Chapter 23
ELLIE
I hopped on one foot as I slipped my heel on the other. I was so late this morning, and it was all because Ryder attacked me in the shower, refusing to let me out until he made me come four freaking times.
It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.
“Coffee,” Ryder said, handing over my travel mug on the way out the door.
“Thanks!” I pressed a quick kiss to his lips, then ran to my Jeep, my heels clacking the whole way. I tossed my purse in the passenger seat, then placed my cup in the holder. By the time I backed out, Ryder was waving from his own vehicle, on his way to the law office.
Thank God he made coffee this morning because I did not have time to stop for anything. I had so much to get done today. My online store was finally up and running, but I still had items to add and orders to package and ship.
But as I turned down the main street to my shop, a sinking feeling in my gut told me this day would not be at all what I hoped for. My phone rang as I watched the sirens blazing in the distance. The crowd in the street was already the size of the Easter parade.
Grabbing my phone, my heart sank when I saw it was Maverick calling.
“Hello?”
“Ellie…I’ve got some bad news.”
“I’m down the street,” I answered, afraid that my voice would give at any second, proving how distraught I was when I didn’t even know exactly what had happened.
“You’d better just park and walk down. There’s no way you’ll get your vehicle through the crowd.”
“Yeah.”
I hung up and pulled over to the curb, getting out mechanically, not bothering with my purse or coffee. I had a feeling I wouldn’t need either.
As I approached, the crowd turned, all of them gawking at me, some with pitying looks, while others gave me the typical side-eye. Slowly, the shop came into view, and the sight was absolutely devastating.
Smashed windows, clothes pulled out onto the sidewalk, torn and shredded. But I kept walking, needing to see the full extent of the damage.
“Ellie,” Mav said sympathetically as I stopped in front of the shop. My sign dangled precariously above the window.
The Last Best Place For Style
My baby, what I had worked so hard for, was destroyed all in the blink of an eye. But as I stared at the destruction, I was numb to it, unable to move even an inch. Someone had destroyed my dream, and for what?
I could see from where I stood that not a single thing had been left untouched. Even the chandeliers that I had handpicked to give the right warmth to the store had been ruined. The pictures on the walls were slashed, the racks were overturned, and the mirrors were smashed.
Not a single thing was salvageable.
“We’ll check the cameras in the area, but—”
“It’s unlikely you’ll find anything,” I finished for him.
Sighing, he took off his hat, running his fingers along the rim. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I really am. This is—”
But I tuned him out, turning to face the growing crowd. Staring at the faces, all the people I used to know, used to hang out with…and they’d all turned their backs on me. All of them had been so willing to shove me aside with their own opinions and misgivings.
I was nothing to them.
“Are you fucking happy?” I shouted.
Silence met me as they shifted uncomfortably where they stood.
“Is this what you wanted? You’re all so fucking self-righteous that you couldn’t just leave me alone?
This whole fucking town is so hypocritical!
I did something to help a friend, and instead of listening to him when he told you the truth, you chose to believe that I was some slut!
” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air as I quickly melted down in front of the whole crowd.
I saw Josie and Delaney rush through the crowd, their faces crestfallen as they saw the destruction.
“I gave my heart and soul to this town, and this is what I get in return? My livelihood is ruined! Everything I’ve worked for is gone!”
I sucked in a ragged breath as tears spilled down my cheeks. The enormity of the situation washed over me, pressing down on me like a cold weight.
“What more can I do to prove myself to you? Do you want my blood, too? Do you want to see me laying on the ground, bleeding out for my sins? Will you be happy then?”
A warm hand wrapped around my arm, but I flinched, shaky and wary of who would dare approach me right now.
But when I turned, it was to find Ryder watching me warily.
His eyes scanned over the crowd, a menacing growl snarling his lips as he stared down each and every person who gossiped about me and spread lies.
Then he tugged me into his arms and I broke, falling to pieces as the rest of my life crumbled beneath my feet. Soon, Delaney and Josie were there, each of them wrapping me in their arms as I sank to the ground and cried for everything I’d lost.
The boutique was just the last thread.
“Show’s over, folks. Get out of here,” Maverick called out.
I was vaguely aware of the deputies dispersing the crowd, of people whispering as I sat in front of the shop I had given my life to.
“We’ll get it cleaned up,” Josie said, rubbing her hands up and down my arms.
“Yeah, I’ll close the shop and we’ll get this mess taken care of.”
“And the insurance will cover the damage,” Josie assured me.
But it was too late for all that. Why would I stay here in a town where everyone hated me? What was left for me? If I cleaned it up, how long would it be before it happened again?
“I’m done,” I said woodenly, getting to my feet.
There was no point in sticking around any longer. Let someone else clean it up. If the town didn’t care about me, why would I give a shit about any of them or what I left behind?
“Ellie, this isn’t over.” Josie pulled me in for a hug, but I just stood there, unable to feel anything at the moment. “We’ll get this cleaned up and it’ll be even better than before! JR can help and—”
“No.”
“But—”
I walked away before any of them could try to convince me otherwise. I didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to hear the pep in their voices as they tried to cheer me up.
“Ellie!” Ryder called out, twisting me around to face him. “You can’t just walk away. You can’t let them win!”
“They’ve already won!” I shouted.
The damn burst and tears spilled down my cheeks once again. There was no holding back the sadness and anger any longer. My life was falling apart, and I was done trying to fix things.
“They haven’t,” he swore.
“Look at my shop!” I shouted, pointing at the busted windows.
“Someone hates me so much that they destroyed everything! And what about them?” I asked about the crowd still lingering.
“Do you think any of them care? Do you think they give a shit that my life was just ruined? They’re probably cheering on the fact that someone was bold enough to do this!
They don’t care about me, Ryder. Nobody in this fucking town cares about me! ”
“I do!” he growled, gripping me tight and pulling me against him. “I care, and so do Josie and Delaney. You have friends. You have people who love you! Don’t let them win!”
“You keep saying that,” I cried, yanking out of his arms and swiping the tears from my face. “Don’t give in. Don’t let them win. They already have! They don’t want me around here, and I can’t stay where I’m so hated! You have no idea what it’s like for me!”
His jaw hardened as he stared at me, wishing he could say something to change my mind, but there was no contradicting a damn thing I said. They drove me to this, and they were happy to see me go.
“Ellie, don’t walk away.”
Sniffling, I turned my back on him and the life I had built. “Don’t follow me.”