19. Ellie

19

Ellie

I wake up to the insistent buzzing of Ethan’s phone on the nightstand. Groggy and bleary-eyed, I fumble for it, squinting at the screen. It's only six in the morning, but his notifications are already blowing up. Missed calls, text messages, and a flood of emails.

What the Hell?

“Ethan,” I grumble as I drop his phone on his chest. “Make it stop.”

He opens his eyes and opens his phone.

"Elena, did you see this?" he asks.

He sits up and hands me his phone, the screen is showing a news article.

“Bad boys are at it again, Frostwood Falls Wolves are off the rails.”

"No, no, no," I mutter, throwing off the covers and sitting up straight.

This is bad—so, so bad.

I read further, the article filled with sensationalized accounts and outright lies. It says that Jeremy and Ethan started a fight. The story couldn’t be further from the truth, but the damage is done. Public perception is everything, and right now, it’s all against them.

“Okay, we need to get ahead of this. I’ll start drafting a press release and get in touch with Jeremy’s PR team. We need statements from witnesses, video footage, anything that proves you’re innocent.”

“Thank you,” he says, his voice softening. “I’m sorry you have to deal with this.”

“It’s my job.”

“It’s so much, Elena. You have the boutique to handle too. Maybe I should…”

“It’s fine,” I sigh as I scurry to get dressed. “I need to get to the shop too, damn it. I didn’t set my alarm last night.”

The next few hours are a whirlwind. I’m at the boutique by eight, my laptop open on the counter as I juggle phone calls, emails, and media inquiries.

Just as I’m about to dive back into my emails, the bell above the door jingles. I look up to see a woman who seems out of place in my eclectic store. She’s impeccably dressed, her sharp features softened only slightly by the designer scarf around her neck. She scans the room with a critical eye before zeroing in on me.

Whiskers and one of her kittens, a full black kitten I’ve named Binks begin hissing and making odd noises.

I look at them both thinking they’ve found a mouse or something and realize they’re both glaring at the woman.

Odd.

“Elena?” she asks, her voice cool and clipped.

Binks jumps up in my lap, quietly hissing at the woman.

“How can I help you?”

“I’m Dana Anderson, Ethan’s mother,” she says, extending a perfectly manicured hand.

“Oh, Mrs. Anderson, it’s nice to meet you,” I say, shaking her hand, though my stomach twists with unease. “What brings you here?”

“I’m here to discuss a matter of utmost importance,” she says, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Okay, we can go to my office if you’d like.”

She looks around the empty store and then back at me disdainfully.

“This will do. There’s no one in here to eavesdrop anyway.”

She sits gracefully in a nearby chair, her posture straight and composed, while I feel like a bundle of nerves. She’s intimidating, to say the least.

“It’s still early and…”

I stop, realizing that I’m overexplaining and have nothing to prove to this woman.

Why does she make me so nervous?

“I’m going to be blunt. I don’t think you’re right for my son, dear. He’s the perfect partner right now, I’m sure because everything is shiny and new. He’ll get bored of you soon, just like he always does when there’s no substance and he’ll begin cheating. He goes through women just as quickly as he goes through cars.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t think you’re right for Ethan,” she repeats. “He hasn’t changed since he was a toddler. He’d get all excited and beg and cry for a toy, but two days later it would be forgotten as something else catches his attention. Right now, his ego wants to win you back so he can dump you this time. I’m willing to compensate you to end your relationship with him and to terminate your professional association. I’m being kind and trying to help you out, I know you could use the money.”

For a moment, I think I’ve misheard her. “Are you… are you offering me money to break up with Ethan?”

“And to cease working with him. Clearly, you’re not cut out to be his PR manager, have you seen the mess he’s made? Name your price.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Ethan needs someone who can support his career and his social standing, and frankly, I don’t believe you’re that person.”

“I would never do anything to hurt him, and I’m certainly not going to be bought off.”

She raises an eyebrow.

“You’re out of your depth, and it’s only a matter of time before he realizes that. Do you really want to be with someone who will cheat on you, lie to you, and eventually leave you? He’s just like his father, a new, pretty young thing will come around and he’ll forget about you just as quickly as he pretended to fall in love with you.”

“You need to leave, I’m not interested in your money or your manipulation.”

“You’re making a mistake. We’re about to take the team away from him. Is that really the life you want? Barely scraping by, working eighty hours a week just to pay bills. If you think things will stay in this honeymoon phase when you’re both broke or he’s mooching off you, you’re wrong.”

“Goodbye.”

