CHAPTER NINE
David walked into his apartment Saturday afternoon thoroughly exhausted. He threw himself on his couch and thought about sleeping for the next twenty-four hours straight. His work usually invigorated him, but he had been running on fumes and caffeine for weeks. The residency had been a lot more intense than he had anticipated.
Although being a doctor was immensely satisfying, David wondered if he was cut out for the long hours and personal sacrifice. David wasn’t the type to shy away from a challenge, and once he started something he wanted to be the best at it that he could be. But he didn’t remember ever having a choice in the matter when it came to his profession. His parents had said that he would be a doctor, and that had been that. He vaguely recalled his mother saying that being a doctor would help him meet girls too.
Speaking of mother figures, Linda had called him at the hospital that afternoon to confirm for the third time in the last two days that he was going to be at her dinner party that evening. Although he was more than a little annoyed at the constant reminding, the way that she gushed about how excited Ellie was to see him made him feel really good. He was excited to see her too. He hoped that he’d get to know her better that evening.
Although he knew next to nothing about her, Ellie seemed to have everything that he had been searching for in a woman. She was beautiful and strong-willed. She was obviously self-sufficient and successful. She enjoyed quiet time with her dog. The people close to her adored her and went to great lengths to see that she was happy. She was the kind of girl he could proudly take home to his folks.
David pushed himself off the sofa. As much as he wanted sleep, he was realizing his soul craved something else. And with each passing day, he was becoming more certain that something else was Ellie Coulter.
Ellie walked slowly up the curved driveway that led to Linda’s house. She could hear classical music from the house drifting in the air, and she wondered if it was being pumped outside. She couldn’t help but stare at the house. She would classify it as a mansion actually. It was a pretty pink-white stucco that would look perfectly in place on an Italian hillside. Each window facing the front lawn had lit tapered candles in it, giving a soft glow to the patio outside. It had the feeling of expectation, warmth, and satisfaction all at the same time.
Ellie ran a hand along her hair again, smoothing imaginary strands this time. She didn’t want to think about how much the trip to stylist had cost, but she was secretly delighted with the results. Her hair shone with new life now that the split ends were gone, and it had a soft wave that framed her face. It still fell well below her shoulders, and she had chosen to leave it loose for the evening with a silver broach swept up on one side to keep it out of her face. Kevin and Eric had insisted that she highlight her best features.
Her nails were an apple red that she could see even in the moonlight, and the color matched the fitted silk blouse that Kevin had insisted on. Black faux pearls encircled her throat. Her skirt clung to her hips and tapered ever so slightly at the bottom. She felt awkward in the black heels, but she knew without asking her shopping companions earlier that day that the shoes made the outfit.
Inwardly she cringed again at how much money she had spent, but she couldn’t deny the fact that she felt beautiful and confident in a way that she hadn’t in a very long time. She hoped she wouldn’t blush if her friends reacted too strongly to her new look. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her.
“Ellie?” A voice broke her reverie.
Ellie jumped with a sharp intake of breath and she whirled around.
David was looking at her anxiously. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He reached out and touched her shoulder. His normally blue aura was tinged with pink. She had alarmed him.
“It’s okay. I was just admiring Linda’s house,” she said faintly. Her hand had crept to her chest, and she could feel her heart beating anxiously. She wondered if it was the scare or David’s touch that had it racing. She could feel the warmth of each individual finger burning through her wrap. His eyes caught hers and he smiled. She couldn’t help but smile back. In the moonlight, he looked devilishly handsome in a long woolen coat.
David gently took her elbow. He was still much taller than she was, even in her three-inch heels. She liked that.
“Allow me,” he said.
She couldn’t manage to think of a thing to say as they walked up to the house, but David seemed comfortable with the silence. He was so close that she could smell his cologne; light and subtle, but intoxicating. She thought for the second time in as many days that it felt good to be close to a man and wondered how she had gone without it all this time. This contact made her feel almost completely human again.
“Thank you,” she murmured as they arrived at the door. He just smiled knowingly and pushed the doorbell. Ellie hoped that her thoughts weren’t transparent on her face.
“Darlings!” Linda exclaimed as she opened the door.
Ellie didn’t need to see an aura to immediately tell that Linda was in her element. Linda’s face was glowing with excitement. She wore a diaphanous white blouse with a black skirt, and pearls that Ellie knew instantly had to have cost a fortune. Her hands were heavy with diamonds, and her hair had been recently done.
