Elsie
Chapter Sixteen
Heartbreak was a hell of a muse.
After Will dropped me off at home, I changed into pajamas, lit a few autumnal candles to set the mood, and collapsed onto my living room floor while I wallowed in my own pathetic misery for a solid half hour.
It was one thing to end a relationship, but quite another to break off an entire engagement. It stung worse because, to me, the sentiment behind it was deeper.
A breakup said, our vibes don’t really match, but I wish you the best.
But abandoning your fiancee? That told a different story.
Something more along the lines of, hey, even though I thought you were decent, I’ve come to my senses and realized that, actually, something is absurdly wrong with you.
I’ve since realized that I absolutely do not want to spend the rest of my life with you.
And he was right.
I was crying on the floor eating stale graham crackers because a man didn’t want me. What was more pathetic than that?
Not a single one of my favorite book characters would be caught dead in my position. They’d pick themselves up and carry on—and damn it, so would I!
The tears might fall, and the makeup might smudge, but so be it. I needed to make something of myself for myself. To prove to me that I was worthwhile.
So, I wrote. Pouring every drop of emotion I had into my manuscript until my hand ached and the sides of my palm were stained with ink.
It was cathartic, really. I wasn’t entirely sure it would even be usable when the light of morning hit, but it didn’t matter.
I had to purge myself of it once and for all.
And I did.
When I slammed my notebook closed, my fictional counterpart had taken the first step on her healing journey.
And I think, somewhere along the night, so had I.
I didn’t know if Will would run me out of the café the moment I stepped through the doors.
Besides any resentment he might be harboring from the day before, he seemed like the type of guy to have one of those ‘no laptop’ policies
Or maybe he’d set one in place, just for me.
Still, it was worth a shot.
Around ten in the morning, I walked into Hughes with my writing satchel on my arm, an overcompensating smile on my face, and a desperate need for caffeine.
And as if I had some type of bizarre radar built into my brain that sought grumpy men, the first person I locked eyes with was Will.
He stood behind the register, taking someone’s order while Ava poured coffees in the background, but the moment I stepped inside, his gaze was on me. Maybe he had some type of radar too, only his was for maniac redheads that always seemed to pop up in his life.
I held my breath, waiting to see if I’d be met with a scowl or a blank stare, but he just tilted his head in acknowledgement as I made my way into the line.
My hands felt jittery the closer I got to the front, even before the coffee. Will had spent his whole day helping me, and I’d humiliated myself in front of him.
After he carried the heater inside, I don’t even think I remembered to thank him in my haste to get him out so I could cry in private.
If he wanted to give me an earful today, I think I’d let him this time. I felt like I deserved it.
“Good morning,” I said hesitantly when I was finally face to face with him.
He looked good with the backward hat he always seemed to have on. Usually, I made fun of men who wore hats indoors, but it really seemed to work for him, so I held my tongue on the matter.
Right as I opened my mouth to utter an apology for my behavior the day before, Will cut me to the chase.
“I know you usually order a latte, but I’ll give you the coffee for free if you’ll sample something new I’m trying out.”
I blinked in surprise.
“Well, I can’t say no to free coffee, can I?”
He turned, preparing the mystery drink as I watched curiously. He stirred the coffee with a spoon until it was a mouthwatering golden color and then slid it across the counter toward me.
I took a tentative sip, savouring the taste.
“Will.” I froze.
“What?”
“Is this…”
“What’s wrong? Is it bad?”
“No,” I exclaimed. “It’s amazing! And it’s pumpkin!”
He rolled his eyes as if it weren’t a big deal, but I felt a warmth in my chest that he’d thought of me.
Because he had, hadn’t he?
Will wasn’t an ass; he just liked to masquerade as one for whatever reason. I’d let him pretend he hadn’t been thoughtful and considerate and he could pretend that he hadn’t gone out of his way to stock his café with a beverage he knew I’d requested.
“So, you like it then?”
