Chapter 29 #2
Ellie heard the shower shut off upstairs. She didn’t want to be on this call when Alba came back down if she could help it. She would prefer to explain to Alba, rather than have her overhear bits and pieces. “Yes. It is.”
“Did she give a reason for her visit?”
“Not one that holds any professional weight,” Ellie replied. “And certainly not one that justifies her behaviour.”
Margaret sighed. “I’ll be having a very strong word with her.”
Ellie’s shoulders eased a little at that, but not entirely.
After all, she had no idea what Audrey Seddon was capable of.
Alba seemed almost scared of her, so she would be wise to keep her wits about her for the time being.
“I’d appreciate that. It can’t happen again. Not to me, and not to my staff.”
Margaret hummed…seemingly deep in thought. “Is there anything else I should be aware of?”
“Yes.” Ellie paused as her gaze flicked towards the stairs…
towards the soft creak of movement above.
Alba, somewhere out of sight, was likely still trying to pull herself together after everything Audrey had stirred up today.
“There’s been ongoing…personal interference.
Messages and harassment towards her ex-wife. I’m sure you know Alba.”
“Alba was a dedicated member of staff here. I was sorry to see her go.”
If Margaret had been so sorry to see her go, why hadn’t she fought to keep Alba?
Why had she kept Audrey on in her Head of Department role?
Ellie knew schools could be complicated, and it wasn’t as easy as just demoting someone most of the time, but still…
“She’s thriving at Park Haven. I’m thrilled to have her with us. ”
“Well, our loss is your gain and all that.”
Ellie cleared her throat and pushed off the counter. “Look, I’m not calling for anything excessive, but I am asking that it’s addressed. Firmly.”
“It will be,” Margaret assured her. “Leave it with me. Audrey won’t be bothering you or her ex-wife again. I’ll make sure she knows that.”
Ellie had no choice other than to believe her, but Margaret had never been a woman to go back on her word. “Thank you.”
“You did the right thing in calling.”
A few final words were exchanged—mostly logistical and professional—and then the call ended.
Ellie lowered her phone to the counter, her shoulders finally dropping as the tension eased from them.
She’d handled what needed handling, at least for now, but her worry was still there around Alba. Because that didn’t feel handled yet.
This ends now.
Settled on the edge of her bed and wrapped in a bath towel, Alba stared down at her hands in her lap and sighed.
She was happy Ellie was here, of course, but everything still felt unfinished.
Not their relationship, but Audrey. Maybe she would go quiet for a while, she usually did when she needed to regroup, but it would start up again. It always did.
Her shower had helped a little. Not enough to wash everything away, but enough to dull it all and enough for Alba to feel as though she wouldn’t completely fall apart.
She hoped Ellie had believed her before when she’d confessed her love, she hoped it was something that would grow and thrive, but that ever-present niggle was stuck at the back of her mind.
She’s here, and she wants you.
Alba plucked a tissue from the box on her bedside table and crumpled it in her hand. She would get dressed into something comfortable and cosy, and then she would head downstairs to be with Ellie. She was likely taking a moment to breathe herself after the whirlwind of today.
Then she heard footsteps on the stairs, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention. Her body always reacted that way when she was around Ellie; that would never change.
“Knock, knock.” Ellie rapped lightly on the doorframe, smiling when Alba turned to face her. “Can I come in?”
“Of course you can.” Alba reached out a hand and took Ellie’s, pulling her down beside her. “You okay?”
Ellie nodded. “Yeah. Much better now.”
That should have reassured Alba, but Ellie’s posture hinted that something had happened while she’d been in the shower. Her stomach dipped. “Why do I feel like something else is coming?”
“I made a call.”
Alba narrowed her eyes, determined to enjoy the rest of the evening with Ellie. She wanted the basics, and then she was pushing all of this from her mind. “W-what kind of call?”
“I spoke to Audrey’s head.”
Oh, no. Alba felt that tension rise in her chest all over again. She wouldn’t show it outwardly, Ellie could probably only handle so much before she told Alba to fuck off and get on with her life, but inside…she didn’t feel good at all. “R-right.”
“Margaret asked about you. It seems she’s also aware of Audrey and her behaviour. I don’t know to what extent, but she wasn’t surprised when I told her.”
“How well do you know Margaret?” Alba asked as she brought Ellie’s hand into her lap. “Are you friends?”
“We’ve been friends for a long time. She’s been there for me on more than one occasion.”
That was nice, that Ellie had back-up from Alba’s old boss. Still, Alba knew Margaret, and she knew how she operated. She knew how seriously she took complaints, which meant Audrey would already be on the defensive. And Audrey, when cornered… There was no telling which way this would go.
“Well, um…I guess that’s that then. Hopefully she’ll leave us alone.” Ellie had done exactly what any decent person would do, and exactly what Alba had never quite managed to do for herself. “Thank you for doing that. I don’t know if it’ll help at all, but thank you for having my back.”
“Alba, even if we weren’t together, I still would have made that call.” Ellie lowered a kiss to Alba’s bare shoulder and smiled against her skin. “I’m not letting her do this to you. I don’t care what our relationship status is…she’s not getting away with it anymore. I’m sick and tired of her.”
“Believe me, I am, too.”
“Now,” Ellie said as she squeezed Alba’s hand. “What does a girl have to do to get a cuppa around here?”
Alba winced. While she’d been stuck inside her own head, having a breakdown, poor Ellie had sat there parched. “Oh, God. I’m not a very good girlfriend tonight, am I?”
“It’s okay. You can make it up to me.” Ellie nudged her shoulder as her gaze shifted to Alba’s bare thighs. “Or…maybe I need to take your mind off everything you’ve been through today.”
Alba’s breath caught at Ellie’s words, the suggestion hanging in the air between them.
She felt a flicker of heat low in her belly, chasing away the remnants of any earlier tension, when Ellie’s eyes locked onto hers, her thumb tracing slow circles over her thigh.
There was no hesitation or uncertainty in that deep blue gaze of hers…
just a assurance that made Alba’s pulse quicken.
“Take my mind off it?” Alba shifted on the bed, her towel slipping slightly and exposing more of her thigh.
Ellie leaned in closer and cupped Alba’s cheek. “Yeah,” she murmured against Alba’s ear. “Let me show you how good this can feel. Forget Audrey, and forget the call. It’s just you and me here.”
Before Alba could respond, Ellie’s mouth claimed hers in a gentle kiss that quickly deepened.
Alba melted into it, her hands clutching at Ellie’s blouse as the world narrowed to the heat building between them.
Ellie kissed like she owned every inch of Alba’s mouth, pulling back just enough to nip at her bottom lip before diving in again.
Ellie’s hand slid from Alba’s cheek and down her neck, her fingers trailing over the edge of the towel.
With a slight tug, she loosened it, the fabric pooling around Alba’s waist. Her hand drifted lower, squeezing gently at first, then she pinched Alba’s taut nipple with just enough pressure to make Alba gasp into the kiss. “F-fuck.”
“God, you’re so beautiful,” Ellie whispered against her lips.
She didn’t fumble or second-guess anymore; she knew precisely how to touch Alba and how to draw out the response she wanted.
Her other hand gripped possessively at her hip, pulling Alba closer until her bare leg was draped over Ellie’s lap. “And you’re all mine.”
Alba’s head spun, arousal flooding her as Ellie trailed kisses down her jaw and her throat. She arched into the touch, her fingers threading through Ellie’s hair. “Ellie…”