Chapter 15 Help
Help.
Saturday meant helping out at the Women’s Shelter.
“Please, please, please. Two hours, that’s all I need.”
“No.”
Esther groaned. “Girl, you don’t even have to like him. Just keep him busy while I talk his friend out his drawls.”
I turned to her, my face twisted in disgust. “That is so wrong.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She waved me off. “I’ll repent tomorrow. But I really need your help here, Ellie.”
I sighed, shoving a box of supplies into the van. “Why can’t one of the other girls do it?”
“Because, Ellie, we are the only single women here. The rest are married, cuffed, or just not interested.”
“I’m not interested.”
Esther punched my arm playfully. “You’re different. You’re my best friend, so you’re not allowed to be uninterested in my bullshit. Besides, the guy’s in PR. Maybe you two will hit it off, and you could bring him onto the team. Think of EL’evation.”
I thought about it. If he was any good, maybe I could work with him and eliminate the need for Hope’s involvement. A quiet part of me was sure that Esther was hoping that would be the case.
“Are you trying to put Hope out of a job?” I eyed her suspiciously.
Her lips curled slightly. To the untrained eye, it was easy to miss. “No, this isn’t about her. This is about you being my wingman again.”
The feeling of Elliot’s arms around me when I fell asleep last night replayed in my mind.
The look in his eyes this morning as he thanked me.
The smell of his cologne on my sheets after he left and I crawled back into bed just breathing him in.
I was still processing how I felt about everything, so going on a double date, especially so soon, was out of the question.
“Well, not this time. Sorry, Es.”
“But why not? We’ve done it before. You know it’s not that serious.”
“I know, I just don’t want to this time.”
I went back to loading up for our visit to the women’s shelter, ignoring the way she was staring at me like she needed to know the real answer. After a few moments of silence, she hummed.
“Hmm. Sooo… what’s really going on with you and old boy?”
I nearly dropped the stuff in my hands at the mention of him. “What? Nothing’s going on.”
“You a damn lie.” Esther crossed her arms. “You forget I caught y’all on the couch last night? And you let him sleep over.”
I rolled my eyes. “So what? It was late, and I didn’t want him driving home half-asleep. No big deal.”
“Did you fuck him?”
“No.”
“Tell the truth, Ellie.”
“I am! We did not sleep together. We didn’t even kiss.”
Esther tilted her head, a knowing grin spreading across her face. “But you like him.”
My cheeks heated. “I—I don’t see how that’s important.”
The grin widened into a full-blown smile as if she had figured out the secret to the mystery of the two Elliots.
“Yeah, you like him. That’s why you let him crash your ‘me time’ and why you’ve been giddy all morning. And don’t think I didn’t see you and old boy hugged up on the porch a couple of days before. Little miss, ‘I’m afraid of being held’.”
I cringed. “It’s not like that. I’m just—”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
Because, honestly? I wasn’t even sure what the hell I was doing with Elliot.
Esther watched me flounder for an explanation, her smile stretching wider with every second that passed. Then, she laughed, loud and full of amusement.
“Oh, this is too funny,” she cackled. “The infamous bachelorette, best known for turning down men left and right, has a little crush.”
She reached out to pinch my cheeks, and I swatted her hand away, scowling.
“I don’t have a crush,” I muttered, but Esther only laughed harder.
She wasn’t completely wrong. I wasn’t in love or anything, but I was…intrigued. No man had ever put in half the effort El had over the last month.
I’d been in a relationship for years, but Jonathan had never been this intentional or consistent in his attempts to make me feel wanted. He had almost felt entitled to my time and my body simply because we had been together so long.
And the men that came after? They’d try once or twice, but most lost courage after a rejection or two. The ones that didn’t would disappear the moment they had to actually plan the date they begged for.
But not Elliot. I never asked him to do anything. He just knew.
“It’s okay, sis. I get it completely. Old boy’s fine as hell, and y’all would make a cute couple,” Esther said thoughtfully. “But a man like that is looking for something serious. You ready for that?”
A wave of dread ran through me at the thought, though I didn’t let it show.
“El and I are just friends,” I stated, as I put the last box in the van. “I don’t have to worry about that because I’m not looking for a relationship, and he knows that, okay? And stop calling him old boy. It makes me feel…yucky.”
Esther rolled her eyes, clearly not convinced by my answer. “Whatever you say, Ellie.”
As I prepared to defend myself further, my phone rang, vibrating against the countertop. I glanced at the screen.
