by Abby Brooks
“It’s a roof over my head. It’s dry when it rains, and the air conditioning keeps me cool when it’s hot. What more can I ask for?”
James didn’t respond, but as she stepped onto the well-crafted porch and into the spacious house, she could think of a few more things she could ask for. Things she didn’t necessarily need, but that would certainly be nice to have. He took the bags of food from her and dropped them in the kitchen, then guided her upstairs to a room across the hall from his.
“You’ve been busy,” she said, staring wide-eyed at the clean space.
“Not being drunk all the time has opened my eyes to some things.” James hung back and let her enter the guest room first. “Like mainly, I had become a nasty, slovenly pig.”
Ellie wrinkled her nose. “You really did.”
“I’d be offended, but it’s the truth. There’s still a lot to do around here, but I’m making progress.”
James gave her a quick tour of the sparsely decorated room, pulling open empty drawers and showing her the closet. Ellie plopped down on the king size bed and fell backwards, flinging her arms out to the side. “This bed is amazing,” she said.
James shrugged and crossed his arms over his massive chest. “It’s not much, but at least you can turn the lights on.”
“Not much?” Ellie pushed herself up on her elbows. “You could fit my entire downstairs in this one room. And the bed? Let’s just say I’ve been making do with a little less. And by a little, I mean to say that I may as well have been sleeping on a wooden box compared to this fluffy cloud of a thing.”
James smiled, but Ellie saw something sad in his eyes. “Well come on then, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Doubt and mistrust fidgeted in her stomach. She hated surprises.
“Yep.” James crossed the room and offered her his hand, pulled her off the bed, and led her into the hallway past his bedroom to another door. Using one hand, he pushed the door open to reveal a bathroom lit in candlelight, a massive tub filled with soapy water, and gentle music playing over a set of built-in speakers. “There’s no better way to erase a bad day than to soak in a bubble bath.”
James nudged her into the room.
“I’ll get some dinner started. You take your time in here. Join me downstairs when you’re ready.” He closed the door behind him, and Ellie stared open mouthed at the luxurious room. Fluffy white towels stacked on a table near the tub. Candles on every imaginable surface. James had mentioned spending time with him would have its perks. She just hadn’t imagined those perks would include candlelit soaks in the tub while he prepared dinner for her after a long day.
A girl could get used to being spoiled so thoroughly.
Chapter Twenty-Five
James
James tried not to think about Ellie upstairs in his bathroom, her delicious body wet and slippery, soap bubbles hiding just enough of those tits to drive him wild for more. He tried and failed to think of something else, anything else, but the blood had already begun flowing to his dick as he forced his attention back to deciding what he should make for dinner. After staring at the food in his fridge—which wasn’t much—and the food Ellie had brought with her—even less—James gave up and called Harrison.
“Pop quiz,” he said after his brother answered. “There’s a hot chick in your tub and you want to feed her, but all you have are a few eggs, a questionable block of cheddar cheese, and some currently frozen chicken breasts. What do you do?”
“Order out.”
“What’s the point of having a chef for a younger brother if the best advice he has for you is order out?”
“I’d say, considering the list you just gave me, I’d be thanking that younger brother for the great advice he’s offering.” The hisses and bangs of the kitchen sounded through the phone behind Harry’s voice. Apparently, he was at his restaurant, Harrison’s, that night. Harrison and Ellie had a lot in common on that end. She worked all day, every day, in her restaurant and he worked all night, every night, in his.
“Yeah, but you’re not me.” James opened the fridge and stared inside. “I’m one of a kind.”
“Yes, you’re most definitely one of a kind,” Harry said with a hint of laughter.
“Why do you make that sound like it’s a bad thing?” James dug around in the fridge for something else to feed Ellie. After a day like she had, that girl needed big time pampering.
“Because maybe, the way you do it, it is.”
“Nope.” James shut the fridge. “Not buying it. I am a magnificent specimen of a man.”
“Says the guy trying to impress a woman with moldy cheese and frozen chicken.”
“You at the restaurant tonight? Any chance you could run something out here?”
“I am at the restaurant, and you should know by now that we don’t do deliveries.” There was a huge bang and clatter and Harry called out to see if everyone was okay.
James waited for the all clear. “So, what you’re saying is, I’m on my own.”
“No, what I'm saying is, I’d order Chinese and have it ready on the table when she comes down. Use plates and silverware. Real glasses. She’ll be thrilled, I promise.”
“And if she’s not?”
“Just show her the options in the fridge.”
James thanked his brother and placed an order for delivery at Timmy’s Wok, the only place to get Chinese within twenty miles of Bliss. The guy who took his order was rude as hell, but James knew the food would be decent.
When he had heard the desperation in Ellie’s voice on the phone, it turned his stomach. The woman worked her ass off. It wasn’t right that she had to struggle so much for so little when he had everything he could need and then some…and hadn’t worked a day in his life. It was a strange revelation and brought some uncomfortable self-evaluation with it. There he was, falling apart because Erin finally had the grace to stop pretending what they had was working. He blamed her for ruining everything when really, she was the one doing the smart thing. Going about it the wrong way, of course, with the cheating and sneaking around, but when James got really quiet and stopped throwing his temper tantrum, he was grateful that they didn’t go through with the wedding.
