15. Ellie

15

Ellie

I walk into the boutique and then immediately walk back out to make sure I’m in the right place.

The store is organized and looks like something I’d see on Rodeo Drive, not in Frostwood Falls. It definitely doesn’t look like my grandmother’s store.

“Surprise!” Keeley squeals.

“What happened? Did I get a Fairy Godmother?”

“A hot Fairy Godfather perhaps?” Keeley giggles.

A gorgeous, black man walks out from the back room. He’s wearing crisp pleated blue dress pants with an eclectic matching shirt. I’ve seen his face plastered all over magazine covers.

“Tony Fidalco?” I gasp.

“In the flesh,” he says with a snap as he grins back at me.

“I don’t… how…?”

“Girl, close that mouth before a fly gets in,” Sasha Weatherby drawls from behind him.

Am I dreaming?

Did I not wake up earlier like I thought?

“ Ethan did this.”

“What do you mean, Keeley?” I ask.

“He… he hired people to come transform the store overnight for you because it was too much for the two of us to take on.”

“He.. hired… how can he… how does he?”

“We’ve worked together before on a commercial, then again when he presented for the Espy’s and we became good friends,” Tony says with a wink. “That man is in love with you, girl.”

There’s a scream from somewhere in the building and my heart drops to my stomach. All of us take off running. Keeley is sprinting up three flights of stairs and I’m blindly following.

Shit, I am out of shape.

There are three stories to this place?

Grams has always been somewhat of a hoarder, I had completely forgotten that there were stairs back here because Grams had them covered and blocked with boxes..

There’s a woman screaming and pointing at the wall and that’s when I see it. There’s a body immortalized in the brick.

“Is that a dummy?”

“No girl, that’s real,” Sasha says in awe as she stares back at in shock.

“How do you know?”

“Can’t you smell it?” Tony asks, covering his face.

“What do we do?”

“Call the cops? I don’t…” I mumble.

I pull out my phone and call Ethan, but he doesn’t answer. I call the police next because what else should I do?

Within minutes a police officer is running up the steps into the attic of our building.

“Did you guys touch anything?”

“I moved some boxes, tripped and fell into the wall. The bricks were loose and some of them fell down,” the woman squeaks out.

“It’s okay Candy,” Sasha says as she goes to her.

“Lauren pointed out there was something behind it so we pulled more bricks out and then…”

“Okay, I’m going to need everyone to go downstairs. Close the store for the day and don’t leave. I’ll have to ask questions. This is now a crime scene.”

“None of us killed him,” Tony interjects. “That man has been dead for… years.”

“I’m not accusing any of you of murder,” the cop says drily. “But I do have questions.”

He turns to the radio on his shoulder and starts talking into it. We all file down the stairs and into the front of the store. Ethan is racing in the front door as we do.

“What happened?”

“There’s a dead body in the attic,” I mumble as I cross my arms in front of my chest.

“What?”

“A dead body in the attic.”

He cocks his head to the side as if he isn’t sure if he heard me correctly.

“How? Who?”

“I don’t know. Apparently there’s a lot of stuff hidden in the walls around here,” I mumble numbly.

“I knew this place had a vibe to it, but I had no idea it would be so exciting,” Tony interjects airily.

“This is the most excitement I’ve had in a long time,” Sasha adds.

“Are you okay?” Ethan asks as he comes to envelop me in a hug.

I nod and fall into him. I need to feel his arms around me right now because I’m not sure which way is up at this moment.

Did Grams kill someone and by calling the cops I just outed her?

Did Grams even know there was someone dead in the building?

So much for thinking Frostwood Falls was a sleepy little town still. I’ve found a stash of unknown sketch books and now a dead body.

What in the Hell did I walk into?

“I need to call Daniel before he gets worried about all the cops here.”

I pull away from Ethan and go into my office. I dial my brother’s number.

“Hey sis,” he says.

“Um, so there’s a dead body in the attic.”

“Repeat that.”

“There’s a dead body in the attic walls. I… I don’t know what’s happening. There were people up there cleaning, some bricks got knocked loose and now the police are investigating a mummified body in the building.”

“I’ll be right there. I think you need to go to the hospital.”

Me too, bro. Me too.

He hangs up the phone and I just stare at it. I’d probably have the same reaction if he or Grams had called me with that news.

I dial my grandmother’s phone number.

“Elena, my love, how are you?”

“Hey Grams, I… uh… I don’t know how to tell you this, but… there’s a mummified body in the walls of the attic and… I don’t know how he got there.”