Elliot.
Before I could even reach for it, Esther peeked over my shoulder, her grin instant and sly.
“Ouuu, it’s your man calling.” She wiggled her brows. “Better not tell him what you’re doing tonight.”
“He’s not my man!” I declared. Then, her words hit me, and my stomach dropped. “Esther, I said no—”
“Be ready by eight.” She waved me off, completely ignoring my protests, and then hopped into the van. Bitch.
I groaned, rubbing my temple before answering the call. “Hello?”
His voice came through immediately, deep and smooth. “I want to see you.”
I rolled my eyes, but my lips twitched up. “Good afternoon to you, too, Elliot.”
“Good afternoon, Elliot. I want to see you.”
His insistence sent a shiver down my spine, but I kept my voice steady. “I can’t today, El. I’m working with the women’s shelter.”
“Can I see you after then?”
A beat of silence passed as I hesitated. “Not sure.”
“Huh. Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
My eyebrows creased. “Be where soon?”
“At the shelter. Send me the location.”
Fuck. I sighed, already knowing there was no stopping him once he made up his mind. “Elliot, come on. I don’t have time for games. I’ll be working.”
“So will I. I’m sure you’ll find use for all this manpower I’m packing.”
I let out a soft laugh that I know fed his ego. I could picture the smirk on his face, cocky and full of confidence, probably flexing those insanely toned arms because he knew he looked good.
Annoying.
But… he wasn’t wrong. If he helped carry everything, we’d be set up in half the time. He had no idea how much of a pain it was to assemble just one portable shampoo bowl.
He must’ve sensed my hesitation because his voice reassured me. “I’ll stay out of your way while you work. I promise. I just wanna see you.”
My grip on the phone tightened. The way he said that last part made my heart stutter. I wasn’t used to this. A man who didn’t just say he wanted to be around me but actually showed up for me.
No excuses, no hesitation.
I exhaled. “Okay. Since you promise to behave, I’ll send my location.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I hung up and stared at my phone for a moment longer, feeling something warm spread through my chest.
?
By the time we arrived at the women’s shelter, the sun hung high in the sky, casting waves of heat against the pavement.
The van’s back doors swung open, revealing boxes of hair products, styling tools, feminine care packs, and a couple of collapsible shampoo bowls.
We also packed up the donations bin we had at the front of the salon as well.
Hope thought it was tacky, but the clients loved the idea.
Even some of her friends donated, much to her annoyance.
Esther stretched her arms over her head, sighing dramatically. “It’s too damn early for this. And it’s hot as hell.”
I shot her a look. “Maybe if you came home at a reasonable time, you wouldn’t be so tired.”
“First of all, I’m still here, ain’t I? Don’t judge me as I’m doing the Lord’s work.” She argued, grabbing a box. “Second of all, just because you were already in the house with a man doesn’t make you any better.”
I ignored her and grabbed the other end of the box.
We worked in silence for a bit, hauling supplies into the makeshift salon we’d set up in one of the community rooms. Inside, the air-conditioning was a relief, cooling the sweat on my skin instantly.
Women of all ages milled around, some sitting in plastic chairs, others chatting near the reception desk.
I was going to begin unpacking when the front doors swung open.
And there he was.
Elliot strolled in like he owned the place, wearing a plain black tee that stretched over his broad shoulders, sweats that hung low on his hips, and his Converse. He scanned the room, spotted me, and grinned.
“Peanut. You look so pretty in your casual clothes.”
I rolled my eyes. The man had seen me in pajamas and a face mask less than twenty-four hours ago, so this should not impress him.
“Yeah, thanks. Can you grab this?” I shoved the box Esther and I struggled with into his hands, and he took it with ease.
“Damn, y’all putting me straight to work, huh?”
I crossed my arms. “Of course, you said I should find uses for that manpower, right?”
“I know. Just thought you’d be more creative.” His tone hinted at something more X-rated than anything I had in mind.
Esther must have picked up on it, too, because she cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Oh, um. This is my friend Esther. I don’t think you two have formally met.” I gestured between them.
“Hi,” Esther sized Elliot up. “We met last night when you were sleeping on my couch before you went up to sleep in Ellie’s bed.”
I shot her a glare, but El laughed. “Well, technically we met when I brought her home after the hospital,” El clarified.
Esther challenged him, “Actually, if we wanna get really technical. We met at the club when you spent three grand on us. Thanks for the champagne, by the way.”