Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
One week later…
A light knock at the door had Ellie looking up from the files on her desk, her focus snapping as though she’d been pulled from somewhere far away rather than simply interrupted.
Her pen stilled between her fingers as she stared at the door.
She hadn’t been able to shake the ridiculous hope that had followed her all week.
Still, it wouldn’t be Alba. Of course it wouldn’t.
A familiar face peered through the window, waving a hand.
Susan. Ellie forced a smile into place as she straightened in her chair, smoothing her expression into something neutral, and invited her inside.
She was back to eating lunch in her office.
Not only because Alba wasn’t around lately, but because she had a lot on right now.
At least, that was what she’d been telling herself and everyone else.
It just seemed pointless to sit down and chat when she could be getting work done.
It was even more pointless sitting in a room where Alba wasn’t.
“We’re out of green tea so I went with my gut and got the Yorkshire teabags out.”
Ellie smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“You’ve seemed quite down recently, Ellie. Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Everything is fine.” As Ellie was about to continue with her work, lowering her gaze deliberately to the files in front of her, Susan took a seat on the other side of her desk. Ellie’s shoulders tensed. “I’m just a little busy at the moment, Susan.”
“I know. I won’t keep you long.” Susan sat back and crossed her legs. “I see Alba is back at work.”
Ellie’s fingers paused where they rested against the edge of the paper.
“Yes. It would seem so.” Ellie didn’t know what Susan was getting at by bringing up Alba, but Ellie would admit that she was surprised to see her car in the car park this morning.
Alba had called in sick last Tuesday morning, failing to return at all as the week had worn on.
A week that had stretched on far longer than it usually would have. “Was that everything?”
“Audrey Seddon mentioned to me that she can be quite unreliable. You know her, don’t you? Head of Geography over at Brightmoor High…” Susan cleared her throat. “Perhaps that’s something you need to keep in mind should this weeklong sickness happen again.”
Ellie’s head shot up at the mention of Audrey, an immediate reaction she couldn’t contain. “I’m sorry?”
“Well, it turns out that Alba used to be married to Audrey Seddon. I was quite shocked. Neither of them looks like a lesbian,” Susan paused and threw her hands up. “Then again, it’s hard to tell what people are these days, isn’t it?”
A coldness settled over Ellie at those words.
“I don’t know, Susan. I tend to mind my own business.
Who people sleep with is not my concern.
” Ellie removed her glasses slowly, placing them down on the desk as she stared directly at Susan.
“But I will remind you that this school has an inclusivity policy, and your words border on discriminatory.”
Susan barked a laugh. “They do not!”
Ellie held her gaze, a firmness blanketing her calm exterior. She would keep an eye on Susan and anyone else who thought that sort of language was appropriate. “Was there a point to your story?”
“I noticed that you and Alba seem to be friends. I wanted you to know that she comes here from her old school with a less-than-average reputation. I would go so far as to say it could be considered poor.” Susan sat up straight.
“Now, I know you’ve vetted her, but may I suggest that you keep tabs on her and her behaviour.
You’ve built this school from the ground up, and I wouldn’t want your reputation to be tarnished because of Little Miss Lashes down in the geography department. ”
That protectiveness flared inside Ellie again. The very same one she’d felt when she’d dropped by at Alba’s last week to discover Audrey had been unsettling everything again.
“No, you may not suggest it to me.” Ellie rose to her feet and braced her hands on her desk.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, but Audrey Seddon is not a part of the faculty here.
What she says is no business of mine.” Ellie’s shoulders tensed.
Quite frankly, she could do without all of this.
“May I suggest to you that you get on with your job, and I’ll get on with mine. ”
As Susan’s face fell, she simply nodded and rose to her feet. She turned and left, only to bump into Alba at Ellie’s office door.
“Hi, Susan. Good weekend?”
“Mm,” was all Susan managed as she scuttled away, tension trailing in her wake.
Then Alba’s gaze landed on Ellie as she shrugged. “Well, that was rude.”
Ellie’s breath caught. God, she hadn’t realised quite how much she’d missed seeing her. And then she straightened, aware of the relationship she had with Alba now. Boss…and employee. Nothing more. “Can I help you?”
