“On Thanksgiving? I’d have to be half-dead to agree. I’ve got good medicine, so I’m going to have a cup of tea and crawl under the covers for a while. I’ll be fine. Go. Have fun.”
Mel wasn’t totally convinced, but eventually she left. Ella made tea in Mel’s ugly china cups and snuggled down on the sofa to watch TV and doze.
When the phone rang a while later, she let the machine pick it up.
“It’s Matt.”
Ella sat straight up on the couch at the sound of his voice, the hazy medicinal fog clearing immediately from the shot of adrenaline in her veins.
“When Brian starts looking for his cell, I have it. It ended up in my coat pocket somehow. Unless you need it, I’ll bring it with me tomorrow when I come. Oh, and tell Mel I’m bringing Kelly with me.”
Seventeen emotions slammed into her at once, all of them jockeying for attention. Matt. Tomorrow? There’s a Kelly? She barely had time to catch her breath, much less sort through any of them, before she heard a key in the lock.
Breathe in; breathe out. Act naturally. “Hey, y’all.”
“El! I thought you’d be asleep for sure. Are you feeling okay?” Mel jumped straight into concern mode.
“A nap helped.” Trying to sound casual, she indicated the answering machine and its blinking light. “Um, Matt called. He said he got Brian’s cell phone by mistake.”
Brian patted his coat pocket. “I hadn’t even noticed.”
“He, um, also said something about bringing someone tomorrow.”
Brian merely nodded.
Well, that was unhelpful.
Melanie fussed about, fluffing her pillow and offering to make more tea.
Time for a direct approach. “So what’s happening tomorrow?”
“Don’t you know?” The look of confusion on Melanie’s face seemed genuine. “We’re hosting the post-turkey football fest this year. It should be fun. I’m glad you’re feeling better—I’d hate for you to be miserable all day.”
A mild case of panic set in. On top of everything else roiling around inside her, she might throw up. Brian chose that moment to replay Matt’s message, and the sound of his voice intensified the nausea. So much for “feeling better.” She cleared her throat. “Is that what Matt’s talking about? Coming here tomorrow?”
Mel nodded and Ella’s stomach knotted. “I wonder who this Kelly is, though.”
Yeah, me, too, damn it. Jealousy spiked through her. She really just needed to go lie down in the other room.
“Ross Kelly’s a guy we used to go to school with. He’s in Florida now, probably not too far from you, Ella. He’s a computer geek, too, but more hardware, I think. You two should have lots to talk about.”
She wanted to smack herself for the relief that washed over her due to a male Kelly.
Mel’s eyes lit up. “Is he cute?”
Brian shrugged. “I have no idea. He’s Kelly.”
Oh, no. She knew that look. “No, Mel. I’m not interested, and you’re not allowed to matchmake anymore.”
“You’re never going to forgive me for the Donovan fiasco, are you? That was years ago.” Melanie pouted.
Ella rubbed her temples. The bed beckoned. She needed quiet to sort through the mess in her head, and the thought of being set up with anyone—particularly a friend of Matt’s—had her choking back hysterical laughter.
She was able to cover it with a coughing fit that had Mel clucking over her in sympathy and hustling her off to bed in the guest room. Mentally she thanked her seatmate for the stench yesterday. Illness of any sort had never been so handy before.
She collapsed in the bed with a dramatic sigh that wasn’t the least bit faked. Melanie fussed over her until she wanted to scream, but finally she was alone. The crashing emotions and surges of adrenaline had taken their toll on her, and her head started to pound again.
Tomorrow. Matt would be here, in this very apartment, tomorrow. She’d have to face him, and she wasn’t sure if she could. What on earth would she say? Plus, she wasn’t exactly at her best right now—emotionally or physically—and she was pretty sure she looked like hell on toast.
Maybe she could pretend to have a relapse and just spend the entire day in the bed. That would save her a lot of pain and heartache.
This trip is turning into a nightmare.