“That damn Walter,” she curses.

“What?”

“Your grandfather was always playing tricks on me, he loved to scare me at Halloween. I’m sure it’s just a dummy.”

“No, Grams, I think… I think it’s real.”

“El, dear, I can’t hear you very well. I’m on this cruise and I don’t have good service.”

Seconds later the line goes dead.

Does she have bad service or did she know there was a dead body in the attic?

Oh stop it, Ellie. There’s no way Grams killed someone.

I walk out of my office and Ethan is standing by the door waiting for me.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” I breathe. “I… I don’t know.”

Luckily, we weren’t open yet so I don’t have to close up shop like they said but a day without revenue is going to hurt.

I begin pacing. The beauty of the store renovations is now lost to everything that’s happening upstairs as more and more police officers pile up the backstairs.

Daniel is at the front door knocking on the window, Ethan hurries over to let him inside.

“What the Hell is going on?”

“There’s a body…”

“Start from the beginning, who are all these people?”

“I asked some of my friends to come in and help organize the store because it’s way too much for Ellie and Keeley to take on, even with our help,” Ethan interjects quickly. “They’ve been working all night to get it done.”

“We discovered a door that was triple locked,” Sasha adds. “And naturally we wanted to know why so we opened it. We found your grandmother’s studio full of paintings and the most beautiful designs I’ve ever seen. It seems as though it was her private collection. Tracey over here was moving some things around and some of the bricks fell from the wall, revealing a mummified body that had been encased in said wall.”

“It’s like something out of a movie,” Keeley breathes.

“Have the police said anything?”

“No, they’re investigating. I doubt there’s identification on the guy,” I mumble.

“Did you call Grams?”

“Yeah, she didn’t answer. She’s on that cruise, remember?”

My brother shoots me a dirty look. He sees right through my lie but won’t question me in front of all of these people.

Ethan pulls me off to the side.

“I have a meeting that I cannot miss. I will stay if you need me to though.”

“No, go. Thank you for this incredibly sweet gesture of calling in your friends. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” he smiles as he squeezes my hand. “I’ll be back to check on you after the meeting but call me if you need me.”

I nod.

I don’t want him to go, but sitting here waiting for the police to talk to us isn’t productive for him, especially when he wasn’t here when it happened.

For the next few hours, the police are crawling all over the building. The body is removed and taken out the back. They question all of us before they leave.

“I’ll be in touch. It’ll take some time before we figure out who he is. Don’t leave the country. I’ll reach out to Grams and ask her some questions,” the detective says. “My wife and daughters frequent the boutique so I know your grandmother well.”

He hands me his business card and leaves. I look back at all of the faces that remain in my store.

“I guess we’re all free to go. I am so sorry about all of this, but I appreciate each and everyone of you. I can’t… I can’t thank you enough for what you did here today. It got lost in the chaos, but… I’m floored with how amazing the store looks right now.”

“We’ve got more to do but this girl needs a bed,” Sasha laughs as she walks over to hug me tightly.

“Same,” Tony chimes in. “This has been the most exciting night of my life, if you can believe that.”

“The place is going to be hopping with all the nosey small town folk coming to check out the gossip,” Keeley laughs as she nods to all of the people standing outside the door.

“They’re going to be blown away when they walk in and forget about the gossip,” Tony laughs.

“Tomorrow morning, I will make it a point to come in and see you,” Sasha says. “There’s so much I want to discuss about what you can do with this entire building. Those designs we found of your grandmother’s are a work of art and I think they need to be showcased.”

“You know, I remember going up there and playing when I was little and then one day I wasn’t allowed up there anymore.”

“We might know why now,” Daniel chuckles drily.

I shake my head. The group leaves and I insist that Keeley goes home to nap as well. Daniel hangs back.

“I can’t believe Ethan did all of this for you.”

I shrug. “It was really nice and greatly appreciated, that’s for sure. I couldn’t have even done half of this in such a spectacular way.”

“Are you two back together again?”

“No,” I groan. “The pictures you’re seeing from last night were just to help bolster his image. He did all of this as a thank you for helping him.”

He knows I’m lying. I can tell by the way he’s glaring at me right now.

“You’re an adult, but getting back together with Ethan is a big mistake. You’re not that same girl you were back then and the two of you are wildly opposite now.”

“You keep saying that,” I mumble.

“I need to get back to the shop and check on things. Let me know if you need anything,” he calls over his shoulder as he walks out the door too.

Thank goodness he didn’t push that conversation.