“I, uh…I just wanted to say thanks for sending over the meeting minutes last Friday. I really appreciated it.” Alba shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. “I didn’t expect you to do that for me.”
“It’s my job to make sure you have the relevant information, whether you’re here or not.
” Ellie didn’t enjoy being short with Alba, she also didn’t enjoy speaking to her like her boss, but the fact of the matter was…
she was her boss. Even if Ellie had loved the flourishing friendship they’d been building, she was her boss first and foremost. And right now, that felt like the only safe place to stand. “Is that everything?”
“I noticed that you’re not in the staff room for lunch today.”
“And what? You came here to see if I was sitting in the corner, crying about my dead daughter like everyone else?” Ellie winced the moment that left her mouth.
This wasn’t who she was. She never spoke to people like that.
“I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.” She lowered herself to her seat, regret plaguing her as she swallowed. “Has your migraine gone?”
“Y-yeah. All good now.”
Ellie smiled a little more softly this time. “Glad to hear it. Enjoy your lunch.”
Alba stepped inside Ellie’s office and closed the door over. “I know I’m not your favourite person right now, but I think keeping this as a working relationship is for the best.”
“Yes. You’ve made that perfectly clear.”
Alba frowned when Ellie looked up at her. “I’m sorry?”
“You took almost all of last week off work. If that’s not avoidance, I don’t know what is.”
“Actually, I was sick.” Alba glared back at Ellie, clearly not impressed by her analysis of the situation.
“This school is big enough for us to avoid one another if that’s what needs to happen, but don’t ever think that I’d leave you or anyone else in the lurch because of a personal issue.
I was sick, and now I’m not.” Alba scoffed as she turned back for the door.
“I came in here to see if you wanted me to bring you a cuppa, but you have one, so I’ll head back and get my lunch while I can. ”
“Alba, wait!” Ellie rushed to her feet and crossed the room.
She was mindful of the window that looked out into the corridor and the fact that people could see in.
Even if she wanted to pull Alba into a hug and tell her she missed her—God, she missed her more than she thought possible—Ellie wouldn’t.
It was unprofessional and entirely pointless. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I know where I stand now. We’re on the same page, and that’s what matters.”
“You cut all contact with me.” Ellie’s shoulders slumped as she reached around Alba and closed the door fully. “We agreed that everything was okay, and then you cut contact.”
“Susan has just come to your office talking about me. I heard it. That’s what being friends with me is like right now.
” Alba held up a hand between them when Ellie opened her mouth to respond.
“Don’t even bother explaining or trying to find some kind of excuse because it won’t change anything.
I’m not putting you through the shit I’m still going through, two years after I left her. ”
“I don’t care what people say about you.
I don’t even care what they say about me.
” If Ellie thought for one moment that Alba felt the same way, she would lean in and kiss her.
She could feel it…that pull, the urge, the memory of their almost-kiss.
As she looked back at that sorrow in Alba’s eyes, Ellie didn’t care who could walk past and catch them.
“Would it make any difference if I told you that I miss spending the evening with you?”
Something quick and unreadable flickered in Alba’s eyes, but Ellie felt it all the same. A spark that refused to fully die. “No. It just makes everything worse than it already is.”
“Look, if you can forgive me for the way I’ve just spoken to you, then come over to my place tonight.
Bring Colin, too.” Ellie’s voice trembled, almost pleading, even though she tried to hold it back.
The last thing she needed was to fall apart in front of this woman.
“I know you’re trying to do right by everyone around you, but I do miss our friendship, Alba.
If you’re only doing this because of Audrey, then please don’t let her win. ”
Alba scoffed. “Why else would I be doing it?”
Because I’m almost certain you nearly kissed me.
The words burned at the back of Ellie’s throat, desperate to be said.
If she did say them, maybe it would either confirm or deny her suspicions.
Maybe it would stop this aching uncertainty.
Still, she couldn’t do it. “I don’t know.
This just feels very…unexpected, perhaps? ”
“Well, Audrey always did like the element of surprise.” Alba wrapped a hand around her own wrist and managed a small smile. “I should go if I want to get something to eat before afternoon lessons start.”