“I’m so sorry that the butler wasn’t here to answer the door. I just sent him off on an errand to the kitchen so he should be back in just a moment to take your coats,” Linda said, ushering them inside the house.
“You have a butler?” Ellie stammered as she started to remove her wrap. She felt confident hands on her shoulders as David helped her slip it off. He already had his jacket thrown over his arm. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a burgundy shirt and a matching tie. With his sandy blond hair and dark blue eyes he looked utterly irresistible.
“Thank you,” she said shyly.
David continued to smile at her, and she caught his gaze as it slipped from her shoes to her face. When his eyes returned to hers she could see definite appreciation in them and she blushed. Still holding her eyes, David pulled a wine bottle with a red bow tied neatly around the top from beneath his jacket. The movement allowed her to finally tear her eyes away from him. She took a deep breath. It was crazy how this man affected her.
“For you, Linda,” David said, presenting the bottle to the older woman.
“David, I told you that it wasn’t necessary to bring anything,” Linda admonished, but Ellie could tell she was pleased. Plus she thought that it would be hard to be upset with someone as handsome and charming as David.
A moment later a distinguished gentleman wearing a dark suit and serious expression appeared.
“Jeffrey, please take Ellie and David’s coats to the coatroom.” Linda fluttered a finger in their direction.
“Of course, Mrs. Jordan,” was the soft reply.
Ellie’s eyes widened. Unless she was mistaken, he had an English accent. If Linda could afford a butler, and a dignified British butler at that, then she had no idea why Linda was wasting her time in Ellie’s little coffee shop. It was obvious she could be doing whatever she wanted with her time.
“Oh, and take this lovely bottle of wine into the kitchen so that it can chill. Perhaps we can have a glass after dinner,” Linda added.
With a stiff half bow, the butler disappeared with the coats and wine.
Linda took Ellie’s arm and led her down the hallway. David followed closely behind.
“I didn’t know you had servants.” The words were out before Ellie could take them back; she realized that to mention Linda’s more than comfortable lifestyle may appear rude.
“I really don’t, but Jeffrey would always come and help out from time to time when Lloyd and I had dinner parties. That seems like so long ago,” Linda said wistfully. “The firm always had some big case that they had just won, or some big client that they had just signed, so there was always reason to celebrate. When we found this house, Lloyd and I were so looking forward to
having many celebrations here. How I miss those times.”
“Well, it sounds like you have a fantastic evening in store for us,” David said at Linda’s elbow.
Linda’s smile returned immediately. “Oh, I do hope so. You both look divine. I’m so glad that you could come on such short notice. Everyone that has already arrived is here in the library.” Linda stood next to a pair of dark-paneled double doors.
Ellie could hear soft murmurs behind the heavy wood. As Linda pushed the doors open, Ellie’s mouth dropped open. The room had two levels. Books lined every wall from ceiling to floor on the lower level on two sides, and then a winding metal staircase led to an upstairs level that had a small walkway. On that level books covered all four walls.
A fireplace crackled in the corner, and two large leather couches sat facing each other over an antique cocktail table. A heavy cherry wood bar took up the entire back wall, and beaded lamps sat on end tables throughout the room, giving it a soft and inviting glow.
“Linda, this is beautiful,” Ellie said. Ellie loved to read, and she would have loved to have grown up in a house like this where there were so many books to capture her imagination.
“Do you think so?” Linda said. “It all gets so dusty so fast. I’ll give you the grand tour of the house after dinner. For now I thought it might be nice to visit. Ellie, you know everyone, but let me introduce you, David.”
Ellie hung back as Linda led David to the cluster of people in the center of the room. The group had a golden glow around it as all of the auras blended together. Everyone was happy and enjoying themselves.
Kevin and Eric were there, and Ellie gave them a small wave. Both winked at her appreciatively, and confirmed for her that the outfit was worth the investment. Melanie Wilson was also there with her husband, who Ellie had met on the rare occasion when he accompanied her to the coffee shop.
Herbert Wilson was Melanie’s exact opposite in every way. Where she was flamboyant and loud, he was withdrawn and quiet. She was wearing a blazing orange dress that showed that, despite her age, she still had a figure. Herbert wore a worn brown blazer with patches on the elbows. His glasses looked to be in a permanent state of almost falling off. His bushy white mustache almost completely obscured his small features. Add in the fact that Melanie topped him by three to four inches, and they looked the epitome of the phrase “opposites attract.”