“Uh, I more than like it, Will,” I told him with a dumbfounded stare. “In fact, if you were ordained, I’m pretty sure I’d already be married to this coffee by now.”
He snorted. “Well, good, because I have an order of it coming in, and I have a feeling you’ll be the only one drinking it.”
“As long as you keep this stocked, you’ve got yourself a loyal customer for life.”
“For life, huh?” He raised his brows.
“Well, for a very long time. At least until I find somewhere with equally decent coffee. I wouldn’t hold your breath.”
“And what about after you leave?”
“Who knows?” I shrugged. “If you keep making my coffee taste this good, you might just have to run me out of town to keep me away.”
“Somehow, I doubt it’ll come to that.”
“Are you aware there’s a line?” Ava appeared beside Will with a look of displeasure etched into every furrow of her face.
“Oh, sorry.” I turned, noticing the few stragglers who had fallen in behind me. “My fault.”
His face went slack at the sight of her, eyes hardening. In turn, hers flared with quiet anger that I had a feeling was close to bubbling toward the surface.
“I’ll just take this and go.” I pointed a thumb behind me. “Thanks for the coffee, Will.”
The look Ava sent me made me wish I hadn’t said anything at all.
His eyes were warm. Far kinder than she’d given credit for the first time she laid eyes on him. She supposed he wasn’t quite what she’d expected, in the best way.
It seemed as if he had walls up, walls that he was just waiting for someone to ascend.
She stared into the depths of his eyes, wondering what lay beneath the surface and what type of person it would take to uncover it.
“No,” I groaned, backspacing a few lines. “Why is she spending so much time thinking about his eyes?”
It’s because I’d transformed Andrew into the villain of the manuscript, thus making Will’s character far more redeemable in comparison.
I guess it was only natural for Ellie to take notice of that. It seemed I’d written them into a reluctant friendship of sorts.
But still, why is she focused on his eyes?
I exhaled heavily. I couldn’t even get a grip on my fictional life—never mind my real one.
“Why won’t you do what I want you to do!” I said, shaking my laptop screen back and forth maniacally.
“Who won’t?”
“Ah!” I squealed at the sound of the voice that infiltrated my daydreams. “When did you get there?”
“Amazing.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Not even a hint of a survival instinct.”
“Hey!”
“I’ve been standing here for a solid minute,” he said, seemingly disappointed, “but glad you were too busy writing to notice your surroundings. Very safe.”
“I’m in a café,” I argued. “What do I need to worry about happening to me here? Especially with you around.” I muttered the last part under my breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” I said breezily. “What’s up?”
He flipped the chair around and straddled it backward. “Just checking on you.”
“Why?”
“What?”
“I mean, do you check on all your customers, or am I just special?”
“Not all of my customers need to be checked on.”
“Aw, Will. Why can’t you just admit I’m special? Feed my ego a little.”
“I doubt it needs to be fed.”
“Hey, I—” I started before something launched itself at me.
“Elsie!” a child’s voice called as small arms wrapped around my torso.
“Max?” I asked, staring down at the child I’d met in the park a few days before. “Where’s your—”
“Max!” My answer came in the form of his nanny bursting through the door. “I specifically asked you to stop running off.”
“I told you where I was going.” He turned to shoot her an aggravated expression, as if her presence was a nuisance on his day of pleasure.
“You are a child. You do not tell me where you are going. I tell you.” The nanny puffed out, breathless and exasperated.
“I wanted to say hi to Elsie,” he told her, as if it were an acceptable reason to flee your babysitter. Then, turning to me, “I saw your hair through the window. It’s kind of cool. Looks like fire.”
“Thanks.” I laughed. “But Max, you really need to stay with your nanny. It’s really not safe to run off like that.”
He frowned at me, as if my rebuttal were a personal betrayal of the friendship we’d somehow struck up.
“But I looked both ways before I crossed the street.”
“Do you two know each other?” Will interjected, staring dumbfounded between me and the six-year-old child still hovering in front of me.