So why the temper tantrum, then? Why the drinking and the fighting and the crash course on local women? The honest answer wasn’t pretty nor was the way it made him look. The honest answer was that after a lifetime of always getting what he wanted with very little effort, he didn’t end up with the happily-ever-after he thought was guaranteed. And his behavior the last couple months? One giant—embarrassing—pouting session.
And meanwhile, sweet Ellie went to work every day, working impossible hours with no end in sight just to make ends not quite meet.
She didn’t give up.
She didn’t dissolve in self-pity.
She just kept putting one foot in front of the other and still had the strength to pick him up when he’d fallen to pieces in front of her that night at Hurricane’s. James shook his head as he set the table, choosing his best dinnerware and utensils. He poured a glass of wine and considered pouring one for himself, as well, but decided against it.
He couldn’t have timed it better if he tried. Dinner arrived and he’d just finished emptying the food from the takeaway containers onto serving plates when Ellie wandered downstairs, dragging her hand on the banister, a warm smile plastered across her face. God, she was beautiful. Strikingly so.
“Holy shit, did you make Chinese?” Ellie sauntered into the dining room and paused in the doorway; surprise painted across her lovely face.
James grinned. “Yep.” He pulled back a chair for her and helped scoot her in. “Used a cherished family recipe. From the old country.”
“The old country?” Ellie looked skeptical. “Your family is Chinese?”
“Clearly.”
She nodded, still looking skeptical. “Sure.” She drew the word out and surveyed the table. “Timmy’s Wok?”
“You know
it.” James shrugged. “It was that or eggs and moldy cheese.” He brought a hand to his chest. “And I thought you deserved better.”
Ellie laughed and scooped a heaping spoonful of General Tso’s chicken onto her plate. “You’ll get no complaints from me. This is my favorite and I never get to have it.”
They talked and they laughed through dinner and James found himself watching her time and again. Studying the way she moved. The way she held her fork. The way she tilted her head when she smiled. He watched her sample the wine and sigh in appreciation. While he hated the circumstances that brought her there, hated them with a fervor, he was glad to have her company. She brightened the dark corners of the house, the corners where the ghost of the life he’d envisioned with Erin still lingered. Ellie’s energy pushed all the sadness out of the place.
“Okay,” he said, sitting back and pushing his plate away. “I have another proposition for you. A business deal, of sorts.”
Ellie frowned and set her glass of wine back on the table. “I wasn’t too fond of the last business proposition you brought to me, if you remember.”
Oh, he remembered, all right. He had been surprised and more than a little surly after she got bent out of shape when he brought her his idea about faking a relationship.
“True, but,” James said, leaning forward and taking her hand, “you came around. And you have to admit, it turned out to be a pretty damn good idea.”
A blush flared across her cheeks and a flash of happiness danced in her eyes before something darker chased it away. Then the mask came down and it was just Ellie smiling sweetly at him. “I guess it hasn’t been a total bust.”
James didn’t like whatever he’d just seen in her eyes. He didn’t like the mask she wore around him. Around everyone, really. He wanted to get past the barriers she had set up. He wanted to know her. The real Ellie Charles.
But first things first.
“I want to invest in Good Beginnings.”
Surprise dropped her jaw. “What?”
“I have faith in the owner. The business model. I want to support local business. Keep money in the area by funding a local shop rather than letting a big corporate café come in and drain Bliss of our resources.”
Ellie was already shaking her head. “I can’t…you can’t…” She pulled her hand from his and sat back in her chair. He knew she would be a hard sell on the idea, but James was pretty good at getting what he wanted.
“I’m going to give you a few hundred dollars every two weeks.” Ellie started to protest again and he just kept talking. “And you’re going to use it for whatever you need. Pay off credit cards. Pay bills. Upgrade stuff at the café. Because, sweet Ellie? What I’m really investing in, what I really believe in, is you.”
Her eyes glistened with tears and gratitude and shame. “I can’t let you do this.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do. My heart is set on it. And it’s fragile, remember? If you turn me down, you could send me into another downward spiral.”
Ellie laughed and swiped at her eyes. “That’s a low blow, big boy, and you know it.”
“Then it’s decided,” James said, leaning forward and claiming her hand again.
She opened her mouth to speak then closed it several times, only to open and close it again. She shrugged and flared her fingers, blinking away tears with the practiced air of a professional.
“Ellie Charles. Are you speechless?”
She let out another choking laugh. “I’m speechless.”
“Is that even a thing? You? Unable to say anything?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s really not. Typically, I find myself unable to not say things.”
“I have another question for you. Do you need someone to help with the office stuff? Like, if I’m helping with the counter and the office, would you be able to work in the kitchen?” That damn mask came slamming down over her expression again and he couldn’t read her response. “I’m actually really good with numbers. If I hadn’t decided to go the spoiled trust fund brat route, I could have gone into accounting and been fine.”
