Something shifted in Elenore’s heart. She wasn’t alone in the nightmare she’d known as her life. Elle shared her memories, her trauma…her dreams.
Elenore slowly sat up and got to her feet. She trailed across the room to stand in front of Evan’s mirror.
Nothing appeared different in her reflection. What had she expected, another person staring back from her eyes?
Perhaps she had gone crazy and wasn’t aware of it. Had it all been a bad dream? Would she wake up to find that her mother had never left her, and Elijah was the father she’d always wanted him to be?
She lifted the hem of her shirt and then tugged her pants down a few inches. There, on her lower abdomen were four small scars—scars that forced a reality she didn’t want to face. Her nightmare was definitely real.
The sound of a car pulling into the drive caught Elenore’s attention. She righted her clothes and climbed back into bed, hoping that Evan had returned, and it wasn’t the sheriff out there.
The sound of the door opening told her everything she needed to know. Evan was back.
He poked his head around the corner. “May I come in?”
Elenore sat up in bed. “It’s your room, Detective.”
“Minor details,” he teased, striding toward her with a small white bag in his hand. “Your antibiotics and pain medication.”
He placed the bag on the nightstand. “I’ll get you some water.”
Elenore picked up the bag and took out the two bottles of pills. She read the instructions while waiting on Evan to return. The antibiotics were to be taken twice a day and the pain pills as needed.
Evan stepped back in the room and handed her the water.
“Thank you.” Elenore took the antibiotic but decided to forgo the pain pill since she’d already taken one an hour or so before.
Clearing his throat, Evan pulled the oversized chair up next to the bed. “We need to talk.”
Something in his voice made her uneasy. As if she needed any help in that department. She didn’t speak, simply sat there, waiting for the other shoe to drop. And drop, it did.
“I’m moving back to Atlanta.”
Anxiety reared its ugly head. For some reason, it terrified Elenore to imagine her life without Evan. He happened to be the only person in the world she trusted. To what degree, she wasn’t sure. She only knew that she did.
“And I want you to come with me,” he continued, causing her breath to freeze in her lungs.
The cold fingers of panic threatened, but Elenore fought it back. “Go with you?”
“Yes,” he responded in a strong, precise manner. “I can’t leave you in Wexler. It’s too risky. Especially with me gone. The sheriff has already got eyes on that farm. He would swear you were aiding your father, somehow, and would likely bring you in for questioning. And let’s face it, Elenore, you definitely don’t possess the best poker face. The only thing you can do is come with me to Atlanta.”
“But I have no money, Detective. How will I live? I can’t let you support me. It ain’t right.”
“Please call me Evan. And don’t worry about that. We’ll figure something out.”
Though Elenore had lost about every part of herself there was to lose, she still had some pride. In fact, it was all she had to her name. Even the clothes she wore were from Evan.
“Listen,” he began, leaning forward a bit. “I get what you’re feeling. My grandmother left me a rather large sum of money. Money I didn’t earn. But she loved me, and she wanted me to have it. It would be wrong of me not to accept it. Especially since it was given out of love.”
Was Evan trying to tell her he loved her? Elenore’s throat went dry.
He must have realized what he said. His face paled, and he pushed to his feet. “I…um, there’s really no other choice but to go to Atlanta, Elenore. It’s our only option.”
Elenore pulled the covers up higher onto her lap. “Why are you going to Atlanta?”
That stopped his sudden exit from the room. He gave a nervous shrug and then returned to his previous seat in the chair. “Linda wants Sarah to stay in the area she was born in. She also wants me to keep her in her school and near her grandmother.”
Elenore thought about that for a moment, a tiny spark of respect forming for Evan’s ex. Elenore only wished that her own mother had considered her welfare in such a way instead of running off and leaving her in the care of Elijah.
She looked into Evan’s hopeful eyes. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
Elenore nodded. “I’ll go to Atlanta with you. But I will work for my keep.”
Evan’s shoulders sagging told Elenore of his relief. “All right then. I’ll get my things together tonight. We’ll leave in the morning.”
Gaining his feet once more, Evan turned toward the door, stopping just inside the hallway. “Get some rest. If you need anything, let me know.”
With that, he disappeared into the living room.
Elenore relaxed back against the pillows, her mind in chaos. Her entire life, she’d wanted to leave Wexler, to run away from the horrors it possessed and never look back. Evan had just offered her that chance.
Chapter Twenty
Evan unloaded the last of the bags and carried them into his grandmother’s home. His home, he thought with no small amount of pride.
The furniture and dishes he’d used back in Wexler hadn’t belonged to him. Which meant he’d only had to pack up his clothes the night before.
Though Elenore hadn’t said much on the drive to Atlanta, Evan could sense her feelings. Confusion, excitement, and anxiety oozed from her in waves.
He’d mentioned his grandmother’s funeral service to her but hadn’t received much of a reaction. Not that he blamed her. He had always hated funerals himself.
Setting the last of the bags in the den, Evan picked up Elenore’s meager belongings and sought her out. “Elenore?”
