Drive and Determination

by Louise, Kara

  “I most certainly did and you must know how gravely upset I was to see the travesty of this decorating job! You must get rid of that girl!”

  “Did you speak…”

  “What was this she kept saying about Richard? She made no sense at all.”

  Letting out a frustrated huff, he clenched his jaw and whispered harshly, “You did speak to her!”

  Speaking directly into the phone, he asked, “What did you say to her?” He wanted answers and he wanted them fast.

  “I told her what you should have told her -- that I was extremely dissatisfied with the work she had done! How could you, William! How could you hire this nobody and give no notice to little Anne, your very own cousin?”

  “Did you…”

  “You must release her from any further work,” Catherine interrupted again. “I told her not to do another thing. I hope she has the sense to leave. Let her go back to California! I can have Anne here in a week or two. She’ll make all the improvements you need and fix what that impostor has done. I’m sure Anne won’t charge you much at all and you’ll get the most superior decorating!”

  His aunt spoke so fast and considering her anger as she spoke and his anger as he tried to listen, he wasn’t sure he caught all of her words.

  Will’s hands shook with so much fury that he could barely hold the phone still. “Did you say anything about me?”

  “About you? Of course, I did, nephew! I told her that you were out of your mind hiring her! But why did she keep mentioning Richard? I swear, William, that girl didn’t seem to know what she was talking about!”

  Will was beside himself as she continued to rant and he was finally able to end the call by telling her someone needed to talk to him. He dug his fingers across his scalp as he considered what Elyssa probably went through when his aunt stopped by the house and hurled her accusations against her. He was sure Elyssa endured a scathing assault and wondered if the subject of who owned the house had come up.

  Will immediately called Elyssa, not knowing whether or not she had been told by his aunt about him owning the house. He figured he would know once he heard her voice. When she didn’t answer the phone, he hoped it was only because she was busy, and he left a friendly, but urgent, request for her to call him back.

  When she hadn’t returned his call about an hour later, he began to get concerned. When his phone rang and it was his cousin Richard, he quickly answered it.

  “Hi, Richard. What can I do for you?”

  “You can save me from our aunt!”

  “Sorry, no one can do that. You’ve talked to her?”

  “Yeah, and… well, you better do some quick thinking here, man. You need to know that she went to the house and talked to Elyssa!”

  Will looked at the ground and scuffed his shoe into the mud. “Unfortunately, I gathered that from a conversation I just had with her. Do you think Elyssa knows?”

  “I don’t think she knows, I know she knows!

  A tightening of his chest made it difficult to breathe as he heard his cousin’s words. “What did Catherine say?” he demanded, taking several deep breaths.

  “She said Elyssa kept mentioning my name and Catherine didn’t understand what I had to do with hiring her. She was upset about everything -- the stores that Elyssa shopped in, the things she bought, the colors she used -- everything! She was even upset that the picture of Pemberleigh Manor was hung too high and our most diplomatic aunt told her so.”

  Will closed his eyes as he listened to his cousin. “Do you know exactly what she said to Elyssa?”

  “Not exactly, but she said something to the effect that she couldn’t believe this girl didn’t seem to know anything about Pemberleigh and the Denton family!”

  Will let out a frustrated groan. “So she knows.”

  “Yep, she knows. I hate to say I told you so…”

  “Yeah, thanks, Richard. Look, we’re heading out to another village in the morning. I’ll keep in touch with you. Right now, though, I’ve got to try and call Elyssa again and hopefully make things right with her.”

  When Will called Elyssa and got her voice mail again, he decided to tell all, although it wasn’t exactly the way he wanted to do it. Doing it this way was not going to win him any points -- not that any way would have won him points. He decided to be honest with her and hope for the best.

  He and the other two men returned to the small pension they had checked into earlier. It was more primitive than anything he had ever stayed in and having to share a bathroom down the hall did nothing to facilitate the removal of the mud that caked his body. There were several waiting in line to shower and Will decided to do the best he could to clean up with the slow dripping sink in his room. After a while he decided that the water coming from it only spread the mud around and barely removed it.

  As he looked at himself in the dingy mirror, he suddenly had a picture of what Elyssa probably thought he was on the inside. Bracing his arms against the sink, he lowered his head and the thought crossed his mind that he didn’t deserve her. He wouldn’t be surprised if he found out she had returned home, forever grateful to be out of his presence.

  He suddenly had a memory of his father telling him he was like a coffee bean. Will shook his head with a mock laugh as he remembered his father admonishing him to take care and not treat his personal life as he would his business. His father used to praise him for his business savvy, but told him he had a lot to learn on a personal level.

  “You will not be content with what comes easy to you, William. You must be like the coffee bean that is plucked from its vine, dried, roasted, and ground up in order to be at its best. You will find there are some things not easily won, but well worth the sacrifice fighting for.”

  Will had been fighting from the very beginning to secure Elyssa’s affections. He felt very strongly that Elyssa was worth any sacrifice, but perhaps he had gone about it all wrong. He wondered if his actions had just cost him everything.

