Chapter 4 #2
“Please forgive my sister,” Ellie had to explain. “She gets a little carried away sometimes. So, um, why did you get involved in police work?”
“I’ve always had an interest in history, and I thought some of my skills could transfer over into police work with cold cases.”
“Oh, I love cold cases!” Katie exclaimed. “Have you worked on anything famous?”
“I’m not sure about famous.” He sipped his water. “Really, I do what I can to help families get a sense of closure when a loved one goes missing or dies unexpectedly.”
This was enough for Katie to—once again!—ignore the sad ramifications of what that meant and ask questions that Ellie suspected were a little raw. She half listened as she continued people watching, wondering when the rest of those seated at their table would arrive.
It didn’t take too long before a couple appeared, glanced at their place cards, glanced at Ellie and co, then sighed and seated themselves.
“Hello.” Ellie smiled.
The woman eyed her, her gaze flicking over her peacock ensemble, before a moue of discontent saw her instantly turn to her companion and murmur something in his ear.
Okay. Looked like she wasn’t going to be talking to them.
Chris, too, smiled and offered a greeting, which again met the same response.
“So rude,” Katie said, in a loud undertone Ellie bet was pitched loud enough for the couple to hear.
And hear they apparently did, as the woman complained (in a voice they were all likely meant to hear) about the kinds of people who were allowed to attend events like this.
Which instantly drew Katie’s ire, as she snapped, “Well, perhaps you should see if you could be seated at a different table.”
“Ignore them,” Ellie murmured, apologising to Chris as she leaned past him to gain her sister’s attention. “It’s not worth spoiling your night because some people are rude.”
“Fine.” She heaved out a loud sigh, which caused Ellie to suppress her own, even as she noticed Chris’ lips twitch, like he found the episode entertaining. Although how anyone could find Katie’s behaviour entertaining, she didn’t know.
Chris didn’t seem to mind though, quickly reengaging Katie in conversation that soon had her laughing. Well, bravo for him.
Ellie returned to gazing around the room, checking out the lovely attire, as servers approached with glasses of champagne or other drinks.
“I’m happy with a mocktail, thank you.”
“A mock appletini, perhaps?”
“Sounds great.”
He passed over a glass that was decorated with an apple slice on the rim, and she sipped it. “Thank you. That’s delicious.”
He nodded, his attention quickly shifting to Chris and Katie, even while the couple on Katie’s other side loudly complained they hadn’t been served yet.
The server ignored them, then shot Ellie a wink, which drew her smile.
She appreciated his understanding of the matter, even if he wasn’t exactly her type, looking a little too young and handsome for his own good.
“That’s a beautiful dress,” another voice said.
Her attention swung up to meet the gaze of a man who was exactly Ellie’s type. Her heart stuttered. A man with dark floppy hair and whose brown eyes behind glasses held kindness, whose lips were quirked at an angle that suggested wryness.
“Th–thank you.” She coughed to clear the frog in her throat. “I’m Ellie.”
“Ethan.” He held out his hand.
She grasped it. And instantly felt tingles shimmer up her arm. Oh, what was this?
“Hi, I’m Katie.” Her sister held out her hand expectantly.
Ethan shook her hand, then turned to the man seated between them.
“Chris.”
Another handshake, a smile for Katie, and one for the rude couple, who—surprise, surprise—ignored him; then he sat next to Ellie.
She caught a whiff of something sea salt–like, something that made her long to get closer and sniff him more thoroughly. But that would be weird, so she didn’t.
“This place looks great, doesn’t it?”
“They’ve certainly gone to a lot of trouble.”
A server approached, offered to take more photos, and she smiled. How fun was this?
She swapped details with Ethan and learned that he worked as a lawyer in the city and was working towards being made partner. It seemed that he and Chris had some mutual connections, which Ethan nodded at, then quickly changed the subject. “So, Ellie—is that short for Elinor?”
“My mum named me after Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility.”
He nodded. “One of Jane Austen’s best heroines.”
He knew Austen?
“Most underrated,” Chris agreed.
He knew Austen too? Miracles did happen, it seemed. Her smile twisted. “That makes a change from what I usually hear. People like to tell me I’m too sensible for my own good.”
“Aw, come on, that’s not what we say,” Katie objected. “It’s just good for you to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. For ‘none of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.’“
“Persuasion, right?” Ethan said.
“You really do know your Austen,” Ellie murmured.
Ethan leaned a little closer. “My mum loved all the movies and forced me to watch them more than a few times.”
“Brave man.”
“Right?” The light in his eyes faded. “But I’m glad to have those memories now.”
“Because?”
“She died two years ago,” he said softly.
Her heart panged. Poor man. He obviously loved and missed his mother very much. “I’m so sorry.” She touched his arm.
A frisson of energy pulsed up his arm at her touch.
Ethan shivered, his eyes holding hers. Something that might be stars but was probably candlelight reflected in her sparkling pale blue eyes, a feature accentuated by her dark lashes and hair.
Who was this glorious creature he’d been seated beside?
Suddenly, the fact he’d been forced here against his will didn’t seem so bad.
He glanced at her place card. “So, Ellie. What brings you here tonight?”
“My grandmother in England bought my sister and me a weekend here to celebrate my recent birthday and Katie’s graduation.”
“Happy birthday.” He lifted his water glass.
“Thanks.” Her cheeks pinked. “How about you?”
Hmm. How to explain? “A friend insisted I come, then was sick at the last minute and couldn’t come.
” He gestured to the empty seat beside him where Lucinda was meant to be.
“I figured I needed a break anyway, and seeing I’d already paid and it was too late to cancel and get a refund, I decided to come alone. ”
“Are you a fan of murder mysteries?”
“I’ve enjoyed a few. I liked Knives Out when that was on TV. How about you?”
“I enjoyed that more than the Glass Onion sequel. But I like Agatha Christie. And even a few of the Georgette Heyer mysteries.”
“A Georgette Heyer fan, huh?”
“You know her?”
“My mum had a million of her books, and I recall a few of the mysteries.”
“I love Georgette Heyer,” she confided. “I’m on a hunt for one last book in her Regency collection. The Nonesuch is such a fun story, and I love the old covers, so I want the complete collection.”
He nodded. He was pretty sure his mum had several of those books amongst hers. “So you’re a reader too.”
“You like books?”
At his nod, they swapped favourite authors. Then the conversation swiftly turned to art appreciation, and he learned she’d studied graphic design, and that her final year’s major work had been inspired by the animation of Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.
Seriously. What were the chances? He smiled. “I figured you were artsy, seeing you’ve got the most striking dress here tonight. But didn’t figure I’d be sitting next to a fellow Studio Ghibli fan.”
Her eyes widened. “You too?”