by Layla Hagen
So much for having my back.
Tess narrowed her eyes at Ryker. “When are we only remotely right?”
Ryker held up his hands in defense. “Just a figure of speech. But I’m serious. Let’s focus on dinner.”
To my astonishment, they didn’t bring up Ellie for the rest of the evening, but she was on my mind the whole time. When I was with her, I felt such deep happiness that I hadn’t even been aware existed. I didn’t know if I could go back to the way things were after Ellie left.
We ate the whole menu in forty-five minutes. I liked everything, which I knew wasn’t too helpful for Rob. He needed detailed feedback.
“Well, I think that’s the best we can do,” Skye said, kissing Rob’s cheek. He’d come to the table to interrogate us after we tasted the dessert.
“I’m not a detail-oriented guy, man. Sorry,” I added.
“No, this is good. I just wanted an opinion, not a critique.” Turning to Skye, he asked, “Want to go home?”
“Yes. Mom said Jonas is sleeping already, but I want to give him a smooch anyway.”
“I’ll go too,” Ryker said. “I don’t like leaving Heather alone with the kids in the evening. They have a wild streak before going to bed.”
As we finished our drinks, I took out my phone, messaging Ellie.
Ian: Shift over?
Ellie: Yes. Just got home. I can’t even feel my feet. And I’m starving. Maria’s out of empanadas, and the pizza shop only had the salami option left.
Ian: I’m at Dumont’s. I’ll bring you something. Want a menu?
Instead of a text reply, Ellie sent me a picture. She was grinning from ear to ear, holding her thumb in an okay sign. It made me laugh.
Ian: Judging by your enthusiasm, that’s a yes. I’ll be there in half an hour.
Ellie: Harper’s sleeping at her boyfriends’. I’ll be waiting naked.
Ian: Fucking hell, woman. Why are you tempting me like this? Want me to forget dinner?
Ellie: Oh, no. It was just an incentive so you get here faster.
I grinned, pocketing my phone before I forgot my head. I ordered food to go as the party split up.
I arrived at her place in twenty-five minutes and knocked at the door. Ellie opened the next moment, wide-eyed, flushed—and still dressed.
I cocked a brow. “What was that about waiting for me naked?”
She blew a strand of hair from her eyes. “You’re early.”
“Five minutes.”
“I didn’t even shower.”
Wiggling my eyebrows, I stepped inside. “We can do it together.”
She was cute as hell all worked up like this. I dangled the bag of food in front of her. She licked her lips and immediately grabbed it, heading to the kitchen. I laughed, following her.
“Already forgot about the shower and everything else, huh?”
She looked at me over her shoulder, smiling sheepishly. “Food trumps everything. Thanks so much for bringing this. Tell me about your day while I eat.”
She stood at the kitchen counter, eating directly out of the takeout box while I went through my day.
“I also looked up teaching jobs on a whim. It was something I liked when I was in college. A few times I worked as a teacher’s aide helping students after hours, and I enjoyed watching them understand the process.”
Ellie looked up in surprise. “Your mom said that she always thought you’d go into teaching.”
I jerked my head back. “She did?”
A smile spread on her face. “Did you find anything interesting?”
“Nah, no openings, but then I realized I wouldn’t have time for physical teaching, you know, like being in a classroom, but I have a few ideas about how to do it remotely.”
“Tell me.”
Her curiosity lit me up. She was genuinely interested.
“I could design online courses that people with all skill levels could access. I don’t have a detailed outline. I only thought about it today.”
“It sounds cool.”
It felt good to share this with her. I looked forward to talking to Ellie in the evening every day. When we didn’t meet, we spoke on the phone. I couldn’t keep my hands off her, so while she washed her hands at the sink, I skimmed mine up the sides of her body, pressing my pelvis against her ass. Pushing her hair to one side, I kissed the back of her neck. She sighed softly. Goose bumps popped on her arms. I’d miss these quiet evenings when she left. I’d miss her.