The sleep she desperately needed eluded her. She lay awake, listening to the sounds of Brian and Melanie getting ready for bed and the silence that followed. No matter what she did, her thoughts kept returning to Matt.
She missed him.
Tell him, the little voice in her head whispered, and her heartbeat accelerated at the thought. What’s the worst that could happen?
“I could make an even bigger fool of myself,” she mumbled into her pillow.
But it was an idea worth further thought. Maybe, just maybe, she might have the opportunity to say something—what exactly she wasn’t sure yet. It would depend on how he acted tomorrow—she’d have to wait and see.
On second thought, that “relapse” didn’t sound like such a bad idea. It would give her a great reason to avoid contact with Matt until she had a chance to judge his behavior.
And, if Matt seemed like he might still be interested, well, then, she could apologize for being such a witch and see if the damage she’d caused was beyond repair.
It was worth a shot, right? Or was she better off just letting the whole thing go?
She groaned and punched the pillow into a more comfortable shape. Ella stared at the ceiling and wondered how many more sleepless nights Matt would bring.
He’d known good and well that Ella would be here today. He’d come anyway, telling himself that it was no big deal. That they were both adults who could be polite acquaintances after they’d both moved on after a mutually good time. That Ella was just another woman from his past—even if it was a fairly recent past. That he was here to see his friends and watch the game.
He’d been partly right. Ella seemed to have the “no big deal” attitude down pat. She hadn’t even blinked when he walked in.
That stung.
Her polite “Good to see you again” had been cool and cordial, and she’d made polite small talk for the requisite two minutes before moving away to watch one of the three TVs Brian had set up in various parts of the apartment. She’d been uncharacteristically quiet and slightly withdrawn all afternoon, claiming she didn’t feel all that great. As she supposedly didn’t know him any more than she knew any of Brian’s friends—and some of them were still holding a grudge from the wedding—no one could accuse her of being rude even though she was, for the most part, pretending he wasn’t there.
But he was well aware of her presence. His entire body was on high alert just from the proximity, and his attention kept wandering from the game.
She shouldn’t be out here trying to be sociable if she doesn’t feel well. She should be in bed. He’d be happy to join her there.
“She’s not contagious or anything.”
He looked up to see Brian holding another beer out to him. “What?”
“Ella. She sounds sick, but she’s not spreading germs to all of us. Beer?”
“Thanks.” As he took the bottle, he heard another round of coughing. Since Brian broached the topic, it seemed safe to comment. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Bad allergy attack. Some woman on the plane had enough perfume on to drown an elephant, and that set her off. Nasty smell—and so strong I had to air out the car after just bringing Ella here.”
Must’ve been gardenias. She’d mentioned an allergy once…
Brian regained his attention by pointing at the table behind him, groaning under the weight of the food. “We kept her away from the food, just in case, so it’s safe to eat.”
“Did you call a caterer? Ella says Mel can barely boil water.” He didn’t realize the implications of his words until Brian paused, his beer bottle halfway to his mouth. Aw, damn.
“‘Ella says?’ I thought you two were getting
mighty chatty at the wedding. Although I find it interesting Ella would bad-mouth Mel’s cooking at her own wedding.” Brian’s eyebrow went up in challenge.
Ella’s desire to keep everything down low was coming back to haunt him. Great. Silence was the safest course.
Brian shrugged. “Hooking up with the maid of honor is a cliché, but Ella’s not a bad choice. If you did, of course. There’s little evidence to go on, Counselor.”
Except what comes out of my own big mouth. “Does Melanie think…?”
“Good God, no. Mel doesn’t think anything. You’d know if she did. She’d be all over both of you if she had the smallest suspicion.”
Ella had given him a similar warning. Good thing they’d been discreet or today would be even more awkward. Not that it matters, he reminded himself. He and Ella were ancient history.
Brian leaned in and lowered his voice. “But do me a favor. Whatever did or did not happen between you two, don’t mess Ella around. I do not want Ella unhappy.”
Matt tried to keep his tone light, but Brian’s protective stance rankled him. “Since when are you the champion of all womankind? Channeling Sir Galahad these days?”