She emerged from the last bedroom on the left. He’d given her that room since it had its own bathroom. Being a woman, she would need that bathroom more than he would. Of course, she didn’t wear makeup and jewelry, he thought, sending her a warm smile. “I thought you might want your things.”
She stepped forward and accepted the bag he held. “This was your grandmother’s room.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes,” Evan confirmed, moving around her to enter the large space.
The room smelled of his grandmother’s perfume.
Evan shook off the grief that threatened to overtake him and gazed around at the décor.
The comforter on the bed had different shades of green swirling through the fabric to match the pale green paint of the walls. Beautiful glass vases rested on night stands on either side of the bed, housing some sort of live plants.
He entered the bathroom, noticing the same green accents adorning the countertops and walls. Bottles of lotions and perfumes rested on the countertop along with several makeup products and medicine bottles.
Evan gathered up the bottles of old prescriptions and stepped back into the bedroom to find Elenore standing where he’d left her…holding her bag.
He sent her a smile meant to ease her mind. “Everything in here now belongs to you. That includes anything in the bathroom. I’d rather it get some use than to have to throw it out. Sarah’s bedroom will be across the hall, and I will sleep in my old room. It’s the last door on the left. Please make yourself at home, Elenore. I know you’re nervous, but it’ll make me nervous as well if you’re not comfortable.”
Elenore’s fingers kneaded the edges of the bag she held. “I don’t want to take your grandmother’s things, Detective.”
Evan took patient breath. “I want you to listen to me and listen good, okay?”
At her nod, he continued. “My grandmother would want you to have her things. That’s the kind of person she was. It would upset her to think her things were thrown out. And since I can’t use any of it, that’s exactly what would happen to it. With that being said, I’m
asking you to help yourself to anything you want or need. alright?”
Though still nervous looking, Elenore dipped her head in understanding. “Okay, Detective. Thank you.”
“Also,” Evan gently repeated, “please call me Evan. We’re friends, Elenore, and friends don’t address each other in such a formal manner.”
“Okay, Evan. Thank you.”
Evan grinned. “See? That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”
She attempted a smile back, nearly stopping Evan’s heart. “I’ll try to remember to call you Evan.”
Leaving the room before he made a fool of himself, Evan set about putting his own things away. He needed to run to the grocery store and stock the house before it got too late. His stomach had been growling for the past thirty minutes, and he imagined Elenore would be hungry as well.
He thought about the appointment he had the following morning with his grandmother’s attorney, as well as the funeral. And Linda would be bringing Sarah around five o’clock that same evening.
Reality came crashing down with a vengeance. His grandmother was really gone…and he had a daughter.
* * * *
“Your grandmother left you everything,” the attorney remarked as if speaking of the weather.
He handed Evan a key. “This goes to a safety deposit box. All the information on the bank is inside this envelope.” He slid a large manila envelope across the desk. “The deed to the house and a cashier’s check for the money she had in her account are also inside.”
Evan accepted the envelope, opened it, and dropped the key into its depths.
The attorney shifted in his chair. “As for funeral arrangements, her wishes were to forego a funeral. She requested to be cremated instead, and her ashes spread over her daughter’s grave.”
Evan swallowed with difficulty. He hadn’t been to his mother’s grave in years. “Is that all?”
“It is.” The attorney stood and extended his hand. “If you find you have questions or you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call upon me. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Evan got to his feet as well and accepted the attorney’s outstretched palm. “Thank you, Mr. Orson. I appreciate that.”
With the envelope in hand, Evan left the attorney’s office and climbed behind the wheel of his car. And that’s when the tears fell.
Chapter Twenty-One
Elenore stared down at the beautiful bottles of perfume resting on the bathroom counter. She’d never owned perfume, or lotions, for that matter.
She carefully picked up a bottle of coconut-scented lotion and squirted some into her hand. The wonderful-smelling aroma filled the bathroom with its delicious essence.
Elenore gingerly smeared it onto her arms and face, basking in its heavenly scent.
She gazed around her in wonderment, unable to wrap her mind around the fact that everything in that bathroom now belonged to her.
It confused her that Evan would be so generous and kind without a motive. Yet, he hadn’t touched her once. In fact, he didn’t look upon her with lust in his eyes at all.
But he felt something for her. She’d picked up on the emotion a couple of times before he seemingly reeled it in.
She felt something for him as well, only she wasn’t sure exactly what. Respect was definitely at the top of the list. Gratefulness ran a close second, but anything other than that…she wasn’t capable of.
Elenore knew without question she would never be whole, never know love on the same level as others. She would never walk down the aisle or hold a child of her own in her arms. That part of her had died long ago, and somewhere along the way, Elle had been born.
Somewhere deep inside, Elenore realized that Elle had loved her all along. She’d protected her from the nightmare that had been her life and had taken the endless abuse without question. Elle had even killed for her.
Shaking off her overwhelming thoughts, Elenore left the bathroom and moved to the closet in the bedroom.