Before, I’d never understood why Dylan, Isabelle, and the Winchesters were in a hurry to go home to their partner whenever we were out, but I had learned, and I wasn’t ready to give this up.
Chapter Sixteen
Ellie
Going out to brunch on Saturday was practically a rule in New York. Josie and Isabelle asked me if I was in the mood a few days ago, and I’d jumped at the opportunity to hang out with them.
I was smiling from ear to ear as I stepped out of my building. It was a glorious day near the end of October. It was cold, but the sun felt warm on my face. New York looked magical with all the trees in shades of red and yellow and brown. I was meeting them at a restaurant in Riverside Park. On the way, I called my brother. I planned to walk the whole way, even though it would take forty minutes. Maybe I'd Uber back, but for now, I wanted to stretch my legs.
"Hey, sister!" he answered.
"Hey, hope I'm not waking you up?"
"Ah, just a bit. You know how I am on Saturdays."
Oh, I did. I always woke up early, and when I was very young, I’d make a lot of noise on purpose. I was a little devil. As I got older, I prepared breakfast for him. My first attempts were inedible, but he encouraged me to keep experimenting like a good older brother.
By the time my parents divorced, my cooking was already great, so I tried cheering Mom up every Saturday and Sunday with cakes, pies, and omelets. Sadly, I wasn’t too successful. She seemed so lost in her grief for a few years, and nothing I did helped.
"Since I moved to New York, I'm quite enjoying the mornings. The city is quieter, and I get so much more done."
"What are you doing today?" he asked.
"I'm meeting Josie and Isabelle for brunch."
"Ian's sisters?"
"Yes, we're getting quite close."
"I was about to say that you always do something with them. What did he do, pawn you off on his sisters?"
"No!" I said defensively. "He checks in regularly." I blushed and was thankful that we weren't using FaceTime for this call, because my brother never missed a facial expression.
"That's good to know. I'll call him and thank him.”
“I’ve heard you want to visit me.”
“Yes—wait, Ian told you that?”
I winced. If I wasn’t careful, he’d put two and two together. I didn’t want to keep things from him anymore, so I hoped he’d come soon.
The only reason I wasn’t telling him over the phone was because he’d worry. Face-to-face, I’d have an easier time convincing him that this was good and I was happy. Ian made me happy.
“Yes, we talked about you, and he mentioned it. Why didn’t you?”
It had been over a week since Ian and I went to Bear Mountain State Park. I kept waiting for Henry to bring it up, but he never did.
“Because I wanted to surprise you by coming the weekend after your birthday.”
I stopped walking, pressing a palm on my chest. I felt as if my heart was about to burst. My birthday was on a weekday, but it was perfect if he came on the weekend. We could stay up late and catch up on everything.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes!”
“Wow. Thank you. I miss you so, so much.”
“I miss you too, Ellie. Listen, I've got to go. Work is calling.”
“On a Saturday?”
“Yeah, they don’t really have boundaries. Talk later?”
“Sure.”
I was so ecstatic that I couldn’t stop smiling. I left my headphones
on and flipped on a playlist. Sometimes I liked listening to the sounds of the city, but sometimes I just wanted to get lost in the music. I looked around as the city began to wake up. Saturday was the perfect day to sleep in, but years of working in restaurants taught me how valuable the morning hours were and how much one could do in them.
By the time I arrived in front of the restaurant, I was a little sweaty. Okay, so maybe walking for forty minutes wasn't my best idea. Even though it wasn't warm, my armpits were a bit damp, so I headed to the restroom, and I dried them with some paper towels. When I came back to the restaurant, Josie and Isabelle were already sitting at a table. They both looked at me in surprise, so I hurried to the table to sit down.
"When did you arrive?" Josie asked.
"A few minutes ago, but I went to the restroom first."