“Hardly. Ella can hold her own with the likes of you. My interest is completely self-serving.”
“I’m not following you.”
“Then listen carefully. If you make Ella unhappy, my life will become a living hell. Melanie will land on you with both feet, but I’m the one who has to live with her and listen to it. Tread carefully where Ella’s concerned.”
At least Brian was clear. Matt nodded. “Duly noted, but an unnecessary warning. There’s nothing going on, so Mel has no reason to jump on either of us.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Melanie chose that moment to join them. Brian reached up and pulled her into his lap, where she settled with a comfortable smile. “Glad you could make it today, Matt. I half expected your mother not to let you out of her sight.”
“Even my mother tires of me eventually.”
“I can’t imagine why.” She punctuated the statement with a smile, but then cleared her throat and pinned him with a sharp stare. “But enough small talk. I have serious matters to deal with, and you can provide me with the information I need.”
“If you’re in trouble with the law, Mel, I won’t be of much help,” he teased. “I don’t handle criminal cases.”
She snorted. “I’m on the right side of the law, so no worries there. It’s Ella.”
Matt nearly choked on his beer, but caught himself in time and swallowed painfully instead. “Ella?”
“I’m worried about her being so far away, and I’m afraid she’s going to be lonely.”
It would be of her own making. “And?”
“And, I’m thinking Ross Kelly might be a good person to hook her up with.”
Brian interrupted. “Don’t meddle, Mel,” he warned.
Jealousy crawled over him. Melanie wanted to fix Ella up with one of his friends? Oh, the irony.
“I’ll meddle if I want. El is my business, so butt out.” She held up a hand to silence her husband and turned her attention back to Matt. “He’s cute, and he seems nice enough, but I need more information. What’s he like? Is he seeing anyone? You’ve met El—do you think they might hit it off?”
At least he could answer truthfully. “I honestly don’t know. Kelly’s not a bad guy, but I’m not privy to his personal life, and I don’t know what Ella’s looking for in a guy.” That was the understatement of the year.
Melanie sighed. “Men are so unhelpful. You’ve known him since high school and that’s the best you can do?”
Matt shrugged as Brian nodded.
“Then it’s time for reconnaissance. Come on.” Melanie stood and tugged Brian to his feet. “I’d like to get to know your friend.”
Brian protested as Melanie dragged him away. Under other circumstances, Matt would have found the situation amusing, but considering Melanie’s mission, it wasn’t remotely funny. He nursed his beer and pretended to watch the game. His football team was losing by a stunning margin, but he couldn’t dredge up much interest.
The crowd in the room grew as other games ended and everyone migrated to watch the final quarter of the big game on the big-screen TV. After raising eyebrows when he couldn’t answer questions about what happened earlier in the game—even though he’d been staring at the screen intently the entire time—Matt went to the kitchen under the guise of needing another beer.
He found Ella instead.
“Hey.”
She jumped at the sound of his voice, nearly dropping the plastic cup she held. Soda splashed over her hand onto the counter. “Oops.”
“Didn’t mean to startle you.”
Ella shrugged as she wiped the counter and dried her hands. “It’s not your fault. I didn’t hear you come in.” She laughed nervously. “I’m on a lot of antihistamines and a bit out of it.”
“But they must be working. You’re looking much better than you did earlier.” In reality she looked uncomfortable and slightly wary.
And so good it took everything he had not to reach for her.
Ella wasn’t meeting his eyes. She took her time folding the towel in her hands and smiled weakly. “It takes a while to work its way out of my system, but I’m on the mend.”
“Gardenias?”
Her eyes snapped up to meet his. “Yeah. I can’t believe you remember that.”
“Of course.”