  Will was grateful he had his own room in the pension because he was too agitated to sleep. He listened as the rain began to fall and thought to himself that nothing was going right. The last thing this place needed was more rain and the only thing he needed was to get through to Elyssa. He tried calling her one more time just after midnight, but his call went straight to her voice mail. She had most likely turned off the phone and his only hope now was that she would listen to his message as he poured his heart out to her.

  At five the next morning, when he still could get little sleep, he decided to get up and call one more time. They were leaving for the small village shortly and he wanted to let her know. He didn’t know whether she even cared, but he called and told her of his plans all the same.

  *~*~*

  A restless night afforded little slumber for Elyssa as her body and mind continued to toss and turn relentlessly. Will’s deceptive actions and his silence had stunned and hurt her. She couldn’t help but consider all the implications and ramifications of the fact that Will owned the house she had been decorating. She also couldn’t push aside his aunt’s tirade. While she didn’t doubt her designing ability and was quite satisfied with what she had done with the house, the woman’s words had hurt just as much as Will’s silence had.

  When she awoke the next morning after just a couple hours of sleep, she snatched up her phone and saw that Will had called two more times after that last call. He had called a little after midnight and at five in the morning. A sly smile indicated Elyssa’s satisfaction that he had not slept well, either.

  She listened to the third message.

  Ok, Elyssa. I know that you must be angry since you’re not calling me back and I don’t blame you. But you must believe me when I say that this whole thing was done because I care for you. No, it’s more than just caring. I… I love you. I think I’ve loved you from the moment you lashed out at me at the wedding rehearsal dinner when I announced I was sending Chad and Janet to Guatemala. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. When
we were in Guatemala, I savored each day with you -- even when you were ruthlessly angry with me! Elyssa, I couldn’t think of any other way to bring us back together. More than anything else, I wanted you here and I wasn’t sure you would come if I just outright asked you. Please believe me and I beg you to forgive me, Elyssa. Please call.

  Elyssa could barely move as she listened to his words. Her heart pounded with increased measure as he expressed his feelings for her. A tinge of guilt swept over her as she listened to his pleading voice and his heartfelt confession.

  “He loves me!” she said softly with a smile and quickly hit the key to listen to his final message.

  Hi, Elyssa. I know you’re probably sleeping, but I can’t. It’s begun to rain here in the village again, which isn’t good, because the land and hillsides are saturated. I’m going to be leaving with two others soon to travel to a village that had some of the worse flooding in the area to see if we can help in any way with the rescues and recovery. Will paused and Elyssa could hear him take a deep breath. I love you.

  Again Elyssa smiled at his words of love, but this time she felt a little concern. He didn’t speak at all in this last message about the house. She suddenly realized his voice had an urgency to it; almost as if he was going to be putting himself at risk.

  Elyssa listened to his last two messages several more times. His words -- his very voice, in fact -- soothed her aggrieved heart and helped bolster her confidence that he had done it all because he loved her. His justification for his actions didn’t necessarily make them right, but they certainly did help ease her critical mindset. She sat down on her bed, looking down at her phone, feeling a bit sheepish for the way she felt and acted last night. She was grateful she hadn’t called him, however, for she may have said some things that she would have later regretted.

  Maddy had also told her the night before that she believed Will loved her, but coming from her aunt had not been as reassuring. Even with all of the indications that Will cared, from his helping her in Guatemala to renting the theater for just the two of them, Elyssa realized she had a difficult time believing she was the one he loved.

  Why me? she asked herself.

  She was interrupted from her speculations by a tapping on her door.

  “Yes?”

  Maddy peered in. “Edward is watching the morning world news in the other room. He said there’s a special news report from Guatemala on next!”

  Elyssa threw on a robe and quickly came into the living room, her aunt following on her heels. They waited while several tedious commercials played before their eyes. When the news returned, the picture on the television was like an arrow piercing through Elyssa’s heart as she saw people wading through mud. The newscaster’s voice was ominous.

  “Heavy rains overnight have caused several areas in the remote villages around Lake Atitlan to suffer landslides as the ground had already become heavily saturated from rains last week. Numerous rescue teams have set out for one small village that seems to be hardest hit. We have a breaking news report about a team of three Americans who set out for one of the villages early this morning and are presently missing. It is believed that a road may have been washed away and their whereabouts are uncertain. The names have not been released and everything is being done to find them as well as aid those who have lost homes and property. We will keep you updated.”

  Elyssa couldn’t move as she stared at the television screen. A cold fear spread throughout her body as she imagined the worse. Maddy immediately went to her niece as she noticed Elyssa’s face grow extremely pale.

  In barely a whisper, Elyssa said, “Will left me a message at five this morning saying that he and two others were setting out for a village that had suffered a lot of damage from the flooding.”

  Putting an arm around her for support, Maddy encouraged her with, “We have no reason to believe it’s Will.”

  She slowly turned and looked at her aunt. Tears filled her eyes as she said, “But what if it is him? I’ll never be able to forgive myself!”