She shook her head again, her eyes a million miles away. “James…I can’t let you do this.”
“Why?” What was it with her and not accepting help? “I want to help. I have the ability to help. Why won’t you let me?”
She sucked in her lips and closed her eyes. Held her breath. Everything about her went on pause and it took James a second to realize that she was frozen in fear and pain and trying to hold back a torrent of tears.
He stood, the chair scraping back against the tile, his napkin falling from his lap unnoticed, and pulled her into his arms. She took a ragged breath and sagged against him. He waited for her to unleash the sobs he knew she was holding in, but she never did. Instead, she grew still again and let out one long, controlled breath.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He waited for her to continue. Waited for her to accept his offer or tell him to go to hell or make some sort of sound, any sound at all. The silent Ellie in his arms unnerved him. He didn’t know what to do or say so he just held her, smoothing her hair and wrapping his arms around her curvy frame.
“James?” she asked, her tiny voice cracking with the weight of the emotion she held in.
“Yes, sweet Ellie?”
“Can I sleep with you tonight? We don’t have to do anything, but will you please hold me tight?”
James didn’t answer. He just swept her up in his arms, cradled her to his chest, and took her up to his room.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ellie
Ellie’s thoughts were snarled and angry and she had no idea why James’ offer to help shut her down so completely. She wasn’t great with the books and hiring a new cook was going to take more time and effort than she had to give. Her resources—financially, spiritually, emotionally—were all tapped out. And there was James, offering her the very things she needed.
Money.
Help.
Support.
And a strong set of arms to wrap around her when the weight of the world exceeded her ability to carry it.
So why, if she could recognize that she needed his help, couldn’t she bring herself to accept it? Why did she need him to lift her into his arms, carry her upstairs, and hold her tight while she basically shut down…all because someone saw what she needed and came to her rescue?
James laid her down on the bed, ever so gently, careful not to shake or disturb her. He pulled the cover back and tucked himself around her, wrapped his body around hers then pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He accepted her silence, almost as if he understood why it was happening when she herself wasn’t so sure.
The rhythm of his breath played against the rhythm of her heart. She counted his inhales and exhales, basking in the warmth of his body surrounding hers. The terror receded, though she couldn’t quite understand its genesis, and she became aware of his fingers running through her hair.
“James?”
His fingers stilled. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “But, just so I’m clear, why are you thanking me?”
Ellie untangled herself and flipped over. Moonlight spilled through the windows facing the ocean and bathed the angles of his face in silver and shadow. “For being willing to help me. For holding me when I was about to come undone.”
“And you’re done coming undone?” Even in the dark, she could make out the wicked glimmer of humor in his eyes.
“I seem to have gotten myself re-done. I am no longer undone or in danger of any kind of un-done-ing. Of any sort.”
James propped his elbow on the pillow and rested his head in his hand. “You’re accepting my help? I’ll give you the first installment of money tomorrow after work. If you prefer working at the counter instead of being in the kitchen, then we’ll figure out how to best utilize me at Good Beginnings. Wherever
you need me, I’m happy to step in.”
Ellie started to protest, her pride working her mouth even though every ounce of her begged for the relief of having him at her side, propping her up when she was teetering on the edge.
James put a finger to her lips and shushed her. “You’re going to accept my help.” He smiled. “I’ll be offended if you don’t. Besides, it’ll be good for me to have a purpose. Might even help get me out of this funk I’ve been in.”
How did he know exactly what to say? How did he know the two buttons to push to send her over? Of course she didn’t want to offend him and of course she wanted to help him.
She swallowed and her throat tightened around the words she wanted to say. “I don’t take help easily—”
James lifted his eyebrow. “You don’t say.”
“Okay, smartass. You want to hear what I have to say or don’t you?” Ellie gave him her best stern look, but the chagrined little boy face James put on made it impossible not to smile.
“I’m sorry, Ellie. Please continue.”
“I do better on my own. Every time I let someone in, they let me down. For as long as I can remember. I’m sure there are people out there who wouldn’t. I’m sure it’s just my crazy luck that I keep stumbling across the wrong people, but I decided a long time ago—during Traumatic Foster Family Number Four to be exact—that I’m better off doing things alone.”
She took a breath and waited for James to speak, but he stayed silent. The look in his eyes melted her heart and brought tears back to the surface again. Compassion lit his face and made it even more beautiful than normal, and sitting in the moonlit bedroom, with him looking at her like that, Ellie was pure emotion. Her defenses were down and she felt naked in front of him.
“Anyway,” she continued, voice quaking. “I’d love your help at the café. I’m not very good with the accounting. I’m not bad, but the books stress me the hell out. And I don’t know how I’m going to find a new weekend cook, so I’d love you around while I figure out how to make it all work.” A smile broke across his face and she looked away. “But the money? James, I can’t let you do that.”