The store is silent. I inhale and exhale as I look around.

I still can’t believe this is my store right now.

I am in awe of what Ethan did for me, but right now, I need to open the store and focus on getting some sort of revenue today.

“Surprise!” a male voice calls out as the bell above the door jingles a few hours later.

I glance up to see Ryan walking through with a giant smile on his face.

“Ryan! What are you doing here?” I exclaim excitedly as I rush around the counter to give him a hug.

“Thought I’d come home for a visit for a bit. I heard you were back for good and had to see it with my own eyes.”

“You knew I was coming back.”

“I didn’t believe it,” he chuckles. “The shop looks amazing.”

“Doesn’t it? I’m still in awe of it.”

There’s a meow behind us and Whiskers, the mama cat, makes her way out front to greet Ryan.

“What is this?”

“Whiskers,” I laugh. “I found her and her kittens in the storage room. She lives here now.”

“A black cat in a boutique, that’s not weird.”

“Gives me Hocus Pocus vibes and I love it,” I laugh.

“I saw you and Ethan all over social media this morning.”

“Is that why you’re here?”

“No, just mentioning it. I thought it was weird, considering…”

“Considering what?”

“That he treated you like a third world citizen all of those years ago. You were nothing more than his slave. I can’t believe you would even entertain him again.”

“He didn’t treat me like a slave,” I say as I cock an eyebrow. “You always raved about how great of a guy he was.”

“Can you get away for lunch?”

“No, Keeley is off today. It’s been a wild day.”

“So I heard. I came by earlier and the place was covered with cops, what happened?”

“I’m not in the mindset to discuss it right now.”

“Can you get away tonight for dinner? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“We can’t talk about it here?”

“No, I’d rather catch up with my best friend and do it then,” he pouts.

“I don’t know how late I’ll be here, there’s so much to do.”

The bell above the door jingles again as Ethan walks in carrying take out from Scooter’s, a local diner down the road.

“I thought you might be hungry,” he grins.

His face drops when he sees Ryan standing next to me. Ryan’s eyes are narrowed in a similar expression.

What the Hell is this about?”

“Oh look, Ethan is here,” Ryan says drily. “Why is he bringing you lunch?”

“What does it matter?”

“He broke your heart, have you forgotten that?” he hisses in a low voice.

“What is your problem?”

“I just don’t want to deal with the aftermath of an Ethan Anderson explosion.”

“Great to see you too, Ryan,” Ethan chuckles.

“You’re an entitled asshole who treated her like shit the entire time you were together but she was too blind to see it. You’re so selfish and egotistical that you only care about your needs.”

Rant much?

Why did he just start saying that?

“Ryan, knock it off,” I sigh.

He turns his brown eyes to me with a dirty look. I cock my head in surprise. He shakes his head and then leaves.

“I don’t like him. I never have. He has a crush on you and pretends to be your friend.”“He doesn’t have a crush on me. He’s like my brother.”

“You’re wrong.”

I roll my eyes and walk back behind the counter.

“He always spoke so highly of you and now… now he doesn’t.”

“It probably has everything to do with the pictures of us together. He’s jealous.”

“I’m not in the mood to deal with this. This has been a crazy day. I half expect Jaclyn to trounce in here next.”

“Please tell me that you haven’t started hanging around Jaclyn again. She’s not a good person. She’s always been jealous of you.”

“You can’t tell me who I can and can’t hang out with. I’m actually going to dinner with the two of them tonight,” I lie.

He blows out a breath. “I wasn’t trying to control you, I apologize if it came off that way. I just… I hate seeing you being kind and doing things for people who are using you.”

“You barely know them.”

“It’s hard to shut off that protective instinct in me. I will back off. You’re not the same girl you were in high school and college, you know what you’re doing.”

“Thank you.”

I take one of the food bags from him to avoid discussing it anymore.

“I know how much you loved the food from here and assumed that you hadn’t had it yet.”

“I haven’t,” I sigh. “Thank you.”

The boutique is relatively quiet for the moment, the only sound the occasional customers browsing the racks. I love it here. It feels like home, and sharing it with Ethan makes it even better.

I watch Ethan as he takes a bite, his expression thoughtful. He’s rarely so serious, always joking around. It’s one of the things I love about him, even if it sometimes drives me crazy.

“Thank you again,” I murmur as I lean into him gently. “Our date last night was incredible. And then… to walk in here this morning and not recognize the place was… I can’t even put it into words. I came in the front door and then immediately walked back out because I thought I was dreaming. It looks like a boutique I’d find on Rodeo Drive.”