  Elyssa ran out of the room and her aunt and uncle looked at each other. They knew it was highly unlikely that Will was one of the ones missing, but as long as they didn’t know for certain, Elyssa would be beside herself.

  Elyssa closed the door to her room and dialed Will’s number. It began ringing and with each ring, she said a prayer that he would answer. She had no idea what she would say. She no longer cared that he hadn’t told her about owning the house. She only wanted to make sure he was all right.

  She finally heard a click and her heart leapt with relief when she heard him say, “This is William Denton.”

  “Hi, Will. This is…”

  “I am sorry that I missed your call. Please leave your name and number and I will return your call as soon as possible.”

  Elyssa’s heart sank as she realized her call had gone to his voice mail.

  When she heard the beep to leave her message, she desperately searched her mind for the right words to say. “Will, this is Elyssa. I’m sorry I didn’t call you back last night. Please call me and let me know you’re all right. We heard news this morning about flooding and landslides down there. I won’t have any peace of mind until I know you’re all right. Please call me as soon as you are able!”

  Elyssa sat for a few moments with her eyes watching the phone intently as if willing it to ring. She lifted her shaking hand and raked it through her tousled hair. Her heart beat thunderously as she considered how foolish she had been last evening in not answering his call. She could have at least given him a chance to explain. Now what if… Elyssa couldn’t even bring herself to think of what she would do if Will was one of those missing.

  *~*~*

  Elyssa hoped that the busyness of work at the house -- at Will’s house -- would provide an escape from her persistent thoughts and worry. She kept her phone with her and turned on at all times in case he called. She tried several more times herself during the day to reach him, but still reached his voice mail.

  “All right, Will, you’re paying me back for what I did to you. Please either answer my call or call me back! I don’t care why you did what you did! I only want to know you’re safe!” Elyssa paused as a tear fell down her cheek. “I love you,” she whispered.

  That was the most desperate she had sounded in the few messages she had left. She didn’t care. She knew that she loved him and didn’t know how she would ever forgive herself if something had happened to him before she could talk to him.

  When things slowed down at the house, Elyssa decided she would stop by and see Emily. She knew that Emily probably knew all along and wanted to get her perspective on this whole matter. Elyssa hoped that she might have word from Will.

  When she walked into Emily’s office, Emily waved her in. Emily could tell from the expression on Elyssa’s face that she was upset -- and she knew precisely the cause of it.

  “Hello, Elyssa. I was planning to come by today. Have a seat.”

  Elyssa sat down wearily.

  “I heard you had a visitor at the house yesterday.”

  Elyssa looked up quickly. “Word gets around. I suppose one of the workers mentioned it to you. Her outburst was heard by everyone, I’m sure.”

  “No, it wasn’t one of the workers who told me. It was my mother.”

  “Your mother?”

  “Yes. My mother is Barbara Reed.” Emily’s fingers tapped nervously on the table. “She is William Denton’s personal assistant.”

  “Ahh, so there’s the connection.”

  Emily nodded. “I’m sorry, Elyssa. If it weren’t for the fact that we think so highly of Will, we would have never done such a thing. The guy was desperate to bring you out here. I was assured that he would tell you as soon as possible.”

  “I feel like such a fool! Did everyone know?”

  “No. In fact, it really hasn’t even been widely known in the community here that he’s the one building the house. His name is pretty well recognized all over Chicago, bu
t he’s been able to keep that a secret.” Emily smiled. “I think that’s one secret he is entitled to keep.”

  “So how did your mother find out about his aunt coming by yesterday?”

  “Catherine stormed into the offices. She expected to see Will, and my mother had a difficult time convincing her that Will really wasn’t there. Apparently she drove in from Kent, Ohio, and the house was on the way, so she stopped there first. She never calls ahead to let anyone know she’s coming. Everyone tries to run the other way when they hear she’s here.”

  “So she told your mother she had been at the house?”

  “Yes. My mom knew Richard was going to be returning shortly and kept her there until he came. She knew Richard would be able to find out exactly what happened when she encountered you at the house. My mom was very concerned for you -- not so much because of what Will did, but because his aunt can say such unkind things.”

  “So your mother wasn’t worried how I would take Will’s deception?”

  “She knew that at first you’d question why he did it, but then my mother idolizes the man and doesn’t know how anyone can not like him. If I were ten years younger, I would have set my sights on him. Goodness knows, the man is so oblivious to how handsome he is, and money means nothing to him.”

  Emily folded her hands and leaned toward Elyssa. “The poor guy has not been himself since coming home from Guatemala. If you blame him for anything, blame him for being deeply in love with you. Perhaps I shouldn’t be saying this, but…” Emily took in a deep breath. “We often wondered whether any young lady would ever capture his heart and we were all very pleased when it seemed he was smitten.” Emily chuckled and her eyes lit up. “My mother can easily detect any change in that man and she was quite amused when she noticed things about him whenever the subject of Elyssa Barnett came up.”

  Elyssa blushed and looked down. “I guess I’ve been pretty hard on him.”

  Emily waved her hand through the air. “Oh, it’s been good for him. Everything has always come too easily for him.”