worry about impressing Grey Mattheson some more.”
Ellie couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice and it made her want to cry some more. He was obviously trying to be nice but she knew he couldn’t be trusted. If he really was working for Grey then it didn’t matter how nice he was being now. Ultimately somewhere down the line he would have to do something that in Ellie’s eyes would taint him.
“I’m not worried about impressing Mattheson. My brother wants me to get the job but I’m not committed to the idea… I’m Stuart, by the way.”
“Ellie,” she answered, hoping against hope that the ground would open up and swallow her—at least if it did it would make this easier.
Stuart paused and Ellie watched as he pushed his hand restlessly back through his hair.
“Would you like to get a coffee?”
Stuart smiled again, a grin that lit his face up and made Ellie want to forget that he was connected to the one man on this earth that she hated with every fibre of her being.
“I don’t think…”
He cut her off before she could get the full rejection of his offer out there.
“No pressure, it’s just a cup of coffee and you look like you could do with maybe someone to talk to.”
Whatever he saw in her face instantly made him change tack.
“Or not, you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to… I’ll buy you a coffee and that’ll be it.”
Ellie smiled and dipped her head. She wanted to say yes, there was something about him that made her want to simply give in and agree to go with him. But how could she? It would be a betrayal of everything she had ever believed in. Everything she had ever held dear.
“Thank you, really, thank you…”
Ellie lifted her face and scrubbed her hands across her eyes, wiping away the drying tears.
“But I can’t. I’m sorry but I just can’t. There’s somewhere I need to be.”
It wasn’t strictly a lie. She was working back in the diner for the afternoon and evening shift but if she had really wanted, she could have made the time.
Stuart’s smile dimmed around the edges and the happiness that a moment before had filled his eyes now faded as though it had never been there.
“Sure, no problem. I shouldn’t have been so forward.”
He stepped away from the car and Ellie instantly felt guilty. He probably thought she was some sort of royal bitch. She wasn’t good at making friends and now she understood why, since she spent her whole life pushing people away. Well her life since the death of her father and her mother’s stroke, anyway, but then that felt like a lifetime all on its own.
She watched him head back to his own car, his name on the tip of her tongue. She could just call him back, it would be so easy. Instead she watched as he climbed back in behind the wheel of his car and turned it around, heading back in the direction of Mattheson’s house.
Ellie’s heart sank in her chest as she watched the tail lights disappear around the bend in the road. She was a fool, and there didn’t seem to be any cure for her.
Her chest felt tight as she closed the car door and placed her hands back on the steering wheel. She didn’t cry, even though it would have been very easy to simply give into the emotions. Instead she gripped the wheel hard enough to turn her knuckles white and flipped the key in the ignition once more.
She would go to work, and push all thoughts of Stuart and his infectious smile from her mind. Work would help kill any romantic notions she might have allowed to filter in through the pain and emotion of the morning.
She let the car pull slowly away from the side of the road, keeping it steady as she drove it back along the winding cliff road down into town.
----
E llie found herself at home without even really thinking about where she was supposed to be going. Her plan had been to get to work early but instead with her mind so in turmoil she had gone home on autopilot. At least this way she could check in on her
Ellie couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice and it made her want to cry some more. He was obviously trying to be nice but she knew he couldn’t be trusted. If he really was working for Grey then it didn’t matter how nice he was being now. Ultimately somewhere down the line he would have to do something that in Ellie’s eyes would taint him.
“I’m not worried about impressing Mattheson. My brother wants me to get the job but I’m not committed to the idea… I’m Stuart, by the way.”
“Ellie,” she answered, hoping against hope that the ground would open up and swallow her—at least if it did it would make this easier.
Stuart paused and Ellie watched as he pushed his hand restlessly back through his hair.
“Would you like to get a coffee?”
Stuart smiled again, a grin that lit his face up and made Ellie want to forget that he was connected to the one man on this earth that she hated with every fibre of her being.
“I don’t think…”
He cut her off before she could get the full rejection of his offer out there.
“No pressure, it’s just a cup of coffee and you look like you could do with maybe someone to talk to.”
Whatever he saw in her face instantly made him change tack.
“Or not, you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to… I’ll buy you a coffee and that’ll be it.”
Ellie smiled and dipped her head. She wanted to say yes, there was something about him that made her want to simply give in and agree to go with him. But how could she? It would be a betrayal of everything she had ever believed in. Everything she had ever held dear.
“Thank you, really, thank you…”
Ellie lifted her face and scrubbed her hands across her eyes, wiping away the drying tears.
“But I can’t. I’m sorry but I just can’t. There’s somewhere I need to be.”
It wasn’t strictly a lie. She was working back in the diner for the afternoon and evening shift but if she had really wanted, she could have made the time.
Stuart’s smile dimmed around the edges and the happiness that a moment before had filled his eyes now faded as though it had never been there.
“Sure, no problem. I shouldn’t have been so forward.”
He stepped away from the car and Ellie instantly felt guilty. He probably thought she was some sort of royal bitch. She wasn’t good at making friends and now she understood why, since she spent her whole life pushing people away. Well her life since the death of her father and her mother’s stroke, anyway, but then that felt like a lifetime all on its own.
She watched him head back to his own car, his name on the tip of her tongue. She could just call him back, it would be so easy. Instead she watched as he climbed back in behind the wheel of his car and turned it around, heading back in the direction of Mattheson’s house.
Ellie’s heart sank in her chest as she watched the tail lights disappear around the bend in the road. She was a fool, and there didn’t seem to be any cure for her.
Her chest felt tight as she closed the car door and placed her hands back on the steering wheel. She didn’t cry, even though it would have been very easy to simply give into the emotions. Instead she gripped the wheel hard enough to turn her knuckles white and flipped the key in the ignition once more.
She would go to work, and push all thoughts of Stuart and his infectious smile from her mind. Work would help kill any romantic notions she might have allowed to filter in through the pain and emotion of the morning.
She let the car pull slowly away from the side of the road, keeping it steady as she drove it back along the winding cliff road down into town.
----
E llie found herself at home without even really thinking about where she was supposed to be going. Her plan had been to get to work early but instead with her mind so in turmoil she had gone home on autopilot. At least this way she could check in on her
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