She gives me one last disdainful look before turning and walking out the door. Just as she’s leaving, Daniel walks in, his eyes widening at the sight of her.

Binks is still in my lap hissing at the door. Whiskers runs toward it as if she’s shooing Mrs. Anderson away.

I guess animals really do have good instincts about people.

“What was that about?” he asks, looking between me and the door.

“She just offered me money to fire Ethan as a client and to stay away from him.”

Daniel’s jaw drops. “Are you serious? What a piece of work. I wish I were surprised, but his parents are assholes.”

“I just… I can’t believe this is happening.”

“His parents are ruthless. They’re probably pissed about the lies in the news this morning. They didn’t even bother to see if they were valid reports.”

“And they’re not. He didn’t do anything. You know that.”

“I do. His parents have never cared though. That’s why he was always with me.”

“I know,” I sigh. “What’s up?”

“I came to see if you’d seen everything in the news about Jeremy and Ethan.”“Unfortunately, I’m working on that now.”

“Well, I have something interesting for you. One of my employees doubles as a bouncer at Rascal’s. It was busier than normal because of the UFC fight and he was working the door. He said that those guys walked in, went straight to Jeremy, and started the fight. They left immediately after and he overheard one of them on the phone saying it was done.”

“You think they did it on purpose?”

“I do. We don’t have proof of course.”

“If Ethan’s mom was willing to pay me to stay away from him do you think she’d pay someone to make him look bad?” I ask.

“They went after Jeremy, not Ethan.”

“But what happens to Jeremy reflects poorly on Ethan.”

“You’re right. Damn it.”

“Is there a full moon or something? Why was yesterday so crazy and spilling into today?”

“It’ll get better.”

“Daniel, there was a dead body in the attic.”

“Did you talk to Grams about that?”

“It’s a little crazy. One, she didn’t say anything about going on a cruise. I talked to her the day before because I’d found some things stuffed in the wall of the storage room. She got so angry at me. When I called her yesterday it was like all that was forgotten. She said that the body was a Halloween prank that Gramps used to play on her and when I told her it was real she said she was on a cruise with bad service.”

Daniel’s eyes widen. “What?”

“My thoughts exactly. It’s like Gram’s had this entire life I knew nothing about. Daniel, she has pictures with some of the most legendary designers of her time and personal notes from them. I never knew she’d ever met them.”

“Mom always said that Grams had a wild life before she met Gramps.”

“I didn’t think to ask Mom and Dad about any of this.”

“Do you need help with the store? I have enough people to cover me today that I can help out. I’m sure it’s overwhelming that there’s only one of you with everything going on.”

“That’s an understatement,” I murmur. “I shouldn’t have taken on this job with Ethan within the first few days of the store. I had no clue Grams was struggling so much.”

“It’s okay, I’m here to help. The money from Ethan will help you tremendously. It’s the low hanging fruit to focus on.”

I nod.

“Mom and Dad will be here soon too and I’m not…”

“I will run a buffer so they’re not all over your case.”

“I asked Ethan to come too, for that reason. I don’t think they’ll make a scene in front of him.”

“You’re not wrong there,” he chuckles. “I’ll help with customers while you deal with the publicity crisis. I kind of enjoy hanging out with the kittens too.”

“Never thought I’d hear you say that,” I giggle.

He shrugs and walks to the play area I’d set up for the kittens.. I lean back onto the counter, going through various pages in my Google searches, working through ways to put this fire out.

I texted Sasha earlier to reschedule our meeting so that I could deal with this stuff for Ethan.

***

Ethan walks in later that afternoon, carrying a couple of takeout bags. “Hey,” he says, offering a tentative smile. “Thought you guys could use some dinner.”

“Thanks, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” he insists, setting the bags on the counter. “How’s everything going?”

“We’re getting there. Daniel’s been a huge help.”

“Happy to be of service.”

Just as we start unpacking the food, the door opens again. I look up to see my parents walking in, their faces lighting up when they spot me.

“Elena!” my mom calls, rushing over to hug me. “I’m so happy to see you, baby.”

“Hi, Mom, Dad,” I say, hugging them back.

They turn to Ethan, who’s standing awkwardly with a takeout container in hand. “Ethan, it’s good to see you,” my dad says, shaking his hand warmly.

“You too, Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Thomspson,” he replies, smiling.

My mom gives him a brief hug. “It’s been a while. You look well.”

“Thank you,” Ethan says. “I’ll let you all catch up. I just wanted to bring some food since these two haven’t taken a breath today.”

He nods to my parents and Daniel before heading out.

