Nico gave a gruff, “Hey.”
Noah put a protective arm around Ellory as Nico gave her the once over. His eyes paused when he glimpsed Noah’s hand. They looked at each other then. Noah’s grip tightened around her waist, and he pulled her to him. The gesture changed Nico’s demeanor. He smiled, and it totally transformed him from scary to handsome.
Ellory sat down in the chair beside Nico. Noah remained standing placing his hands on her shoulders. Nico didn’t look up as he said, “The woman who’s suing you, her name is Cynthia Muller right?”
Ellory’s voice squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes.”
Nico’s smile grew. “Excellent. Do you have a printer?”
“In the office.”
“Do you mind showing me to it?”
Ellory got up to show Nico to her office, and Noah followed. She unlocked the door, “It’s right there,” she said.
Nico thanked her before walking over to her printer and turning it on. “Give me a minute, and then I’ll be back to explain to you what I found,” Nico said.
Five thousand.
It was a number Ellory accepted. An amount she could afford. It was the number Cynthia Muller had settled on. The lawsuit was over along with that chapter of her life. Ellory would have liked to see the case get thrown out completely, but five thousand was far better than the millions she was asking for initially.
Nico had dug up quite a bit of dirt on Cynthia Muller. It looked like she was a serial fraud artist with a penance for suing any and all companies she felt would settle. Though Ellory’s cafe was the most significant amount, she’d sued for yet. All of her suits were frivolous. Cynthia almost always settled for a twentieth of the sum she was suing for. To Ellory the woman seemed like someone who would rather fake a claim than work.
Marla used the evidence Nico gave her to settle the case. She probably could have gotten it thrown out, but Ellory didn’t want to take a chance in court, she wanted this over. So Marla settled. With the settlement, Cynthia had to sign an agreement that she would never step foot within Ellory’s Corner Cafe again. That she would stay away from Ellory herself. And then Marla promised if she voided the agreement in any way she would make it her life mission to bring Cynthia down. Even Ellory was slightly scared of Marla at that point.
After the case was settled Marla helped Ellory incorporate her business in a way that no one could ever come after Ellory personally again at least from the business side of things. Marla was fierce, and Ellory adored her. Five thousand was a small price to pay for the peace of mind having the case closed brought.
Ellory exhaled and walked around the bakery. It was perfect. Better than how she had envisioned it. Asher and his construction team had outdone themselves. She ran a hand along the metal table unable to keep a smile from her face. Ellory’s Corner Cafe was growing. She was looking forward to where the future would take the business.
She took a deep breath feeling everything inside her relax. She took one last look around making sure everything was where it should be before she switched off the light. Tomorrow she would sit down with Jackie to come up with the decorating menu for the next class. They had over twenty sign-ups. Also their latest experiment, Bake Up, was doing really well. It was basically the same idea as Malcolm’s Happy Morning but with baked goods.
Back in the cafe, Noah stood by the register in gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He was looking at his phone giving her a minute to ogle him. Every time she looked at him her hormones raged. Thanks to being sued she’d found him. Five thousand was definitely worth it. She inwardly sighed. Her elusive unicorn was hers she hoped forever. He looked up from his phone laying it down on the counter. His smile grew as she approached. “You ready?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah let’s do this,” she said with false bravado.
“Trust me you’re going to love it.”
“Getting my butt kicked sounds like a blast.”
He pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her neck. “This class isn’t about getting your butt kicked it’s about teaching you how to kick butt.” His hands slid down her back to cup her ass, “Besides I’d never let anything happen to this fine derriere.”
She gave him a kiss. “I can think of better ways to use my assets.”
“So can I.”
“Then let’s do that instead.”
“Afterward, beautiful.”
She loved it when he called her beautiful. It also weakened her resolve. “I’m not getting out of this am I?”
“Nope.”
She ground her hips against his. He let her go putting some space between them. “That’s not going to happen unless you’re a good girl.”
She pouted. “What if I don’t want to be good.”
His eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened, “Then I guess I’d have to punish you.”
“I like the sound of that.”
He grabbed her hand leading her towards the door. “But not until after our defense class.”
She sighed. “You’re a hard nut to crack.”
He yanked her to him planting a kiss she felt all the way in her toes. “You do this class, and I promise I will make it well worth your time.”
“Fine.”
On the sidewalk, as she was locking the cafe door, Noah said, “And don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re my girlfriend.”
They’d been together three months, and she still got fluttery every time he called her his girlfriend. He gave her another kiss before taking her hand as they walked to his BMW parked in the lot beside her building. “I love you,” he said as he opened the car door for her.
She got in still sulking. He climbed behind the wheel. “Just so you know,” she started, “even though I love you too, I’m going to kick your ass.”
He looked at her his smile growing. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Just shut up and drive before I change my mind.”
“You got it.”
At Death It Begins
In Death’s Touch
After Death
Wishful Thinking
What’s Coming to You
Until the Summer
Until Ellory: Happily Ever Alpha World Page 5