Ella cleared her throat and looked away again, fidgeting with the towel, her cup and finally her belt. Their stilted conversation was so different from what they’d had before—even at the very beginning, they’d never had the awkward what-to-say-now problem. The gaping silence that came now, though, was even worse. But he didn’t want to cut his losses and walk out of the room. Retreat wasn’t an option. Not when it was his first—and possibly only—chance to talk to Ella privately. The problem was what to say next. A list of questions unfolded in his head, but none seemed appropriate in this situation. He settled on the lame but safe, “How’ve you been?”
Ella lifted her chin and plastered a fake smile on her face. “Good. Staying busy with work and the renovations. How about you?”
“Good.” More silence followed their pitiful attempt at conversation.
Ella broke the stalemate first this time. “I see you followed though on your promise to come home for Thanksgiving. Your mom must be very pleased.”
“She is. I haven’t told her anything about Christmas yet, though. The excitement might be too much for her to handle. I guess Melanie was also glad to have you back for the weekend.”
“Except for the sneezing part, she was.” Ella took a deep breath and he could see her forcing herself to relax. She leaned a hip against the counter and shoved her hands into her pockets. “Matt, I want…” She trailed off and broke eye contact again.
“You want what?” He knew her well enough to know that she was screwing up the courage to say whatever it was she wanted to say, but he didn’t want her to lose her nerve before she did. Out if habit he started to reach for her, but caught himself in time. “Come on, El. I think we’re past the beat-around-the-bush stage.”
She nodded. “I wanted to apologize. For the way things ended.”
Ended. Past tense. Right. They were over and Ella had moved on. Hell, Melanie was lining up the next contestant right this second. That shouldn’t bother him, but it did. “It wasn’t my best moment, either. I’ll accept your apology if you’ll accept mine.”
Her smile hit like a dagger to his chest. “Done. And I’m so glad. I’d hate it if after everything, we ended up as enemies because of my temper.”
But we’re not ending up as friends, either. “Yeah,” he managed to bite out.
“I handled this whole thing badly. I wish…”
Couldn’t she just let it drop? He was trying to respect her wishes here, but she wasn’t making it easy to do so. “No. You were right—”
&n
bsp; She touched him then, her hand landing on his arm like a hot coal, the muscles underneath tensing in response. “Matt, what I’m trying to say is that…”
“Ella? Are you in here?” Melanie pushed open the kitchen door, and Ella jumped and backed away. The hand that was already reaching for her dropped to his side. “And you, too, Matt? Folks were wondering where you disappeared to.”
Ella cleared her throat. “We just got to talking.”
“Well, that’s nice.” Melanie looked at him strangely, then turned her attention back to Ella. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I want you to come meet Ross Kelly.”
“But I met him earlier, Mel.”
“Yes, but I’ve had a chance to talk to him, and I think you two should get to know each other better. You have tons in common.”
What Melanie lacked in subtlety, she made up for in determination, and Ella rolled her eyes as she tried to decline. Again, the situation was almost amusing. Almost.
“Mel, I’m in the middle of a conversation here. Can you give me a minute, at least?”
Melanie took a deep breath to argue, and Ella looked ready to snap. He gave her—and himself—an escape route. “It’s okay. Go with Mel. I think we’ve covered everything we need to.”
Obviously pleased she was going to get her way, Melanie reached for Ella’s hand. “Come on. I need to get dinner put together, and you shouldn’t be in here sneezing all over everything. You can talk to Ross while I get things ready. Matt, you can help Brian grill the burgers.”
That got his attention. “Grill? It’s only forty degrees outside.”
“The fire will keep you warm. Come on, Ella.”
Ella sent a pleading look over her shoulder as Melanie dragged her from the room. He might not like it, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. She’d said her piece and really—as much as it might kill him to admit it—Ella wasn’t his business anymore.
“So? What did you think of Ross?”
Most of the crowd was long gone. Only a hardy few of Brian’s friends, including Matt, still camped out in the living room. Pronounced well enough to help clean up and drafted into kitchen duty, Ella had been expecting Mel’s question as she scraped plates and loaded the dishwasher. Mel was too predictable. Not even five minutes alone before starting in on her. “He seems nice enough.”
The Secret Mistress Arrangement Page 11