But for all their differences, Ellie would catch glimpses every now and then when Herbert watched his wife. From what she could see, tonight was no different. Melanie was delighting in being the center of attention, and Herbert’s look of adoration was plain. Ellie watched Melanie’s hand drift to Herbert’s arm and give it a brief squeeze. The affection was not overstated, but the love was clearly there. She hoped to have that kind of relationship someday.
Ellie watched David shake hands with Melanie, Herbert, and Eric, who all immediately clamored around him asking him ten thousand questions. David briefly glanced in her direction with a look of helplessness on his face, and she could only grin and shrug. She had no doubt that he’d fit right in.
“Having a good time, Ellie?” The baritone voice was immediately behind her and she jumped. Then she heard a low chuckle.
Ellie cringed inwardly. She recognized the voice, and it was someone she had hoped wouldn’t be on the invite list. But apparently Randall McGinty had wrangled his way back into Linda’s affections. She turned.
“Hello, Randall. I just got here but so far it seems great,” she said as she fixed a smile on her face.
Randall McGinty was in his early sixties, but his tan complexion and trim build made him look ten years younger despite his full head of white hair. Ellie had no idea what kind of suit he was wearing, but it reeked of money. Randall seemed the type to always insist on the best. And like Linda, Randall had no aura to speak of. Ellie had often wondered about this and what it meant, but it was one of those things that didn’t seem to have an answer.
She thought about how Randall had swept into their lives. One day Linda started going on and on about a new “friend” that she had met through a mutual acquaintance. Then Randall appeared every day that Linda worked to pick her up. Since he was always early he would sit with a cup of coffee in the corner and wait for her shift to end. He was always unfailingly polite, but something about him gave Ellie the creeps. She swore that at times she caught him watching her with a weird look on his face. Then a few weeks ago Randall had abruptly disappeared, and Linda wouldn’t say anything else about it. Ellie had been pleased that he was gone.
Randall smiled down at her, and for once Ellie wished to be taller than her 5’3” frame. He stood easily over six feet, and his teeth were so white that they matched his hair.
“That’s good to hear you are doing well, Ellie. Linda says you’ve been feeling a bit down lately and you know how she worries about you,” he said as he pulled a cigar from his pocket and cut off the end, obviously preparing to light it. Linda was at his side in an instant wagging her finger under his nose.
“Randall…now you know how I feel about cigar smoke in the house,” she scolded.
“I was just doing the prep work, my dear. I thought I’d step outside anyway, with it being such a lovely evening and all.” He pulled Linda a little closer and gave her a cool peck on the side of her cheek.
Ellie thought the gesture was stiff, and something about it felt off, but Linda didn’t seem to notice. Her laugh tinkled above the din of the others.
“Ellie! What are you doing over there? Are you too good to talk to all of us now that you look sexy as hell?” Melanie’s brash voice caught her attention.
Ellie was mortified by Melanie’s comment, but relieved to have an excuse to move away from Randall and Linda, who were now whispering to each other with amused expressions on their faces.
“I’m sorry. I was just talking to Randall,” she apologized as she moved to stand next to David.
Melanie, Kevin, and Eric all rolled their eyes. Herbert looked dazed (as usual), and David appeared confused. The group aura had started to shift at the mention of Randall’s name. Deep orange streaks appeared. Randall made everyone anxious.
“Am I missing something?” David asked.
Melanie glanced around Ellie’s shoulder and lowered her voice. “We’ve all known Linda awhile now. She was widowed not too long ago. From what she said, she and Lloyd had one of those picture-perfect marriages. They were married a long time—something like thirty years.”
Melanie checked around Ellie again before continuing. Her lowered voice was almost eerie compared to her usual over the top speaking volume. “She told me that she was crazy depressed after that happened. She said she lost her will to live. She told me things got better once she started working for Ellie; helped to give her some purpose again. Well, a couple of months ago, Linda starts showing up at work wearing new clothes. Like designer new and bright colors. Then she was taking long weekend trips and whistling to herself when she was working. She’d always been warm and friendly, but this was obviously a woman in love. I couldn’t help but notice, since it was such a drastic change.”