“They did an amazing job in a short amount of time.”

“I can’t even… I can’t even voice how much this means to me, Ethan. It’s extraordinary that you’ve gone to such lengths for me over the last few days.”

“Actions and words align,” he says with a playful wink. “I told you that I would make you see that I’m different.”

“You’re doing that for sure,” I smile as I raise up on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek.

The two of us eat in silence. The taste of the food itself is bringing back a flood of memories from meals with my family, date nights with Ethan, and stolen moments with my grandparents in the booths of Scooters.

Ethan is still quiet and thoughtful, maybe having the same memories I’m having.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Just thinking about the team. I got a number of complaints this morning about one of my players/teammates causing issues. The other players are ready to retaliate against him.”

“Is it you?” I tease.

“No, it’s not me,” he laughs. “It’s Jeremy Davis. He’s a great player, just has a shit attitude.”

“You’ll figure it out. You always do.”

He glances around the store, a small smile playing on his lips. “This place is amazing. I can see why you love it so much.”

I grin. “It’s my sanctuary. My little escape from the world.”

“Grams was excited you agreed to take it.”

“About that,” I sigh. “Rumor has it that you were here visiting all the time.”

“She’s like a grandma to me too,” he shrugs as he looks away.

“She’s always thought of you as one of hers,” I murmur.

Stop talking about this with him. You’re fishing for information, fishing to find out if his feelings are still there.

He’s telling you and showing you that his feelings are still there! Why keep pushing? What else do you need to know?

Shit. There’s still some insecurity here. Making a mental note to dig through this later when I’m alone.

“What kind of books do you like?” I ask, changing the subject.

He thinks for a moment. “I like a bit of everything, really. Thrillers, sci-fi, the occasional romance.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Romance? Really?”

He laughs, the sound warm and genuine. “Yeah, really. What, you don’t think I’m the romantic type?”

“I think you’re full of surprises.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “You’re impossible.”

“And yet, you’re still here.”

“Yeah, I am. What does that say about me?”

“It says you like a challenge.”

I laugh again, shaking my head. “You’re definitely that.”

We fall into a comfortable silence, eating our food and enjoying the atmosphere.

“Why don’t you guys go to your office and finish lunch?” Keeley asks as she walks through the door.

“You’re supposed to be napping.”

“I can sleep when I’m dead,” she laughs. “I slept a bit, but I’m too excited to see people’s reactions to sleep anymore. Go, get to your office.”

“Fine,” I giggle as I gesture for Ethan to follow. “Thanks, Keeley.”

She nods and Ethan and I go into the office, sitting across from each other.

We finish our meal, lingering over our drinks and talking about everything and nothing. It’s easy being with him, despite our differences. He challenges me, pushes me out of my comfort zone, but he also makes me feel safe, understood.

“Do you ever think about what the future could have been like for us?” he asks suddenly, his voice soft.

I look at him, surprised by the question. “Of course. Doesn’t everyone?”

He nods, his gaze distant. “Yeah, I guess so. But sometimes it feels like I’m just going through the motions, you know? Like I’m not really living, just existing.”

“I get that.”

“I never cheated on you, El, you have to know that.”

I let out a long sigh. “But you were getting nudes from someone and never told me. You also didn’t block her. That’s wrong.”

“At the time, I was so angry and hurt thinking that if you loved me the same way I loved you, then you never would have left. It took me time to understand that I put you in a shitty situation. I was afraid of hurting you by telling you about the pictures, but, back then, I think getting them padded my ego. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about them, that I didn’t immediately block her either. I… understand now how wrong it was. Had you been getting those from a man and I found them, I would have done the same thing.

“I didn’t love you in the same way you loved me, Ethan. But…it’s not that I didn’t love you. It’s that… I loved you more than I loved myself. I put you first in everything and myself last. You held boundaries and I didn’t. You showed up for yourself and me, but I only showed up for you.”

“I see that now. I didn’t stand up for you or protect you in the ways that I should have, even when that meant protecting you from yourself.”

“Both of us were too blind to see it. I got into Cornell, it was my dream for my entire life and I was about to walk away from it because you were going to the NHL.”

“I wouldn’t have let you.”

“I wouldn’t have ever told you. I was so insecure, so scared that you’d wake up one morning and realize that you could do better than me that I put everything on hold. I wanted to make you see how amazing I was.”