“We met the other day,” I told him at the same time the nanny started tugging on his hand.
“It’s time to go, Max.”
“Can I get a donut first?” Max stared longingly toward the glass pastry case.
“Do you deserve a donut?” The nanny frowned.
“I don’t know, but I really want one.” Max grinned cheekily.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, clenching her eyes shut at the injustice of her situation before muttering a ‘fine’ and leading him toward the register.
“So, how exactly did you befriend a six-year-old?”
“Who’s to say?” I responded dramatically. “Maybe he relates to me because of my whimsical energy.”
“A writer and a child whisperer.” He huffed a laugh. “Impressive.”
“Not really.” I shrugged. “I mean, doesn’t everyone love kids?”
The sound of the nanny’s shrill yell was all the answer we needed.
In a moment, Max was back beside me, the nanny trailing after him, while Ava appeared at the table beside us with a wet rag in her hand.
I stared over at her, wondering why she felt the need to wipe down a table that no one had been sitting at, but her eyes were more focused on us than on her task at hand.
“That’s it!” the nanny fumed, grasping her head as if her hands were the only thing holding it in place. “Your mother is working a double today. Do you know what that means, Max?”
He shook his head.
“It means that I am with you the rest of the night, and I already feel like I need to go to bed. So unless you start listening to me, the both of us are in for a very long day!”
Max, in all his profound emotional maturity, responded by blowing a raspberry.
“Max—”
“I’ll watch him,” I interjected quickly before any blood could be shed right there on the floor of Hughes.
“What?” She turned her head to stare at me.
“Yeah. I can come over tonight so you can go home and get a little break.”
“Why would you do that?” She gaped at me, then turned to Will. “Why would she do that?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said, staring at me like he didn’t quite know me.
“Maybe you just need a little time for yourself,” I suggested lightly. “I really don’t mind.”
“Yeah!” Max cheered with a big, toothy smile.
The nanny stared at me, assessing me for any duplicity. Finding none, a look of relief washed over her features.
“That would be—”
“That’s ridiculous,” Ava said, stepping over to join our table. “You don’t even know him.”
“Do you?” I asked, curious.
“Yes,” she said, annoyed by the mere question. “I’m from here.”
“Ava,” Will said in a warning tone.
“Besides, Elsie’s here on vacation,” she continued.
“Not really.” I laughed.
“And I have nothing going on tonight, so I can watch him.”
“You’ll watch him?” Will narrowed his eyes on her. “You hate kids.”
“I do not.” Ava’s cheeks reddened. “Besides, I know his mom. I’d be more than happy to give her a call and work out the details.”
“But I want Elsie.” Max pouted.
“Shush, Max,” she said, still staring at us with practical heart eyes. “Either of you. Both of you. It doesn’t matter. You’re angels.”
“Great. I’ll call Tessa and let her know. How does six o’clock sound?” Ava asked, ignoring the doubtful look Will was sending in her direction.
“Like heaven.” The nanny threw her hands up.
“Great. I’ll see you tonight. Bye, Max!” She waved cheerfully.
“Bye,” he said to her with a look of suspicion before turning to me. “Bye, Elsie.”
And then they were gone.
“Are you serious about this, Ava?” Will turned toward his sister-in-law.
“Of course,” she said. “Why, do you think I’m incapable of the simple task of babysitting a child?”
“A little.”
“It’s not a newborn, Will.”
He held his hands up in defeat.
“Not my circus, not my monkeys,” Will muttered before turning on his heel and heading back behind the counter.
“After all,” she looked me dead in the eyes, “isn’t it better to have someone familiar watching him than a stranger who just showed up in town?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but she had already turned on her heel, blonde ponytail slashing through the air like a whip.
Ouch.
I blinked, not entirely sure what I’d done in the short amount of time I’d been here to already make myself an enemy.
Not everyone is going to like you in life, but it didn’t make it hurt any less when they didn’t.