Maybe she took her up to the bedroom.
“Grandmother!” Ellis’ booming voice rang through the entire house. Whatever room she was in, she should have heard him.
Vanessa responded. “We’re up here. We’re in her bedroom.”
Ellis took the stairs two at a time, and Haven was on his heels. They barreled into the room. Ms. McKenna was in bed underneath the covers.
“Is she okay?” He turned to Vanessa. “Did you call Dr. Lawrence?”
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