“I know how I played a part in those feelings too. I was young and dumb and my only role models for a relationship were my toxic parents. I should have been showing you daily that you didn’t have to make me see anything. I already knew it, saw it, believed it.”

Tears prick at my eyes.

How blind I was back then. I never felt seen by him, but it’s because I wasn’t seeing myself.

“Thanks for saying that. Although it ended shitty, I think that it had to happen that way. I would have never left, never chased my dreams, and I would have resented you for them.”

“But we ended up right back here, together, that’s the most important thing.”

“I know I’ve said it before, but I’m not that same woman.”

“If you think it changes how I feel about you, you’re wrong.”

“You’re in love with someone who doesn’t exist any longer.”

“And you’re holding hate in your heart for someone who doesn’t exist anymore.”

I rock back as if I’ve been slapped in the face. I stare at him with wide eyes.

Shit. That was deep.

But he’s right. I’m so convinced that I’ve changed for the better, that I never thought to see how he’s changed.

I saw all the media stories about him but I never thought to ask if they were true.

I blow out a long breath and glance up at him sadly.

“That was a truth bomb that I needed to hear.”

“Let’s get to know each other again.”

“You’re my boss,” I protest weakly.

“It’s not like I’m the CEO of a corporation where there’s an HR department that will fire us both.”

“But you are in the public eye and how will that look for your reputation?”

“It will look amazing because I’m back together with my high school sweetheart and soulmate.”

“Stop dropping big words like soulmate as if it’s not a huge deal.”

“Does it scare you?”

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t scare me because I know without a doubt that it’s true.”

“My brother doesn’t approve of us getting back together.”

“That’s because he doesn’t want to see either of us get hurt again. But that’s not going to happen. Any other excuses? I’ll shoot them all down too.”

“Kiara.”

“I told her to leave town. I’ve been more than clear that we’re over. And as horrible as it sounds, I didn’t even care because she was just someone to fill the void.”

“Is that what I’ll be?”

“How could you even ask that? The void was you! Not having you in my life made me numb. Not only was I in love with you El, but you were my best friend and my family. You and I did everything together. Up until you left, I didn’t have one good memory in my life that didn’t include you.”

Tears roll down my cheeks as I stare back at him in shock. Ethan’s always been the Alpha male type that didn’t really voice emotions much. Sure, he’d tell me that he loved me but all of these words right now are more than I could have ever dreamed of.

“All the media stories show you as…”

Why do you keep pointing out the reasons why it won’t work?

“They’re bullshit now,” he mutters. “I was that guy when you first left me. I numbed myself with alcohol and partying. I couldn’t stand to be alone to feel any of the pain and grief. My coach had warned me numerous times that I was on thin ice with the team, but it didn’t resonate with me. I’d never had consequences for my actions before.. I went to Daniel’s for a guys night out to wash away my misery. He and Grams were there and the two of them hit me with reality that hurt.”

“What did they say?”

“Grams told me I wasn’t allowed back unless I got clean and got help. Daniel said he couldn’t be friends with someone who partied every night when he was trying to start a business and make something of his life. He told me that he wouldn’t go to the bar or drink with me anymore but that we could work out together, go hiking, or do productive things together.”

“Wow, I didn’t know this.”

“Grams told me that if I ever wanted to win you back that I had to make changes to my life because you were out there living fearlessly, forging your own path, and growing into who you were always meant to be while I was stuck in the version of who people were telling me to be. She said, you can’t be lost and expect to be found by the person you’re meant to be with.”

“Whoa,” I breathe.

“You, Grams, Daniel, you guys were my chosen family. You had already cut me out of your life and then I was faced with Grams and Daniel about to do the same because I couldn’t manage to get over myself.. I knew I needed to make a change so I did. Getting others to see that change is the predicament though.”

“Your parents think you’re still that guy.”

“I’ve never told them differently. I’ve never taken a stand to them or the media to show them I’m not that same guy.”

“Why not?”

“It didn’t matter before or I didn’t want to waste the breath.”

“All of your problems with your image are because you haven’t stood up for yourself.”

“No. I just haven’t shown anyone I’m different. I could stand up to the masses, I could scream from rooftops that I’m a good human but I’ve not done anything publicly to show people that.”

I’ve dreamed of him voicing these emotions to me and never believed it would come true. He’s never been this vulnerable with me. Sure we had moments, but he’d always lock up after or during.

This is an entirely evolved version of Ethan Anderson.

Is this who he really is now or is it a facade?

This is always what I wanted, but can I handle this? Am I worthy of it?