The place was filling up quickly. It was quite different than the one where I worked. For one, it was much smaller, and it was on the ground floor. We were looking directly out onto the street. Also, the kitchen was open, so you could see the chefs cooking. I understood the appeal of the open kitchen concept. We learned in culinary school that it gave customers a sense of everything being fresh, just because they could see it being prepared. But when I opened my own restaurant, I'd keep the kitchen completely separate. Open kitchens put far too much pressure on staff. I’d worked once in an open setup, and everything was more difficult, from the communication to having to tidy up much more often. It wasn't worth the hassle.
We ordered bagel sandwiches. Mine was with smoked salmon, Josie's with egg, and Isabelle's with pepper spread and caramelized onions. That was an interesting combination, and I asked for a bite.
"Mm, good but not my style," I said. It was tasty, but I found the combination far too strong. I would have used hummus instead of the pepper spread. Josie and Isabelle were sharing their food making all sorts of comments about the ingredients and whose sandwich was better. These two were hilarious. I liked the dynamic they had between them. When Ian had told me about Dylan’s near fall, it clicked in my mind what his mom said about him—how he was always protective of his older brother.
“Oh, by the way, Ellie. I’m going to have a party in December. The venue we booked for the wedding wasn’t too happy when we canceled, so I promised to throw a random huge party later this year. The wedding was supposed to be in November, but I didn’t want to use the same date. Anyway, we’re doing a vegan and gluten-free menu for some of the guests, and the chef said she might need help. Do you have any expertise with this kind of cuisine?”
“Yes, a lot. She can reach out at any time. Give her my phone number but tell her to message me first. I don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. I get too many spammy calls these days.”
“Will do. Thanks.” I was so happy that I could help Isabelle out. Both of Ian’s sisters had been very kind, so I was thankful I could do something. Isabelle quickly asked, “So, what’s your favorite thing about the city?”
“Honestly? Everything. Though right now, I’m in love with this spa I discovered on the Upper West Side. They give amazing neck massages. The neck and shoulders are problematic areas for most chefs.”
“Good for you. What else do you plan to do in New York? What haven't you seen? What are you dying to try out?" Isabelle asked.
"I’ve seen a lot. But since I start work every day at ten, I wake up super early, and museums are practically empty in the morning. And if I don't have to take a cab and get stuck in traffic, I can get a lot done."
"Where have you been?" Josie asked.
"I've visited a couple of museums. I even took the ferry one weekend and went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I still haven't been to Coney Island though, primarily because it’s far away."
Isabelle scrunched her nose. "You didn't miss out on anything. It's not my favorite place in New York."
"Really? I did read on some blogs that its glory days were over, but I thought maybe they were exaggerating."
Isabelle grinned. "You can always go and make up your own mind, just don’t have high expectations.”
"What else would you recommend I see?" I asked.
"That depends on what you like. Do you want more museums or Broadway plays? Do you like theme parks? Bars or places to dine?"
“Nah, since I spend my whole day in restaurants, I like doing something different in my free time. I’m not much of a party person. Or a play person, to be honest.”
“Hmm... it’s hard to give out recommendations if we don’t know what you like,” Josie said.
"Just give me a list of everything. Ian said he's a good tour guide, but I don't think he is. Lately, we keep getting sidetracked." I blushed, glancing at my coffee. Why the heck did I say that? "My God, I don't even have wine to blame this time. What do you think makes me talk so much around you?" I’m sure they suspected, but good God, way to announce it, Ellie.
"I just have that kind of face,” Isabelle said with a smile. “It makes people want to pour out their heart, which is a good trait for a therapist."
I burst out laughing, even though I was still blushing. "Anyway, let me know all the things I should see. I keep saying I have enough time to see everything, but before I know it, I’ll already have started my rotation in New Orleans." My heart sank as I spoke the words. Isabelle was looking at me intently.
"Are you looking forward to that?" Josie asked. I shrugged, taking a swig of coffee to buy myself some time.
"Oh yeah, that's a very interesting part of the program. The Creole cuisine is so rich and combines so many different flavors that it’s a privilege to be able to learn it in a local restaurant." Did my voice sound hollow to my own ears? Everything I said was true, but for some reason, my heart wasn't in it.