As soon as the door closes behind him, my mom turns to me, her expression shifting from warm to concerned.

“Why was Ethan here?”

“I’m working as his PR manager until things cool down for him.”

“Why on earth would you do anything nice for him after what he did to you?”

“It was a long time ago,” I explain, trying to keep my voice steady. “We’ve moved past all of it. It wasn’t what it seemed to be at the time.”

My dad steps closer, his brows furrowed. “Do you know that to be true, or is that just what he told you?”

“Let’s take a breather,” Daniel interjects.

“I thought you guys loved Ethan,” I say, feeling defensive.

My mom sighs, rubbing her temples.

“We do love Ethan, but we also know how badly he hurt you. You didn’t come home for six years, Elena. We barely heard from you during that time. You put him on a pedestal and he shattered your heart. We just want you to realize he’s not the man you thought he was.”

My dad nods in agreement. “If he really loved you, he would have never put himself in a situation to lose you.”

“That’s not fair,” Daniel adds as he shakes his head. “Ethan has always loved her.”

“You’re the one who is dead set against us getting back together.”

“I am, but I know that he loved you and it’s wrong for them to tell you differently.”

I shake my head, frustration bubbling up inside me.

Why is my brother so confusing?

“I don’t necessarily think that logic is the truth, Dad. We were young and dumb and had a lot of maturing to do. Shit happens, and I wasn’t innocent either. If I’m willing to give him another shot, then you should respect that.”

My mom opens her mouth to argue, but my dad places a hand on her arm, stopping her.

“We just want what’s best for you. We’re worried that you’re going to get hurt again.”

“I appreciate that, but I need to make my own decisions. I’m not the same person I was back then, and neither is Ethan. We both have grown a lot.”

They exchange a look, clearly still concerned but knowing that pushing further won’t help. “Alright,” my dad says finally. “Just promise us you’ll be careful.”

“I will, I promise.”

“I’m starving,” Daniel says trying to lighten the mood

“Me too,” I murmur.

It’s mostly a lie though. First, Ethan’s mom comes in and now my parents. I haven’t been a woman who cared about what others thought for a very long time, but should I right now?

Is the Universe screaming at me to walk away from this man?

“Elena, did you tell them what they found yesterday morning in the attic?”

“How on earth did anyone get into the attic?,” Dad chuckles. “That place has been locked up tight for years.”

“I forgot all about the attic until yesterday,” I murmured. “I remember playing in the dresses with Grams when I was little and then one day we didn’t go up there anymore but I didn’t remember why.”

“Dad said Mom saw a snake up there and refused to go back in there and she made him put all the locks on it to keep it inside. She wouldn’t listen to him that it could find another way out. She told everyone that she lost her creative flow and would go back when it returned to her.”

“Did you find the snake?” mom asks innocently.

“A dead body.”

“What?” Dad gasps. “Why didn’t you lead with that? Who was it? Where was it?”

I replay the events to my parents, complete with Grams’ reaction as well. My dad is continuously shaking his head and pacing back and forth.

“Mom couldn’t have known. There’s no way. She’s not capable.”

“No one thinks that Grams did this,” I interject.

Daniel’s eyes flit to mine as he shakes his head.

Does my dad think she’s guilty?

“Did Grams ever talk about going to Paris?” Daniel asks.

“Paris, Grams?” Mom asks with a laugh. “She’s terrified of flying.”

The passport I found says otherwise.

“Why do you ask?”

“I found some pictures that I thought were taken there. There’s nothing written on them so it could have just been a fake background.”

“Grams never left the state,” Dad adds.

“She’s on a cruise.”

“No, she’s not. She’s terrified of water,” Mom laughs.

What’s happening right now?

“She told me she wanted me to take over the store so she could travel the world.”

“Your grandmother probably just told you that to get you to come back here. She doesn’t have the money to do that. She’s also terrified of driving too far, of flying, of swimming. Something isn’t right.”

“Honey, why don’t we go by the house to check on her,” Mom says to Dad.

He nods and they leave quickly. Daniel looks over at me worriedly.

“Something isn’t right.”

“Apparently, none of us know Grams very well.”

As the night goes on, I find myself glancing at the door, half-expecting Ethan to walk back in. Wanting him to walk back in.

This whole situation is a mess, but I’m determined to navigate through it, no matter how challenging it gets. I just hope my parents can understand and support me, even if they don’t fully agree with my decisions.

It seems like everyone is against us right now. But how can it be wrong when it feels so damn right?

Everything is so overwhelming.

I want to run away and never look back.

I just might.