15. Ella
I woke up Wednesday morning to the sun creeping through my drapes. I stretched out my limbs, taking up every inch of the bed as I lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Today, I didn’t have to be at work until noon because I would be staying late to get Sunday’s articles formatted for the printer. I breathed out a soft sigh of relief. I had the morning to relax and rejuvenate, and I needed it.
Gloria had kept me exceptionally busy the last few days, and after my tense, dare I say, drama with Asher, every muscle in my body felt so tied up and tight that I was struggling to feel normal.
I was ready for a morning off so I could get my head on straight and my life back in order. I closed my eyes and requested Alexa to play my Saturday morning playlist. Soon, familiar music filled my room. I lay there, tapping my toe and singing along with the words.
Eventually, I rolled myself out of bed and padded into the bathroom to turn on the shower. Steam filled the space around me as I slipped out of my pajamas and into the hot water. I took my time washing my hair and shaving my legs. It was still warm in Harmony, and I was going to head to the farmers’ market. No one wanted to see my hairy legs poking out from underneath the floral skirt I was planning to wear.
Once I was clean and smooth, I wrapped a towel around my body and one of Asher’s old ratty t-shirts around my head—I’d taken it from his donate pile a while ago—and stepped out of the shower. I wiped the condensation off the mirror and stared at my reflection.
Thoughts of my interaction with Asher and Marcus Proctor were still stuck in the back of my mind. I wanted answers, I just wasn’t sure how to go about getting them without completely offending Asher. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship over something I wasn’t completely certain about.
What if it turned out to be nothing? Was I willing to give up years of friendship with Asher for a potential story?
“You have to make sure there’s something there before you blow everything up,” I told my reflection, pointing my finger at myself so I knew to take myself seriously.
I’d always been so good at trusting my intuition. And Asher had always been so good at encouraging me to trust my intuition. This was the first time he’d asked me to stay away.
This was the first time my journalistic nature might hurt someone I loved. And I didn’t know how to juggle both things. I wanted to protect Asher, but also reveal the wrongdoings of someone closely tied to him. Thinking about it was causing knots to form in my stomach.
I shook my head. “The solution is to stop thinking about it,” I mumbled under my breath as I flipped open my makeup bag and pulled out my foundation.
I went with a simple face today. After I blow-dried my hair, I turned off the bathroom light and made my way into my bedroom. I settled on a white shirt to go with my skirt. I dressed before I went back into the bathroom to curl my hair now that it had cooled.
I was finished and heading into the kitchen when my phone chimed.
Asher:You up?
I smiled even though his message made my stomach twist.
Me:Of course. Up and dressed.
Asher:Heading to the farmers’ market?
I shook my head.
Me:You know me too well.
I set my phone down on the counter and busied myself with making some coffee. I grabbed a mug and a pod, and situated everything before I turned the machine on. Then I yawned as I rested my hip against the counter and waited.
Asher:Do you mind if your lifelong friend joins you?
I tapped the edge of my phone as I read his words. Normally, I’d love for him to come. But things were strained between us. Asher didn’t feel any different—his text was proof of that—but I did. But if I rejected his request, he was going to ask me why. Did I really want to answer that?
“Ugh.” I sighed as I rested my hands on the counter, dropped my head, and stretched out, closing my eyes. “Why is this so hard?” I moaned.
The coffee machine turned off. I straightened and removed my mug. I held it in both of my hands as I took a few sips. Maybe after I was sufficiently caffeinated, I would feel better. The answer to all of my problems would be made known.
After I’d drank half of my cup, I still felt conflicted. I glared at my phone like it was the problem before I picked it up and swiped it on. Asher’s latest text stared back at me as if daring me to respond. I knew I couldn’t leave him on read. I was going to have to respond at some point.
Right now was as good of a time as any.
Me:Sure! Sorry that took so long. I needed some caffeine.
I paused.
Me:Meet me in thirty?
Asher sent back a thumbs-up emoji. I clicked my phone off and set it back down on the counter. I drank the rest of my coffee and then rinsed the mug out in the sink. I dried my hands, grabbed my phone and my purse that was hanging on the wall. I pulled the strap up onto my shoulder as I pulled my keys from inside. Then I opened my apartment door and stepped outside.
The sun was shining and wind blew around me, smelling like salt and relaxation. I turned and locked the door before I headed down the stairs to the parking lot. I was so grateful when Asher found me this apartment. It was close to the water and the view was picturesque every time I stepped outside.
I climbed into my car and turned the engine on. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the town square and found a parking spot down one of the narrow streets. Just as I slammed the driver’s door and moved to open the back so I could grab my shopping bag, I heard Asher’s familiar voice. “Hey, Ella.”
My insides twisted from the familiar cadence of him speaking my name. I felt guilty and annoyed at the same time. I forced a smile and straightened. “Hey,” I breathed out as I found the strap to my bag and threaded my arm through it. “Have you been waiting long?”
Asher was wearing a pair of shorts and a black t-shirt. He looked so relaxed compared to his normal suit and tie. He shoved his hands into his front pockets and shook his head. “Nope. Just got here.” He nodded toward his truck that was parked on the opposite side of the road.