My heart wanted to stay in New York. With Ian.
***
Ian
Playing tennis on a Saturday morning was my favorite thing to do. It was the best way to casually meet with customers on the weekend and do some schmoozing. A lot of clients liked to play golf or tennis. Golf bored me to tears, so we picked tennis. Dylan despised schmoozing, which was why I usually took the reins. I didn’t mind. It kept our customers happy, and I was a sociable person. Which meant I probably should focus on talking with the customers during each break instead of checking my phone, but I wanted to know what Isabelle had to say so I could start planning.
Dylan cocked a brow at me when I checked my phone for the third time during a five-minute break.
"Anything wrong?" he asked.
"No, I'm just waiting for a message."
"Can you focus on the customers, please?”
"Sure." He was right; I needed to get my head in the game. I looked at them with a bright smile. "Last set, and then brunch is on us."
They both nodded, clearly satisfied. We liked keeping clients happy—they stayed with us longer if we did. And when they want to do additional projects, they come back to us too. It was why we had so many loyal customers. We took good care of them, and they appreciated it. However, that didn't mean I let them win the game on purpose. I had a competitive streak, and so did Dylan, and our customers appreciated that we didn't go easy on them.
The match was very close, but we ended up winning.
"Congratulations!" Andrew said.
"Hey, it was close," I said. “Nice game.”
"A win is a win. Doesn't matter by how much. Now come on. I'm starving, and you promised brunch."
"It was a bad idea to play on an empty stomach," Carlos said.
"I agree. Next time we eat breakfast first, and then we play."
Andrew shook his head. "That would mean no champagne for breakfast, and I don't agree with that. Meet you in the restaurant in fifteen minutes." We were all sweating, so we had to shower and change.
"Sure.” Once we were alone, I told Dylan, “I'm just going to make a call, and then I’ll get ready quickly."
Why wasn't Isabelle calling me? I pressed her number, half expecting her to reject the call.
Maybe she was still with Ellie. To my surprise, she answered after the first ring.
"Hey, brother." She didn’t sound as enthusiastic as I hoped. "I'm sorry, I don't have any intel for you."
I groaned. So that was why she hadn't sent me updates. "Why not?"
"She went on and on about the city, and we couldn't insist without her catching on. Ask Josie."
I laughed. "I believe you. Thanks for trying. I'll figure something out."
I was just about to hang up and head to the showers when she said, "I do have some useful info, though."
"Okay."
"We asked if she's excited about her rotation in New Orleans."
"And?" My whole body was on edge, waiting for my sister's answer.
"She said yes because she is looking forward to learning a lot, but I don't think it was true."
"Why not?"
"I can't tell you exactly. It's just a feeling I got based on her body language."
I shook my head but said, "Thanks. Look, I have to go. I need to shower before we take our clients to brunch. I'll talk to her later. Thanks!"
"You’re welcome. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. I think the baby is messing with my detective skills."
“Don’t go blaming my future nephew.”
“Oh, that’s right. Forgot you’re already protective of him.”
“Clearly, he needs it. Bye, Isabelle.”
“Bye.”
I didn't share my sister's opinion, but I didn't want to be rude. Isabelle always said that I wasn't a romantic, but I just didn't romanticize anything. I took what people said at face value. I didn't try to read into everything the way she did. In my experience, it was just a way to see what you wanted to see in someone's reaction. I wasn't searching for anything that wasn't there. I was going to make Ellie happy for now. I guessed that was all we had.
Chapter Seventeen
Ellie
On my birthday, I woke up super early, as usual. I was giddy with excitement as I got out of bed, looking at my dresser where I already had my presents from Henry and both sets of parents. They'd arrived yesterday, but I never opened presents before my actual birthday. I dressed up in comfy, warm clothes, brought the gifts to my bed, and shimmied on the mattress as I opened them.