Page 46 of Loving My Enemy

“What difference does it make, Antonio? The unspoken accusation is out there, outherein a small town. It will never beforgotten.” She was humiliated on top of everything else and in that moment, I wished I could make it all better for her.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Nearly the whole damn town showed up to support you in court today. They all sat behind your empty chair, glaring at your parents and their lawyer.” The stunned, wide-eyed expression on her face was priceless and if she wasn’t trying to dart out of town on the next stiff breeze, I might have been able to find the humor in it.

She sucked in a breath and took a step back before she dropped down onto the sofa. “So they all saw the video?”

“Of the amazing thing your brother did for you? Yeah. We all saw how much Austin loved you and how much of you he saw. How he believed in you and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all.”

She slumped forward and blew a stray curl out of her face. “Maybe, but saying it doesn’t make it so.”

“What if I asked you to stay?” Fuck it, there was no point in beating around the bush, maybe the direct approach would work this time.

She looked up and our gazes locked, an intense rush of heat and something far more powerful than lust zipped between us like a live wire. As angry as she was with me and as determined as Elka was to leave, she couldn’t look anyway any more than I could. “Are you asking me to stay, Antonio?” She stood and shook her head, waving her heads to discount my words before I even said that. “Don’t answer that. It doesn’t matter.”

“The hell it doesn’t,” I growled. “If it didn’t matter, I could answer. Right now. And it wouldn’t bother you.” She opened her mouth to tell me just how wrong I was but nothing came out.

Twice. “You’re wrong.”

“Fine, then yes I’m asking you stay. Asking you to give me, give us a real chance.”

“I can’t do that.”

Her voice wavered and I smiled, and took another step forward. “Can’t or too afraid to?” I had a feeling it was a little bit of both.

“Why shouldn’t I be afraid? You hurt me, over and over again and from what I can tell, for no reason at all.” Arms crossed, Elka was resolute. But she was open to being persuaded.

Persuading would me talking. No, not talking, ripping myself open and spilling my guts all over her bohemian designed, semi-packed living room. “May I?” She nodded and slid from the sofa to the chair, curling into herself until her arms were wrapped around her legs, chin resting on her knees. “When I lived in New Orleans there was a girl. A woman named Sadie. We dated for a couple years but I wouldn’t say we were serious.”

“Did you live together?” Her eyebrows pinched together adorably and I wondered if it was jealousy or idle curiosity.

“No. I spent most nights at her apartment but she had a key to mine. And that little fact right there is why I was such an asshole to you. Sadie was killed by a serial killer.” She gasped as I knew she would but I couldn’t look at her, not until I finished. “Who targeted prostitutes.”

“You dated a prostitute?” Realizing what her question sounded like, her blue eyes went comically round. “Not that I’m judging, but when you’re not being grumpy you’re kind of hot.”

“Good to know.” Her lips twitched but the smile never came and she motioned for me to keep talking. “I didn’t know she was until after I found her body. In hindsight it was obvious. Her place was bare of personal effects but who was I talk to when mine was too?”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Antonio.”

“Me too,” I said, my words sharp and bitter. “I’m sorry that I let physical attraction blind me to what was right in front of me.”

“Bullshit.”

I looked up to see Elka staring at me, a defiant glint to her blue eyes. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Bullshit. Don’t dismiss the love you had for her because she lied to you. Admit you’re angry about it, even angrier because you can’t confront her. You just have to accept it,” she said with a certain amount of wisdom and I knew she was talking about Austin.

“Just like that, huh?”

“No, notjust like that. It takes time and effort. If you want to move beyond it, you will. Eventually.”

“And in the meantime?” It felt like were talking about more than my grieving over Sadie and for the first time since I walked in, I had hope.

“You take it a day at a time, as trite as that sounds. Try to drown out the bad memories with the good. Learn from your mistakes. I don’t know, I’m not exactly an expert.”

“You sound pretty wise to me.” Too wise for a woman her age. Elka should be out there making mistakes and learning from them, trying and failing before she found success. “Stay, Elka.”

“Why? Because you feel bad? Good, I’m glad about that. Maybe you’ll treat the next newcomer better.” She shrugged and flashed a sad smile before she pushed out of the chair. “Have a good life, Antonio.”

“I don’t feel bad. I mean, of course I feel bad because I was a complete dick to you but that’s not why I want you to stay.” I stood and went to her, less than a foot separated us and this close up I could see the flecks of brown swimming in her blue eyes.

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