Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Elle
I glanced down at my phone for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour.
Rhett was late.
Really late.
And worse yet? He hadn't even answered my text this morning when I reached out to confirm that we were still good for today.
That probably should've been my first clue that he wasn't coming, and yet I wanted to believe it was just a fluke.
The second clue should've been when I tried calling him after I had been waiting for ten minutes, and the call went straight to voicemail.
"Can I top you off?" The waitress smiled down at me.
"No, thank you. I'll just take the check, please."
"Sure thing, hon."
I pulled cash out of my wallet and made sure I left the waitress a big tip for wasting her time for just a cup of coffee.
As soon as I got back to my SUV, I pulled up Molly's name and hit the call button.
"Done already?" was exactly how she answered.
"He never showed." It wasn't until I said the words out loud that I started to cry. And not tears of sadness but the ones full of frustration.
"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry."
"I knew I should've lowered my expectations.
" I had gotten my hopes up when Rhett said he wanted to meet.
I had immediately gone from just friends to a date really quick.
So much so that I meticulously planned my outfit.
A cute long flowing floral skirt with a tucked-in white top, jean jacket, and tan sandals. I looked hot if I had to say so myself.
"That's my fault. I never should've put it in your head." Molly's remorseful tone filled my vehicle.
I leaned my head back on the seat and allowed Molly's breathing to soothe away the hurt.
"I guess this makes two red flags?" I asked her after a few moments of silence.
"Maybe something came up?" I had to give Molly credit for trying, but despite her words, her tone didn't sound as convincing.
"Too busy to send off a quick text to cancel?" I argued back.
"You're right. You deserve someone who can take the time to at least send you a quick text that he can't make it.
Actually you deserve the world." Molly sighed.
"I never should've let you convince me to let you leave Friday night.
Then you never would've met him, and you wouldn't be feeling so sad right now. "
As much as I wanted to regret meeting Rhett, I just couldn't. My night with him was one of the best I’d had in a long time. A sad reality when I thought about it.
"Is it pathetic if I go home and drown my feelings in ice cream?"
"Girllll," Molly chided. "You don't need a reason to do that. Eat that damn ice cream like the queen you are and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Molly was the kind of friend every woman needed to have. "You're right. I'm going to eat my ice cream and forget all about Rhett," I told her with conviction.
"That's my girl. Call me if you need anything.”
After saying goodbye, I hung up the phone, and with renewed determination, I drove back to my house.
I lived in a small one-story cottage-style home with a white picket fence and flower beds under the windows. It was my idea of the American dream.
Climbing out of the vehicle, I walked up the brick walkway and let the front of my home bring me peace.
I kicked off my sandals and let the lush grass tickle my toes.
I stopped to smell the flowers that were just starting to bloom.
By the time I walked into my house, I was no longer wallowing about Rhett standing me up.
I did however go to the kitchen and grab the tub of Dutch chocolate ice cream and a spoon. Just because I no longer wanted to eat my feelings didn't mean I couldn't enjoy some ice cream while I turned on the latest series I was binge-watching.
With no real plans for a Saturday, I settled into my comfy couch with a throw blanket and dessert. I was halfway through the third episode when my phone pinged with a notification that I had a text message.
I contemplated ignoring it in case it was Rhett, but curiosity got the better of me. Sure enough it was the man himself.
RHETT
I'm so sorry about today. An assignment I was sent on went sideways and took longer than I thought it would, otherwise I would've texted you before I left.
I considered not answering him but then thought better of it. Since he took the time to reach out, the least I could do was answer him.
ELLE
It's fine. Hope everything is okay.
I waited to see that the message was delivered, then went to shut the screen off, but before I could do it, I saw that Rhett was calling me.
"Hello?" I answered a bit confused. Rhett didn't seem like the kind of man who liked to talk on the phone when he could text instead.
"I might not be the smartest guy when it comes to women, but even I know the word fine doesn't actually mean things are fine."
I chuckled at his assessment and snuggled deeper into the blanket. "Did your sisters teach you that?"
"They did, and they would kick my ass if they knew I stood you up today."
The thought that his sisters would care enough made my heart skip a beat. I mentally kicked myself immediately for the thought.
Just friends.
I repeated those two words over and over in my head.
"You were working. It's no big deal."
"It is a big deal. I should've texted you before I left to let you know there could be a chance I would have to cancel.”
It was hard to be mad at the man when he was busy chiding himself for his own actions.
"A heads-up would've been nice, but I get it." The anger I felt from earlier in the day slipped away. "So are you allowed to tell me what kind of assignment you were on?"
"A rescue mission in Turkey. Unfortunately it didn't go as planned." The pain in his voice put me on high alert, and before I could think better of it, I hit the video button.
Seconds later, Rhett in all his shirtless glory filled the screen, but it was the bandage on his shoulder that caught my attention.
"What happened to your shoulder?"
I knew as soon as he grimaced that I wasn't going to like his answer. "I got shot." I felt the blood drain from my face, and I got lightheaded just thinking about how that felt.
"You got shot?" The question was nothing more than a croak.
"Yes, but it was a through and through. It didn't hit anything major, so I'm fine."
Rhett's words played on a loop in my head.
The man had been shot.
"A through and through?"
Yes, I realized I was repeating his words, but what else was there to say when a person got shot? I never knew anyone who took a bullet before. The only real knowledge I had was from the shows or movies I watched, and they weren't helpful because usually the person being shot wasn't fine.
"Yes, it went clean through. Barely more than a scratch."
I highly doubted that was the case, but besides asking him to remove the bandage––something I doubted was a good idea––I had no way of calling him out on it.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Should he be in the hospital? Resting? All these questions started to pop into my head at once, but I couldn't get my mouth to cooperate.
"I promise I'm fine. This isn't the first time and probably won't be the last."
Rhett more than likely realized his mistake when my eyes practically popped out of my head at his declaration.
"You've been... shot... before?" I choked out the words.
"I was in the military, darling. Special Forces to be exact. Getting shot and getting shot at came with the territory."
I wasn't sure which part of his statement hit me harder. The fact that he was former Special Forces or that he called me darling.
"I thought you were a bodyguard now though?"
Wasn't that supposed to be safer in real life? Not at all like the movies or books made it out to be.
Rhett threw his head back and laughed and holy damn was he so much hotter when he did that. I thought the man was good looking as a broody SOB, but this was next level.
"I guess that's a watered-down version of my job," he finally said once he was done giggling.
"I'm not sure I can handle the full version," I grumbled but immediately regretted my words when all signs of laughter and playfulness left Rhett like someone had smacked him with a wave.
"Not many people can," he answered somberly, and I knew in that moment that I had screwed up.