Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
ELLA
A fter the soap opera moment in front of Audrey’s cottage, I invited Rhett over for a glass of wine. It looked like he needed it, and I did too. When I saw Rhett and Christine pressed together so intimately, Christine even raising her hand to touch Rhett’s face, my heart splintered in my chest. I was ready to walk back home and slam the door in his face if he followed me. But he looked so distraught, and his explanation—well—it made sense. I’d met the woman, after all. And the fact that she had made a point of looking out the window and flashing a mean smile at me made me realize she’d done it all for a reaction—for my reaction.
Ava and Layla stayed up for a glass of wine, too. We’d spent the evening laughing and then the tears came when we realized we were going to be split up again. Ava hadn’t cooled her spirit of adventure yet. We were going to have to let go of her once again. But it had been so nice having her back at home.
“So, Egypt?” Rhett asked. “Mummies?”
“I wish, but that’s not my area of expertise. The Nile Valley mostly,” Ava said. “We’re doing testing on the Nile River and the possible contaminants that have been making animals and people ill.”
“Wow, I doubt many people have that kind of job listed on a resumé.” Rhett lifted his glass. “Here’s to a successful mission.”
We clinked glasses.
“El says the woman renting the cottage next door is your crazy ex.” Layla tended to let everything that popped into her head slip from her mouth, especially after wine.
“Layla, I don’t think I used those exact words.” I forced an embarrassed smile toward Rhett.
Rhett nodded at Layla. “Actually, that was pretty accurate.”
“How did she end up next door?” Ava asked. “Coincidence or sinister plotting?”
I laughed again and nearly spit out wine. “Excuse my sisters, Rhett, they have zero filters after a glass of wine.”
“I find it refreshing, the open honesty. I’ll bet that’s why all of you are so close. You don’t beat around the bush. You just tell it like it is.”
“Sometimes a little too much,” I admitted.
“Do we need to keep an eye on El?” Ava asked. “How crazy are we talking?”
Rhett’s smile faded, and the tone of the conversation turned serious. “I’m working on getting her out of town. In the meantime, don’t invite her inside. She’s not to be trusted … ever.”
“Jeesh, and we were just kidding around about it,” Layla said. “She sounds like a real psycho.”
I sensed the conversation was making Rhett uncomfortable, and I wasn’t loving it either.
“A walk down at the cove,” I blurted. “The moon is nearly full, and there’ll be enough light to take a short walk. If you’re interested.”
“That sounds great. My one regret about the manor is that it’s so far from the beach.”
I laughed. “Uh, your one regret?”
“Well, aside from the peeling walls, terrible heating, vacant kitchen and, of course, the curse.” We pulled on our coats.
“Should we all go?” Layla asked enthusiastically.
Ava looked at her. “Yes, there’s nothing more romantic than a walk on the beach under a full moon with a little sister tagging along and saying anything that pops into her mind.”
“You could have just nudged me with your elbow. Didn’t need the whole sarcasm thing,” Layla said sharply. Then she threw her arms in the air and dropped them around Ava. “I’m going to miss that sarcasm so much.”
I took Rhett’s hand and led him down the path to the beach. We reached the sand. He looked around. “This was your backyard as a kid?”
“Yep. We were down here all summer and any time in the year that the weather was nice.”
“Man, oh man, all we had near our house was a park, and I use the term loosely because it was nothing more than a few cement paths, a swing set and a slide. Its big claim to fame was a drinking fountain that was tucked inside a big plaster lion’s head, but the water tasted like rust.”
I still held his hand and turned him toward the end of the cove. “So, they spent money to have a whimsical drinking fountain, but they only added a swing set and a slide? Not even the much-needed-at-any-playground monkey bars?”
“Not a bar or climbing apparatus in sight. I suppose we’re walking this way to avoid being seen by a certain creepy neighbor?”
“Sure are. And creepy is right.” We headed past the outcropping of rocks that jutted out onto the sand. “We spent a lot of time climbing those rocks,” I said. “And a lot of time bandaging our knees after climbing on those rocks. Ava even broke her arm after her foot slipped into a crevice, and she used her arm to stop the fall.”
“Ouch. I’ll bet she wasn’t too keen about climbing those rocks after that.”
I laughed. “You don’t know Ava. We have a picture of her standing at the very top of the outcropping waving her blue fiberglass cast in the air.”
“Guess it’s called getting back on the horse.”
As we got to the end of the cove, the cliffsides grew steeper, and they cast a dark shadow over the sand. Rhett stopped and pulled me into his arms. “Moonlight, the rhythmic sound of the sea and a beautiful woman in my arms—this is a much better end to the evening than I expected.” He kissed me. “Ella, just tell me if you think things are moving too fast. I know Aria told me that you?—”
“Were flighty when it comes to men? Yes, I really need to once again thank my big sister for sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong. She occasionally does that.”
“I think she saw me sitting at the table looking like a kid whose bike just got stolen, and she thought she’d step in for a little therapy. But back to my question.”
“Well, part of what Aria said was true. Actually, most of it. And that’s on me. I’ve been very quick to end budding relationships, but that’s only because I never found the right person. You’ve already passed a very big test.”
He raised a questioning brow at me. “How’s that?”
“I’ve already discovered that, much like Mr. Rochester of literary fame, you have a secret, unhinged wife hidden in the attic, or in this case, in the cottage next door, and I still haven’t sent you the ‘I’m so sorry this just isn’t going to work’ text.”
Rhett pulled me closer with a chuckle. “You are like no woman I’ve ever met, Ella. I only hope I can live up to your expectations, because you’re the best thing to happen to me in a long time.”
“Oh, I think you’ve already met and surpassed them, Mr. Lockwood.”
We parted but held hands as we walked farther along the sand. It was always extra quiet down on the cove at night when there were no screeching gulls and the tide was pulled out and quiet. “What will happen next? With Christine?” I hated to bring it up because it was such a nice walk, but the woman had moved in next to our cottage.
“Not sure. I offered to meet her financial demands. It’ll cost me millions, and at the same time, I let her know part of the deal would be her getting out of my life for good. She decided that wasn’t good enough. She wanted twice her original amount.”
“It’s like emotional blackmail,” I said.
“Pretty much. I’ve got a great lawyer. He’ll help me figure something out. In the meantime …”
I looked over at him. “In the meantime?” It seemed he had no way to finish the sentence, but something occurred to me. “I’ll have Isla call Audrey to let her know that the new renter is a problem and see if she can cut short the agreement. Audrey was a good friend of Nonna’s, so she might be willing.”
“Not sure if that’ll be possible if an agreement was signed. But it’s worth a try. I really am sorry that?—”
I wrapped my arms around his. “That you married a nutcase? Yes, that might go down as your biggest regret in life.”
“It sure will.”