Ellie suddenly felt awful. She hadn’t noticed these signs that Melanie made seem to glaringly obvious. She relied so heavily on people’s auras that she often missed the most basic signs of people’s emotions. She knew that was one of her fundamental flaws, and was certain that was why she had a hard time relating well to other people. Plus she had been wrapped up so completely in her own little hell dimension for the last year that the others around her had almost ceased to exist. She felt a small tug on her arm, and saw that Kevin knew exactly what she was thinking. He winked at her, and she realized he was telling her to let it go.
“We were all delighted for her, although cautious. After all, Lloyd had only recently passed on. But it was good to see Linda moving on with her life instead of watching everyone making a mess of theirs and trying to play the part of their mother.” Melanie looked pointedly at Ellie.
&
nbsp; Ellie rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’ve ever asked her to take care of me. Geez.”
“So far I think I’m still missing it,” David said, clearly try to run interference.
Ellie was appalled that Melanie would talk about her so blatantly. But then David looked at her and she was torn between a sharp retort or letting Melanie finish. She decided it wasn’t worth getting into anything in front of David so she nodded at Melanie to continue.
"I haven’t gotten to the good stuff yet,” Melanie said. “So then this car starts showing up outside the coffee shop to pick Linda up on the days that she works. It’s a new Lincoln Town Car with tinted windows, so you couldn’t see who was inside. She’s all aflutter about it and wouldn’t tell anyone what was going on, but every day she’d leave in that car.”
Kevin suddenly jumped in. “I couldn’t stand it anymore, so one day I asked Linda if she had joined a cult and was ashamed to tell us about it.” They all laughed quietly. “And she finally fessed up about Randall. After that he’d come into the store and wait for Linda to be done with her shift.”
The whole group turned in unison to look, but Randall and Linda had disappeared.
“She won’t tell us how she met him or anything about him. All’s she would say was that she had met a nice man, and she was enjoying herself again,” Kevin added.
“Doesn’t sound so bad,” David said, shrugging.
Ellie caught a look pass between Kevin and Melanie. After a short pause, Kevin made a small nod in Ellie’s direction. Ellie wondered if David wasn’t the only one missing something.
Melanie seemed uncomfortable, and then she sighed. “You’re right. If that’s all there was to the story I don’t think any of us would have thought another thing about it. But it was Randall’s other interest that concerned us.”
“What other interest?” David asked.
“Ellie,” Kevin said in a low tone. “It was pretty clear that he was paying an awful lot of attention to Ellie. Linda never seemed to notice, but I didn’t like it at all.”
All eyes had shifted to Ellie, and she realized that this was the cause of the anxiety. Her friends were worried about her. “I’ve always thought that Randall was creepy,” Ellie said slowly. “And I did catch him staring at me a few times. Why didn’t you guys say anything?”
This time it was Melanie and Kevin’s turn to look embarrassed. Ellie stared at them hard until Melanie finally met her eyes. “Look, doll. You know we love you. But you haven’t been fully present for a while now and we didn’t know how to tell you. We didn't want to upset you more than you already have been. It seemed easier to just keep an eye on things ourselves. We would have said something if there was any chance of things getting wacky. Randall is mysterious and creepy, but he seemed pretty harmless.”
Ellie had no idea how to respond. She felt David put his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him.
“I think it’s great that Ellie has such good friends. Sounds like you all look out for each other. Being somebody new in town, I can say that’s something I miss,” David said.
Ellie was grateful that Melanie’s confession hadn’t made him think she was a total self-centered loon.
“It’s just so odd how everything about him is so secretive and mysterious, and Linda refuses to answer any questions about him. And when you do talk to him, you just feel…yucky,” Kevin added.
“Yucky?” David questioned.
“Yucky,” Ellie agreed with a small smile at Kevin.
“What’s yucky?” Linda appeared from the back of the room.
“Oh, uh, Ellie and I found a mouse in the storeroom yesterday morning. Good thing you weren’t there, Linda,” Kevin said smoothly.
Everyone else in the circle shot him a look of gratitude. Ellie crinkled up her nose. She wondered how many times he may have told her a white lie to protect her feelings. No matter what everyone else thought about Randall, he had obviously made Linda feel better and she knew this was the point where being a good friend meant you had to be willing to overlook other eccentricities. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that Randall’s interest in her was no good.
“That is unpleasant,” Linda said, wrinkling up her nose. “Let’s talk about nicer things, shall we? Our remaining guests have arrived, so dinner is ready.” And with a graceful spin, she motioned for her guests to follow her across the hall to the dining room.