I let my gaze roam over him before I frowned. “You don’t have a bag.” I narrowed my eyes. “If you think you’re going to be using mine, you’re sorely mistaken.”
He chuckled as he shook his head. “Don’t worry, I would never imagine asking you to share your bag with me.” He shrugged. “I’m just here to spend some time with you.” His half smile made me feel even more guilty for how I’d been acting.
Asher was a good friend. Why couldn’t I be the same?
“Well, just remember that you agreed to carry everything you buy,” I said as I pointed my forefinger toward his chest.
He held up his hands. “I promise.”
I narrowed my eyes one more time before I turned and started walking toward the town square, where farmers and vendors had set up. Asher fell into step with me. We walked in silence. I kept peeking over at him, wondering if I should say something and hating that I felt so awkward.
This wasn’t how I was supposed to feel around him. He was my best friend. I was supposed to be relaxed and open with him. I feared that I was never going to feel the same again. Had I fundamentally changed our relationship?
“Have you had a good week?” Asher’s voice broke through my thoughts. I turned to see him glancing down at me. He was asking me about my week? Had our relationship really dissolved to this level? Was he feeling it too?
I nodded. “It’s been busy. I’m glad to have the morning off.” I scoffed. “As long as Gloria doesn’t call me in a panic ’cause we have to rewrite an entire story.
He laughed. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”
“Truth.”
Silence. Again. This was its own level of hell. And I hated it.
“How about you? Did you close on any more properties?”
He shook his head. “It’s been pretty quiet after my work with Mr. Proctor…” His voice trailed off as if he suddenly realized what he’d just said.
The silence turned awkward, and I was desperate to dispel it. “I’m sure that’ll turn around. Lots of people are moving to Harmony.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I have an open house later today. Hoping to get some bites.”
“That’s nice.” I peeked over at him to see that he’d drawn his lips together as he stared at the ground. “Isn’t it?” I asked, wondering if he was having an issue with that listing.
He glanced over at me and nodded. “Oh, it’s nice. I can’t imagine the house will stay on the market long.”
“That’s good.”
Ugh. That’s good. That’s nice. Was this what our relationship had come to? I felt like I was walking on eggshells around him. He had to be feeling the same, ’cause I could feel the difference in our conversation.
We were standing in the middle of the square now, with booths all around us. Asher kept shifting his weight as he focused on everything but me, and I was doing the same.
“I should get some tomatoes,” I said when I spied a table with an assortment of vegetables.
“Oh, okay.” Asher hesitated and then followed after me as I started walking.
I chatted with the owner of the vegetable stand while I picked out small baskets of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and summer squash. He tallied up my total, and I handed him cash. While I waited for my change, I dumped each basket into my reusable bag and then handed the baskets back to him.
With my cash in hand, I turned to Asher, who gave me a soft smile before following me to the next booth.
I ended the trip with a bag full of vegetables and containers of local honey and homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam tucked between my arm and chest.
“You really didn’t want anything,” I said as I stared pointedly at his empty arms.
He shrugged. “Naw. I’m good.”
“So, you came all the way to town just to watch me buy things,” I said as I spotted my car and made my way toward it.
“Pretty much.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want you to be alone.”
I glanced over my shoulder at him. Even if he felt like our relationship was strained, he was still determined to see me. Asher really was a good friend. I was the issue.
“Thanks,” I whispered, hating the fact that I was never going to be as loyal to Asher as he was to me.
His phone beat him to a response. The ring cut through the silence between us. He held up his hand as he pulled out his phone. “Hello?”
I turned my focus forward, but from the sound of his footsteps and the way his voice remained constant, I knew Asher was still following behind me.
“Hey, Collin.” He paused. “I can do that.” Silence again. “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do about tracking him down.”
I wasn’t close enough to hear the other side of the conversation and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I had a sinking suspicion that this Collin character worked for Marcus Proctor, and the less I knew, the better.
“I’ll head over there after my open house.”
I was standing in front of my car now. I set the jars down on the hood before I fished my keys from my purse.
“I understand, but I have to?—”
It seemed the man on the other end of the call was not happy with Asher’s response.
“I do have other clients that I have to—” I peeked over at Asher. He had tipped his body away from me with his head dipped down as he held the phone to his ear. “No, I don’t want that.” He must have felt my stare because he turned his gaze to mine, and I saw worry in my best friend’s eyes. “Yes. I’ll head right over there.”
Collin must have not even bothered to say goodbye because Asher didn’t return the sentiment. Instead, he just shoved his phone into his back pocket. He gave me a forced smile as he nodded toward his car.
“I gotta go,” he said as he started to back up.
I wanted to call him back. I wanted him to tell me what was wrong. I wanted not to care about who he was working for. I wanted to turn off my journalistic brain that always saw a story in every situation I got myself into.
I wanted to be a support to him. I just wanted to be his friend. But from the way he’d looked at me and the hushed tones he’d spoken in, I wasn’t sure we were that anymore.
That’s when I realized what was happening. I was losing my best friend.
And if I didn’t stop him from slipping away, I was going to lose him. Forever.