Chapter 22 #2
Ellison cut him a look that could melt snow, and I knew that this was a discussion they’d had. Something Ellison had wondered. And Nick had probably offered to ask, but Ellison told him not to. And now he did it anyway.
“No more than friends,” I insisted. “I made that very clear recently.”
Nick hit Ellison in the chest with the back of his hand. “See? That’s what that was about.”
Ellison face burned as bright as the sun, and though I couldn’t hear the muttered threats he was giving Nick under his breath, I could imagine them.
“What do you mean?” I asked Nick. “What was what about?”
“It’s no big deal,” Nick said quickly, surely doubting his own safety at this point. “It’s none of my business.”
“If it’s about me, it’s kind of my business,” I said.
Nick heaved a sigh. He aimed a thumb at Ellison. “Susie showed up at the bookstore with pictures on her phone of you and Suit Man walking home from a party together.”
So, someone had been following us after the ugly sweater party.
Susie. I knew I’d heard footsteps. She was taking pictures to show Ellison in the hopes that he’d stay away from me, probably.
Didn’t she realize that even if Ellison decided not to date me, that didn’t mean he’d come running back to her?
No, that would require rational thought.
Ellison coughed into his hand. “I told her that you two were friends, and she insisted it was more. But I told her it was none of my business anyway.” He was so embarrassed I thought his next move would be to slide under the table.
“Susie needs to back off, once and for all,” Holly said, waving a fork in the air. “First she stalked Kelsey into the bakery and now this.”
Ellison’s sky-blue eyes widened. “She what?”
I dabbed at my mouth with a napkin. “She followed me from your bookstore into the bakery and told me things she felt she needed to ‘warn’ me about.” I used air quotes on the word “warn” to let him know I didn’t fall for her BS.
“Warn you about what?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“I didn’t take any of it seriously, don’t worry.” Not too seriously, anyway. I shoveled a pile of stuffing into my mouth hoping that if I couldn’t speak, this conversation would end. I didn’t want to be talking about Aaron or Susie. I wanted to get to know Ellison better.
His eyes locked onto mine. “I would really like to know what she said.”
“I heard it all,” Holly volunteered. “She wasn’t quiet about it. She was all, ‘He’ll never let you past his walls. He has big secrets. He’ll never let you in. There’s something wrong with him. Blah blah blah.’ ”
Her voice went unnaturally high, but overall it was a spot-on imitation. I watched Ellison’s face for signs of what he’d do next. I didn’t want him to be mad. I didn’t want this to turn into the Susie Show and for the whole dinner to be ruined
Nick took a swig of his beer and elbowed Ellison. “Ignore her. Everyone knows she’s a nutter.”
After a short hesitation, Ellison asked with a smirk, “Yeah, but what about Susie?”
Holly grabbed a dinner roll and tossed it at his face. “I cooked for you and you call me a nutter! I knew I should have poisoned your plate.”
“It tastes like you already did,” Ellison deadpanned.
The ensuing laughter dissolved the tension, and I was so glad. I watched Ellison and Holly trade a few more barbs, her eyes sparkling and his smile gleaming. He was exactly the type of man I wanted in my life. Someone who eased stress, not created it.
“In all seriousness, though,” Ellison said, looking at me. “I’m sorry Susie did that. She has no business following you or intimidating you. Her jealousy has gotten out of control, and I’m going to talk to her about it.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. Especially since approaching her with an ultimatum could make the situation worse. But ignoring her didn’t seem to be stopping her behavior either.
“I could always have a little chat with her about not wanting to end up with a restraining order,” Nick offered, then took a quick glance at his phone.
For someone who wanted to avoid work for a day, Nick certainly seemed attached to his cell. It was beside his plate, face up, and any time a notification lit the screen, he checked it.
“Nothing new, hon?” Holly asked with a concerned look.
Nick squinted at the screen and shook his head. “It’s all good.”
Ellison shifted in his seat, clearly sensing something was off with his friend. “Everything okay, bud? You’re like a teenager waiting for their crush to write back.” He added a little laugh for good measure, but Nick remained stone-faced.
“Work stuff,” he said, and shoved a giant forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
I caught a glance between him and Holly, and I realized that she knew everything. Something was going on. Something new. I straightened, my interest piqued.
“Can’t we just tell them?” Holly whispered, loud enough for Ellison and me to hear.
“No, we can’t,” Nick growled. “I’m not even supposed to tell you that stuff.”
Holly groaned and rolled her eyes. “Oh, like Kris doesn’t tell his wife work stuff, come on.”
The sheriff was married? Someone could put up with him? Why did I picture his wife looking like Mrs. Claus?
“This is sensitive information,” Nick said.
Now I really wanted to hear it.
Holly counted off on her fingers. “One: The family has been notified. Two: It’s going to leak to the press anyway, and you know why. Three—”
“Holly, come on!” Nick looked physically pained.
I interrupted. “Holly, you seem to really want to talk about whatever this is, but I don’t want to get Nick in trouble.”
“We’d never get Nick in trouble,” Ellison said, giving me a sly grin. “Because we won’t say a word to anyone else.”
“See?” Holly pointed at Ellison. “Would your best friend get you in trouble?”
“Whatever happens at Thanksgiving stays at Thanksgiving,” Ellison declared.
Holly nodded along. “I’ve always liked this guy.”
Nick dropped his face into his hands. “I hate it when you two gang up on me.”
“Is that a yes?” Holly asked. “We can talk about it?” She clapped her hands eagerly like a little girl waiting to open a present.
“Fine.” Nick sighed dramatically. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. I could almost see him piecing the words together and figuring out the best way to spill whatever this secret info was. He opened his mouth to speak—
And Holly blurted, “Mary was murdered after all, and we have the evidence to prove it.”