She pulled the door open and flipped on the light. There, hanging on dozens and dozens of hangers, were rows of brightly colored dresses and slacks.
Elenore’s mouth dropped open. She’d never seen so many clothes in all her life.
She moved deeper into the large closet and ran her fingers over a silky red dress. Odd that an elderly woman would wear that type of clothing.
Pulling the dress free, Elenore hurried to close her bedroom door and then slipped out of her pants and T-shirt.
She tugged the dress over her head, loving the feel of the silk slinking down her body.
She stepped in front of the mirror on the dresser, her mouth falling open in awe. The dress fit perfectly.
Elenore wanted to twirl around in a circle, but she refrained. Barely.
She pulled off the dress and hurried back to the closet to try on more.
The sound of a car door slamming brought her up short.
Elenore returned the dress to its proper hanger and then stepped into her pants and tugged on her T-shirt.
She opened her bedroom door and moved into the hall.
Evan was just coming in through the kitchen.
He sent her an exhausted smile. “How are you?”
Feeling more comfortable in his presence, Elenore admitted. “I’m okay. I love the bedroom and bathroom.”
He gifted her with another smile and headed toward the den. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
Elenore hesitantly followed. “How did it go with the attorney?” Had she really just pried into his business?
Mortified, she was about to turn and flee, but he answered without reservation.
“It went smoother than I thought it would. However, Grandma apparently wanted to be cremated, her ashes scattered over my mother’s grave.”
Something in Evan’s voice called out to Elenore. She recognized the pain and confusion. She’d lived with the emotions her entire life.
She took a small step closer. “That’s not what you wanted?”
Evan slightly shrugged. “It’s not what I expected. And I…I haven’t been to my mother’s grave in a long time.”
Not knowing what else to say, Elenore whispered, “You must miss her very much.”
“I do,” Evan softly admitted. “It gets easier over time, but the pain never really goes away.”
Elenore understood that better than anyone. “At least you have closure.” Where had that come from? Her bitterness over her mother had no place in Evan’s grief. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You don’t need to apologize for your feelings, Elenore. Ever. And I know you don’t have closure where your mother is concerned.”
A shadow appeared in Evan’s eyes. “Look, Elenore. There’s something I need to tell you.” He opened his mouth to continue, but a knock on the front door stopped him.
“That will be Linda, dropping off Sarah.” He spun toward the door.
There was no way Elenore planned to stand there and be seen by Evan’s ex. The accusation and disdain the woman would no doubt exude when she saw Elenore would be too much to handle. So Elenore fled.
She hurried to her bedroom and locked herself inside. Anxiety had her chest tight and her stomach in knots. How was she supposed to handle a child? She’d only just begun to relax slightly around Evan, but Elenore had never been around a kid before.
The murmuring of voices brought her out of her anxious thoughts. She eased closer to the door, unlocked it, and carefully opened it a crack.
Though she couldn’t make out the entire conversation, she could hear the tears in Linda’s voice. Worse, she detected them in Evan’s as well.
Elenore had no clue how to deal with Evan’s grief. The man had been through a lot in such a short time.
He had helped Elenore cover up the murders beneath that barn, lost his grandmother, found out his ex was dying of cancer, learned he had a daughter, quit his job as detective at the sheriff’s department, and moved back to Atlanta to be the father his daughter needed
him to be. All in one week’s time.
Elenore’s respect for him grew even more.
She eased the door closed, not wanting to eavesdrop on his private moment, and then moved to the nightstand next to the bed to take her medications.
Once the pills were swallowed, Elenore crawled into the soft king-size bed and closed her eyes. The images of her father’s face that usually haunted her…didn’t come.
With a sigh of relief, Elenore drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Evan’s gaze continuously moved to Sarah’s sweet, innocent face. She sat next to her mother, her head resting against Linda’s side.
“I’ll be at my mom’s until…the day comes,” Linda choked out, apparently trying to stay strong in front of Sarah. “If you have any questions or need anything for Sarah at all, you know where I’ll be.”
Evan couldn’t seem to find his voice through the emotions now choking him. He swallowed with difficulty and then met Linda’s gaze. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Linda’s eyes filled with tears. “I want to be sure that Sarah is taken care of, and that she has the best life she can have. I can’t think of a better person to give that to her than you.”
She then turned her attention to Sarah. “Look at me, sweetheart.”
Once she had the little girl’s attention, Linda blinked back her tears and began, “You’re going to be staying here with your father for a while. I want you to be a good girl and do as he says. Okay?”
Sarah’s face fell. “Why do I have to stay here, Mama? I don’t want you to leave me.”
Evan watched Linda fight back her agony with a grace that tore at his already broken heart.
He quickly intervened. “Hey, Sarah? Guess where we’re going tomorrow?”
She laid her head back against her mother’s side but cut her gaze in Evan’s direction.
Evan took advantage of her curiosity. “We’re going to the pet store to pick out a puppy.”
The little eyes that were curiously watching him grew round with excitement. “A puppy?”
Elle Returns: The Sequel: A Psychological Thriller Page 8
